Fiat, the Italian car manufacturer have been producing the Grande Punto since 2005
, it is the predecessor of the Fiat Punto. Due to a spending freeze Fiat has pencilled in the all new Grande Punto for 2012, the current model did receive a facelift in 2008. I remember the 2008 test mule spectacularly catching fire on one of its final test runs.
The face lifted Grande Punto was released in 2009 and was renamed the Punto Evo. The Grande Punto was one of the best looking cars in its class and the new Punto Evo reinstated that with its sharper lines and high quality interior.
The Punto Evo is available with 4 petrol engines and 2 diesels, the petrol engines are all based on the 1.4 litre multi jet engine, there is a 104bhp, 134bhp and the Abarth spec 163 bhp. The diesel engines are made up of the 1.3 litre JTD engine with either 47bhp or 94bhp. The 104 bhp petrol engines provides the best balance between power and economy, the Abarth is a very fast little car with phenomenal grip and go kart like handling.
Fiat has made the Punto Evo available with two suspension setups, the Active, Dynamic and Eleganza models come with the standard setup while the sportier models comes with a firmer setup. The cheap Grande Punto in Southend has excellent handling and enough grip to find the limits of a small 5 door hatchback.
For motorway journeys the diesel models are recommended as they provide the best level of refinement at cruising speeds. While we wait for the new Punto in 2012 the Evo is doing the Punto image no harm and is an excellent platform to build on.