SLUG: On the road
Not many are familiar with the Abarth brand in Goa. It is the performance division of Fiat and has been responsible for creating some thrilling drives since 2007. For a normal person, Abarth could be just another powerful and expensive pimped ride but for the true enthusiast the brand lies in the same universe as the Mercedes AMGs and BMW Ms. The car in question here is the Abarth-tuned Punto which coincidentally is the most powerful (affordable) hatchback you can buy in India. Power comes from a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol that puts out (bear with me) 145BHP of power and 212Nm of torque. It can go from naught to 100Km/hr in just 8.8 seconds which makes it much faster than the sophisticated Volkswagen Polo GT.
Step inside the Abarth Punto and the first thing you notice is the awkward driving position. The large diameter multi-function steering wheel feels too close to the body and you are forced to push your seat back in order to get into a reasonably good driving position. The next thing you notice is the Scorpion badge on the steering wheel that constantly reminds you that this is a full-blown Abarth. But still you are not one hundred percent sure, that is, until you engage first gear, let off the clutch and floor the throttle pedal. The initial pick up brings an instant smile to your face which gets even wider as you upshift to second. The 1.4-litre unit pulls cleanly without any hesitation with a strong kick from the turbo at around 2000RPM. The car shoots forward like an arrow released from an extended bow, the only difference being the arrow loses momentum while the Abarth Punto continues to pull stronger by the metre.
Everything good also has a bad side and so does the Abarth Punto. The engine for that matter has a bit of turbo lag in lower gears and could make life difficult on a steep slope behind a truck climbing at tortoise speeds. Also weird is the fact that the redline marking on the tachometer starts at a low 5500RPM; the engine does rev to about 6200RPM though. The 5-speed manual gearbox too could have been better which feels rubbery while slotting into gears. But all these drawbacks seem like nitpickings when you set your eyes on the exteriors. The Abarth Punto looks like a fashion model readied to take on the race track. The standard Punto Evo is one of the most beautiful cars on sale in India and with the addition of the Abarth Scorpion badges and decals all over makes it even more unique, along with those signature 16-inch scorpion alloy wheels. Italians do know how to make themselves and their cars look good.
Coming back to the drive, another aspect that completely blows your mind is the Abarth Punto’s handling characteristics which are nothing less than spectacular. The car rolls a bit but is beautifully controlled and you tend to feel the weight transfer from the rear thanks to the excellently weighed hydraulic power steering system. The front feels perfectly in conjunction with the rear and inspires you to push the car harder even midway into a corner. Complementing this, are the brilliant brakes which get ABS as standard and discs on rear wheels too.
The Abarth Punto then is a true performance machine aimed at the purist. The car is designed to provide thrills and it excels in that. This Abarth apart from being a hard core performance oriented car has a rear seat bench and a reasonably sized boot too which means you can take your wife for her weekend shopping or even take it to the airport to drop off your beloved uncle. It has a decent sounding music system that supports Bluetooth, USB, Aux-in and Voice Commands. So a split personality you say, but in fact it is much more. The Abarth Punto has the ability to bind you to itself with a tug tied so tightly to your hearts that it is hard to forgo one. Sadly at Rs. 9.95 lakhs Ex-showroom, Goa it is not a common man’s piece of cake. At the end of the day, this is one hell of a firecracker and firecrackers are expensive, aren’t they?
Specifications
Displacement 1368cc
Power 145BHP at 5500RPM
Torque 212Nm at 2000-4000RPM
Wheelbase 2510mm
Tyres 195/55 R16
Fuel Efficiency ( As per ARAI) 16.3 Km/L
