Punto Evo not all its seems

I’ll confess I got a bit confused when my invitation to drive Fiat’s new Punto Evo arrived. I instantly thought Mitsubishi Evo, and that if Fiat had produced a surprise new hot hatch version of its popular supermini, I wanted a go. But in fact it’s the new name for the Grande Punto – which has been axed – and there’s nothing remotely performance-oriented about it. The change (above), is about cleaner engines, a revised interior and a front end that follows the styling of the Fiat 500. It’s freshened up the car and the eco-message is a strong one, but don’t trouble your Fiat dealer if you’re looking for quick 0-60mph times. The most interesting part of the launch event came when a Fiat engineer dropped into the conversation that the two-cylinder petrol engine the firm has been working on is going into production later this year. It’s clever technology that’s going to take small car fuel economy to an even higher level.