The Fiat Punto Evo has been launched in the Indian market at an introductory price of Rs 4.55 lakh for the base Active petrol variant (ex-showroom Delhi). Like its predecessor, the Punto Evo is offered with the option of two petrol and one diesel engine, with the latter being available in two states of tune. The Punto Evo was launched today at an event in Delhi and over the next few days, Fiat will organise regional launches of the hatchback in major cities across the country.
While the overall silhouette of the Punto Evo has remained the same, the ‘Evolution’ in the design of the new car is distinctly visible. The front has been redesigned taking cues from the bigger Avventura crossover concept, which was unveiled at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo. The front grille gets a bigger trapezoidal design and a thick chrome slat right in the middle. The grille along with the elongated wrap-around headlamps and chrome fog lamp housings give the car an offbeat look. The Fiat logo has been moved up from the grille onto the bumper.
The rear of the Fiat Punto Evo has remained mostly unchanged, though the bumper has been reworked to accommodate the fog lamps and reverse lights. The tail lamps now get clear lens indicators. The interiors of the Punto Evo have been lifted straight from the facelifted Linea. While this not only gives the Punto Evo a premium feel, but also helps the company save development and production costs.
The Active variant of the Punto Evo automatic door locks, a fire protection system, engine immobiliser, integrated indicators on the OVRMs, dual tone dashboard and front power windows. The Dynamic variants additionally get ABS with EBD, body-coloured OVRMs with electrical adjustment, boot lamp, rear power windows and a music system.
The Emotion variants also get front airbags with early crash sensors, chrome plated door handles, front fog lamps and 15-inch alloy wheels. Inside, the car has been equipped with a fully automatic climate control, ambient lighting on the dashboard, rear AC vents, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear-shift knob and a Blue & me infotainment system. The top-end Sport variant gets all the above mentioned creature comforts along with an all-black dashboard, 16-inch alloy wheels and a rear roof spoiler.
The petrol variants of the Punto Evo get the option of a 1.2-litre (Active and Dynamic) and a 1.4-litre petrol unit (Emotion only). While the former produces 67bhp and 96Nm of torque, the latter produces 89bhp and 115Nm of torque. The diesel variants are powered by the tried and tested 1.3-litre Multijet engine which produces 75bhp and 197Nm of torque in the Active, Dynamic and Emotion variants. The more spirited Sports variant however, gets a tuned up version of the same engine which churns out 90bhp and 209Nm of torque. All seven variants of the Punto Evo come mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.
The Punto Evo will be offered in seven paint schemes - glitterati gold, magnesio grey, exotica red, minimal grey, hip hop black, vocal white and tuscan wine. The Punto has been around in the Indian market for quite some time now and has attracted a cult following. The new facelift is expected to soldier on for a couple of more years before a replacement is launched around 2016. Competition in the B+-Segement is heating up as Volkswagen recently introduced the 2014 Polo with some cosmetic updates and a new diesel engine, while Hyundai is planning to launch the new Elite i20 on August 11.