Abarth Punto EvoThere will be some reading this who might feel they’ve stumbled on a crossword anagram rather than an Italian motor car. By the look of it I should think there’ll be some interesting results for anyone prepared to try the anagram, but for now we’ll stick with the car.Abarth is an old name, and in many ways its history is mirrored in the slightly more recent AMG company. Both of them were started by enthusiasts who worked on models of their choice to further their racing and commercial ambitions. For AMG it was Herr Aufrecht and Herr Melcher who used their initials and that of the former’s birthplace of Großaspach to give them the three lettered name that’s now owned by Mercedes. In the 50s it was Karl Abarth who did similar business with all manner of Fiats, and such has been the company’s success that it’s now wholly owned by the Fiat empire.Abarth is establishing itself as a brand in its own right, though dealerships (of which there are currently nineteen) are mostly sharing space with Fiat cars. The appeal of the brand to British buyers can be judged by one simple fact – the UK is the biggest market for the cars outside of Italy. We’ve had the Abarth Grande Punto, and now comes not only the 3-door Punto Evo, but an Abarth version of the 500C. You can get full details of the 500C on the Abarth website, but here we’ll concentrate on the Punto Evo.There’s no mistaking the Abarth Punto Evo for the Fiat example. It’s a good deal more what the marketing persons like to refer to as ‘aggressive’. The Abarth scorpion logo adorns the car inside and out many, many times, and acres of side skirts, graphics and purposeful alloys and side air intake vents let the world know what you’re in. It’s powered by the MultiAir engine that offers an excellent combination of performance and economy. Developed in conjunction with Fiat, this 1.4-litre turbo is the most sporting interpretation yet of the company’s revolutionary MultiAir technology, which in brief is a method of controlling the way the engine breathes, and it enables the Abarth Punto EVO to accelerate from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds yet still return an impressive 47.1mpg on the combined cycle. Anyone wanting more power need only wait a wee while until the EsseEsse version arrives, with around 180PS.On the road the first thing to notice is the amazing (for a 1.4) amount of torque available from this MultiAir technology; it simply feels more like a 1.6, even a 1.8. Official power is listed as 120 kilowatts, which translates as 163PS, which in a car this size is a lot. Such is the handling and ride quality – firm but fair – one is tempted to use quite a lot of those PS, so to avoid indulgence on Yorkshire roads Abarth had arranged a visit to the Teesside Autodrome in Middlesborough, which I know now is the longest, fastest karting circuit in the world, and thus perfectly suited to a test of the Abarth.In front of the gear lever is a Sport switch, which induces tighter throttle and steering responses, and engages Torque Transfer Control, which essentially gets the electronics to mimic a limited slip differential. The tight bends and surprisingly long straights of the Autodrome enabled a thorough exploration of what the Punto Evo could do, and thanks to the ESP rescuing me from a few lurid moments I can say it can do everything you’d reasonably want and do it very safely. Braking, with Brembo callipers at the front, is well matched to the power.Unusually for a performance car, Start&Stop is fitted as standard, and it works as well as they tend to do these days, stopping the car when the driver pulls to a halt and puts the gearbox in neutral, and starting again when the clutch is depressed.The Abarth interior is well finished, and attractive enough if you’re fond of black. The darkness is relieved by red and yellow stitching on the gear lever gaiter and seat edges, and even the black of the facia has the effect mellowed by its soft padding. Equipment is pretty generous, with seven airbags (including driver’s kneebag), ESP, Hill Holder, remote locking, air con, computer, cruise control, and electric mirrors/front windows. Gearbox is a 6-speeder with ratios sensible enough to provide reasonable engine noise levels and that impressive fuel economy.You can get similar performance from the likes of a Golf GT with the 160PS engine, but you’ll pay a heck of a lot more, get less miles from your fuel, and melt into the background…..which is something you won’t be doing with the Abarth.Size:4.07m x 1.69mEngine: Petrol: 1.4 litresGearbox:6-speed FWDConsumption:47.1mpgPrice at Sept ’10:£16,500Full details of the Abarth cars are available on the manufacturer’s website: www.abarthcars.co.ukPeter Cracknell - Sept 2010
Abarth Punto Evo
There will be some reading this who might feel
they’ve stumbled on a crossword anagram rather
than an Italian motor car. By the look of it I should
think there’ll be some interesting results for anyone
prepared to try the anagram, but for now we’ll stick
with the car.
