Hot hatches, a name given to small cars, have a resting beast under the hood. It was resting unless the motor was fired up. This means these cars have extraordinarily powerful engines for the size of the vehicle and a mouthwatering power-to-weight ratio. Well, hot hatches were no such thing in 2000, but with GT’s and TSI’s entry TSI, things changed after 2010. Following the VWs launch came the Abarth Punto. Abarth Punto was essentially a conventional Punto with a powerful engine. That said, those were just the aesthetics and features carried over. Rest everything shouted sports. But what was so special about the Abarth Punto? Let’s find out.
Before going forward, let’s give a brief about what Abarth is. In simple terms, Fiat makes vehicles for the masses, and Abarth tunes and customizes them for the petrolheads. Similar to AMG: Mercedes, Abarth: Fiat. Like AMG, Abarth is the only sports brand for Fiat. Hence, Abarth engineered the necessary changes in the Punto to make it quick.
Abarth Punto | Launch
In 2015, almost after 2 years after the Launch of the Volkswagen GT TSI, Abarth launched the Punto for petrolheads in India. The Abarth was to take on the likes of Volkswagen, dominating the market back then. Also, the facelifted punto was launched with this Abarth badge and treatment. This means it was high on features and aesthetics. Personally, it was the new Punto that looked more exciting than the previous model. At the time of its Launch, this hot hatchback had a price tag of Rs. 9.95 Lakh (ex-showroom).
But despite all the efforts, why did Abarth make a dent in the market? Please stick with us here; we’ll tell you why.
Abarth Punto | The Engine and Transmisison
The engine was the sole reason for upgrading to the Abarth. Speaking of which, the Abarth Punto come with a rather small 1.4-litre 4-cylinder engine. Small right? Hold your thoughts. This small motor was among the first turbo petrol engines to ever hit the Indian market. Due to the forced induction, only the capacity was small, not the power and torque output.
Engine Specification
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| Abarth Punto | Volkswagen GT TSI | |
| Capacity | 1368CC | 1197CC |
| Power | 145bhp | 105bhp |
| Torque | 212Nm | 175Nm |
| Transmission | 5-Speed MT | 6-Speed MT / 7-Speed DSG |
| 0-100 Time* | 8.8s | 9.5s |
- Tentative times
This 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine could generate a max power of 145bhp and 212Nm of peak torque. And transmitting the power to the front wheels was a 5-speed manual transmission. Considering the power, the new Honda City with a 1.5-litre engine generates a max power of 121bhp. Considering the size and weight, Punto was way ahead. Additionally, the technical specifications of this engine were way more than the ones of the 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine of the Polo.
This motor allowed the vehicle to propel itself from 0-100 in about 8.8 seconds.
What went wrong with Abarth Punto?
If you remember, Fiat didn’t have the best reputation among the car manufacturers in India. And being the Fiat DNA, not many flocked into the showroom to buy one. With that, in 2015, the trend of turbo petrol and extremely powerful cars was picking up. It’s just Abarth came with the Punto a little too soon.
The third reason was the overall package. The engine was way more powerful, and the suspension was also a little sporty, but the overall dynamics and package were not downright exciting. There were certain flaws in the ergonomics and dynamics of the vehicle. For instance, the driver’s seating position was a little awkward despite having a seat and steering adjustment. It was almost impossible for many drivers to find comfortable driving positions.
Due to the reasons mentioned above, people still preferred the more reliable and supposedly better to drive Volkswagen Polo GT TSI. Polo also had an option of a 7-speed DSG automatic, which was absent in the Punto.
What do you think? Was Abarth Punto better than the Volkswagen Polo? Also, if it were you, which hot hatch would you pick?
