Abarth Punto Evo Hatchback (10 on) - Review

The world of hot hatches is a pretty busy one. Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot, Skoda, SEAT, Audi, BMW, Citroen and MINI are all jostling for position in this crowded marketplace. As such Abarth, Fiat’s performance brand, has a lot of work to do with its new Punto Evo to get its share of customers. While other hot hatches might out-do the Punto Evo when it comes to pure performance, the Abarth is the more practical, less-hardcore alternative and is not so arduous when it comes to day-to-day driving. It's no slouch though, and the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine is more than lively enough, while the handling is sharp. To push Abarth's case even more, the 165bhp Punto Evo is available in the hotter Esseesse guise with an improved power output of 180bhp.