Abarth is an old name, and in many ways its history
is mirrored in the slightly more recent AMG company.
Both of them were started by enthusiasts who
worked on models of their choice to further their
racing and commercial ambitions. For AMG it was
Herr Aufrecht and Herr Melcher who used their
initials and that of the
former’s birthplace of
Großaspach to give
them the three lettered
name that’s now owned
by Mercedes. In the 50s
it was Karl Abarth who
did similar business with
all manner of Fiats, and
such has been the
company’s success that
it’s now wholly owned by
the Fiat empire.
Abarth is establishing
itself as a brand in its
own right, though
dealerships (of which
there are currently
nineteen) are mostly
sharing space with Fiat
cars. The appeal of the
brand to British buyers can be judged by one simple
fact – the UK is the biggest market for the cars
outside of Italy. We’ve had the Abarth Grande Punto,
and now comes not only the 3-door Punto Evo, but
an Abarth version of the 500C. You can get full
details of the 500C on the Abarth website, but here
we’ll concentrate on the Punto Evo.
There’s no mistaking the Abarth Punto Evo for the
Fiat example. It’s a good deal more what the
marketing persons like to refer to as ‘aggressive’.
The Abarth scorpion logo adorns the car inside and
out many, many times, and acres of side skirts,
graphics and purposeful alloys and side air intake
vents let the world know what you’re in. It’s powered
by the MultiAir engine that offers an excellent
combination of performance and economy.
Developed in conjunction with Fiat, this 1.4-litre turbo
is the most sporting interpretation yet of the
company’s revolutionary MultiAir technology, which in
brief is a method of controlling the way the engine
breathes, and it enables the Abarth Punto EVO to
accelerate from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds yet still
return an impressive 47.1mpg on the combined
cycle. Anyone wanting more power need only wait a
wee while until the EsseEsse version arrives, with
around 180PS.
On the road the first thing to notice is the amazing
(for a 1.4) amount of torque available from this
MultiAir technology; it simply feels more like a 1.6,
even a 1.8. Official power is listed as 120 kilowatts,
which translates as 163PS, which in a car this size is
a lot. Such is the handling and ride quality – firm but
fair – one is tempted to use quite a lot of those PS,
so to avoid indulgence on Yorkshire roads Abarth
had arranged a visit to the Teesside Autodrome in
Middlesborough, which I know now is the longest,
fastest karting circuit in the world, and thus perfectly
suited to a test of the Abarth.
In front of the gear lever is a Sport switch, which
induces tighter throttle and steering responses, and
engages Torque Transfer Control, which essentially
gets the electronics to mimic a limited slip differential.
The tight bends and surprisingly long straights of the
Autodrome enabled a thorough exploration of what the
Punto Evo could do, and thanks to the ESP rescuing
me from a few lurid moments I can say it can do
everything you’d reasonably want and do it very safely.
Braking, with Brembo
callipers at the front, is
well matched to the
power.
Unusually for a
performance car,
Start&Stop is fitted as
standard, and it works as
well as they tend to do
these days, stopping the
car when the driver pulls
to a halt and puts the
gearbox in neutral, and
starting again when the
clutch is depressed.
The Abarth interior is well
finished, and attractive
enough if you’re fond of
black. The darkness is
relieved by red and
yellow stitching on the gear lever gaiter and seat
edges, and even the black of the facia has the effect
mellowed by its soft padding. Equipment is pretty
generous, with seven airbags (including driver’s
kneebag), ESP, Hill Holder, remote locking, air con,
computer, cruise control, and electric mirrors/front
windows. Gearbox is a 6-speeder with ratios sensible
enough to provide reasonable engine noise levels and
that impressive fuel economy.
You can get similar performance from the likes of a
Golf GT with the 160PS engine, but you’ll pay a heck
of a lot more, get less miles from your fuel, and melt
into the background…..which is something you won’t
be doing with the Abarth.
Size:
4.07m x 1.69m
Engine:
Petrol: 1.4 litres
Gearbox:
6-speed FWD
Consumption:
47.1mpg
Price at Sept ’10:
£16,500
Full details of the Abarth cars are available on the
manufacturer’s website: www.abarthcars.co.uk
Peter Cracknell - Sept 2010
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