Photo: Fiat
Bearing codename Project 199 and unveiled in 2005, the Fiat Grande Punto is one of the, if not the most dated supermini currently on sale in Europe. When the Grande Punto received the Evo treatment in 2009, it dropped the Grande from its name. Hence the Fiat Abarth Punto, which launched today in India.
So... ten years after the Grande Punto was unveiled, Fiat-Chrysler now debuts an Abarth-ified and refreshed version of a gray-haired B-segment hatchback? Talk about business practices among automakers. Nevertheless, there are some good points about the India-spec 2015 Fiat Abarth Punto... and bad points.
In 2015, India's population comprises of 1,284,567,845 souls. Fiat hopes that at least one of these souls will buy a warm hatchback for the equivalent of €15,000 or $16,525. Animated by a 1.4-liter T-Jet four-banger, the turbocharger ramps the power up to 145 HP and 196 Nm of torque. The mill is coupled to a proper manual transmission.
According to Fiat India, sporty(-ish) improvements have been made to adapt the suspension, dampers, and steering to the kick you get from 196 Nm (144 lb-ft) of torque with such a small and light vehicle. The 16-inch wheels wearing 195/55 rubber come as standard. As for the inside, this is where all the go-faster treatment outside and underneath is rendered obsolete: cheap plastic ruins the car's sporty nature worse than the proverbial too-friendly uncle ruins your birthday party. But does it make sense? Only just...
On an ending note, we have to highlight that the Fiat Abarth Punto (which is no longer in stock in Italy) is good value in India. Compared to the India-spec Abarth 595 Competizione, this black-and-red B-segment hatchback with sporting credentials is three times as cheap. That's a lot of money and, in our book, this is why more than one soul will gladly spend one million rupees on a brand spanking new Fiat Abarth Punto.
In 2015, India's population comprises of 1,284,567,845 souls. Fiat hopes that at least one of these souls will buy a warm hatchback for the equivalent of €15,000 or $16,525. Animated by a 1.4-liter T-Jet four-banger, the turbocharger ramps the power up to 145 HP and 196 Nm of torque. The mill is coupled to a proper manual transmission.
According to Fiat India, sporty(-ish) improvements have been made to adapt the suspension, dampers, and steering to the kick you get from 196 Nm (144 lb-ft) of torque with such a small and light vehicle. The 16-inch wheels wearing 195/55 rubber come as standard. As for the inside, this is where all the go-faster treatment outside and underneath is rendered obsolete: cheap plastic ruins the car's sporty nature worse than the proverbial too-friendly uncle ruins your birthday party. But does it make sense? Only just...
On an ending note, we have to highlight that the Fiat Abarth Punto (which is no longer in stock in Italy) is good value in India. Compared to the India-spec Abarth 595 Competizione, this black-and-red B-segment hatchback with sporting credentials is three times as cheap. That's a lot of money and, in our book, this is why more than one soul will gladly spend one million rupees on a brand spanking new Fiat Abarth Punto.
Google News