Fiat Punto Evo Active 1.2 8v 3dr Car Review - February 2012

The cabin interior has undergone serious upgrading since the previous Fiat Grande Punto though it still includes some lightweight plastics you won’t see on other rivals like the Polo from VW.

Finding the ideal driving position is relatively easy since there’s a good range of adjustment on the driver’s seat, although the seats themselves may feel a little firm for some people.

The Fiat Punto Evo Active 1.2 is powered by Fiat’s 4-cylinder, 8-valve petrol engine producing a maximum power of 69bhp and pulling power of 75lb-ft. Its no powerhouse by any means, but it’ll get you from 0-62mph in 13.9 seconds and tops out at a maximum speed of 97mph – so it stands its ground in its class. The engine and 5-speed manual gear-box generally perform well – it has enough pep for city traffic but gets a bit noisy when you hit the motorway.

The Punto Evo’s handling is safe and unfussy. The steering is maybe not as sharp as it could be at times, with a little too much play in it. The steering aside, the Punto’s handling won’t disappoint most drivers.

Ride quality is good on most roads but you’ll be disappointed if you take it on anything rougher than most city roads. Noise reduction is excellent with extra sound deadening fitted in this model, which makes it considerably quieter than before.

This model has been transformed by exterior styling changes, especially at the front, making sure that the Punto Evo has a more distinctive and refined look than its predecessor. A nice touch is the Fiat badge which now houses the catch to open the boot. However, in spite of the re-worked styling, some still say it’s beginning to look a bit dated compared to its more modern rivals.

This Punto Evo Active comes with power steering, central locking, stability control, electric front windows and mirrors, an immobiliser and CD+MP3 connectivity. Further enhancements such as air conditioning at (£525), metallic paint (£450) and front-side airbags (£300) are also available.

The Active version is not the most generous with equipment, but the Punto also offers GP and Sport trimmed versions with firmer suspension, alloy wheels and fog-lights upfront, and additional bodykitting on the Sport model.

Being a five-seater, there's ample room for adults in the back, although head space in the rear may squeeze taller passengers. The boot is quite spacious too, with 275-lites of usable space with the rear seats in place and a total of 1,030-litres with them folded down.

Driver and passenger air bags are fitted as standard, while front side airbags come as an extra for £300. An immobilizer is also included, but sadly, no alarm is included as standard.

The poor reputation of the previous Grande Punto seems to be a thing of the past now and Fiat has worked hard to develop a reputation for reliability and build quality – which are now on the up and up.

Service intervals are every 18,000 miles which is longer than some of its competitors and bodes well for Fiat’s confidence in its reliability. The Punto Evo comes with Fiat’s 3-year, 60,000 mile warranty.

At £10,400 the Punto Evo Active 1.2 3-door offers good all-round value for buyers. There are certainly cheaper entry level cars in the same super-mini class, however buyers are now paying basically the same as before for the Grande Punto, but this new Punto Evo is much improved, with more kit as standard and a better option all round.

It’s cheap to keep on the road, with its economical engine giving 54.3mpg on average; its CO2 emissions of 123g/km (VED band D) and group 6 insurance mean that running costs won’t batter your pockets either.