Fiat Punto Evo, Track Test

Post nip-and-tuck, the Punto is queen of the catwalk once again. But can it still take pole position at the track?

The Punto is back to being one of the most striking cars on our roads. How do you not fall in love with the Punto’s renewed Italian flair? The real question, though, is this – is the beauty merely skin deep?

Well, a relatively solid lap time seems to suggest otherwise. More importantly, we believe that Fiat will be offering a far hotter version of this hatch pretty soon – one that has the 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine from the Linea. And considering my penchant for hot-hatches, that’s one car that I can’t wait to drive. But Fiat is going to have to do some work on the chassis before that.

Inherently this is a great platform – it’s as stable as they come. But it seems that they’ve raised the ride height a little too much to deal with our roads – as a result of which the Punto now gets a little more wheelspin on corner exit than you’d like. But, other than the fact that the front wheels are easily overwhelmed, the Punto always feel incredibly well planted – especially under braking.

In addition to a tarted up front and rear end, the Punto Evo also gets completely restyled interiors that are a world away from the ergonomically challenged cabin of yore. Sure, it still has some elements that still make you scratch your head – but, on the whole, it’s quite a pleasing place to spend time. But I wouldn’t buy the diesel Punto. This car simply has too much potential to settle for that. It’s simply begging for that T-Jet engine – and I’d wait for it if I were you…