Fiat India has made it official that they have started taking bookings for the Punto Abarth. The booking amount for the much-awaited hot hatch would be Rs 50, 000, the brand has revealed. Shown recently at the launch of the 595 Competizione, the Punto Abarth will be launched in a month’s time in the Indian market.
Fiat is looking forward to cash in on the festive season by launching the “Made in India” Punto Abarth. The highlight of the car, of course, is the 1.4-litre T-Jet turbocharged engine seen earlier in the Linea T-Jet. For the Punto Abarth, Fiat has retuned the unit to bring the total power output to 140bhp and 200Nm.
Apart from the more powerful engine, Fiat has also added disc brakes at all four corners, stiffer springs and a ride height that is lowered by 20mm compared to the standard car.
The Punto Abarth may not look very different from the standard Punto and its cabin is pretty much identical too. However, there is no denying the fact that Fiat India has genuinely addressed a major chunk of enthusiasts in India by bringing in such a product. What the brand now needs is a competitive price tag to reserve a sweet spot for itself in the affordable performance segment in India.
Fiat seems to have got the styling additions that they have made to the Abarth Punto subtle enough to be appreciated by true petrolheads while being bold enough to be noticed by the mere mortal. We like how not much has actually changed apart from the fact that some of the chrome trim that you get on the normal Punto is now painted in a bright shade of red. Black and red of course is one of the sportiest combinations of all time and the new Abarth Punto really does look the business.
With great power comes great responsibility. A responsibility to handle well. And the Punto certainly does the Spiderman phrase justice. Although the ride height is definitely something we would like to see changed, it hasn’t really had a major effect on the suspension setup. The Punto still handles as flat as it always has and showcases the same composure over rough roads. Yes, there is a considerable amount of understeer especially on wet roads, but that is mainly due to the tyres(and the fact that it now has 145PS of power). Fiat has definitely fiddled with the spring stiffness as the Punto does ride slightly stiffer as compared to before. But it isn’t a bad thing and won’t exactly break your back. And of course, you get a set of disc brakes at the rear which gives the Punto enough braking power to stop on a dime.
There is no doubting the fact that the Abarth Punto Evo is a great package. The fact that you get that much power in a Hatchback and the fact that it will be an affordable proposition makes it a very very tempting car indeed. If rumors are to be believed, Fiat says the car will be priced at about Rs 10 lakhs making the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI its prime competition. In our opinion, Fiat needs to concentrate on making cars for enthusiasts with engines that are way ahead of its competition and this is exactly what the Abarth Punto Evo is. It might not sell phenomenal numbers, but it will certainly make Fiat extremely desirable once again.