Historical name for every petrolhead, Abarth emphasizes that its Punto Evo is a “distant cousin” of the standard Fiat Punto Evo, from which it takes skeleton and features. The compact three-door, four-seater, produced between 2009 and 2012 and which replaced the first Abarth Grande Punto is updated in the aesthetics, softening its curves, thanks to good looking vents, honeycomb front grille and more generous wheel arches, in which we find 17″ wheels with the showy and colored brake callipers that dispel any doubt of sportiness, just like the many Scorpion badges, scattered here and there. The 4-cylinder T-Jet MultiAir 1.4cc engine also gains a few more horses and get to 163, extrapolated from the small Abarth at about 5500 rpm, while maximum torque, which is also slightly increased and is now at 250 Nm, is exploitable starting from 2250 rpm.
Drivability is different from a standard Punto, the sports seats hold well, especially in fast corners and in sudden changes of direction, the 6-speed manual gearbox is not perfect but it has good ratios, while in “Sport” mode, traction control can’t be switched off, but only made less invasive. Of course it’s front wheel drive and the weight does not exceed 1200 kg: very good, even if power is not enough, especially when you find yourself having to downshift in order to take full advantage of the turbo boost and use all of the torque available. Suspension is stiff and drive feeling, both on the road and on track, has a constant sporty sensation, enjoyable for the typical customer who always find an opportunity to flat out to the rev limiter. If acceleration and top speed are not enthusiastic compared to today’s standards hot hatches, steering makes its best to turn up our noses and the sound of the exhaust, especially from inside the cabin, does not amplify in any way the driving experience.
That said, I do not want to completely scuttle the Abarth Punto Evo only finding a bunch of defects, because after hours and hours of driving it, you can get down fresh as a daisy, it is relatively cheap (some € extra for the sharper 180 hp Essesse) and lets you have fun for the vast majority of the time. I see it as a good Made in Italy choice with a scent of racing heritage so dear to every self-respecting Italian car guy. It is not perfect and does not excel in any point, but takes home a 6 out of 10, still useful for a peaceful coexistence.
Marco Mancino
ABARTH PUNTO EVO (2009-2012)
Layout – front-engined, front wheel drive
Engine – 4 cylinder 1368cc – turbo
Transmission – 6-speed manual gearbox
Power – 163 hp @ 5500 rpm
250 Nm @ 2250 rpm
Weight – 1170 kg
Acceleration – 7,8 sec.
Top Speed – 215 kph