Fiat Punto Evo revealed

Fiat has revised the Grande Punto and given it a new name - The Fiat Punto Evo

I’m not sure that a facelift – which is essentially what this is – calls for a new name, but Fiat say the Evo is different enough from the Grand Punto to make a new name sensible. Hmm.

The nose of the Evo looks different from the Grand Punto, with new bumpers and lights, and Fiat say the interior is completely revised, and will include the option of Blue&Me-Tom-Tom – which manages telephone, SatNav and info systems through a colour touch screen. Which is nice.

But the big news comes in the engine front, with the addition of Fiat’s 1.4 litre Multiair lump. This is the same engine that was recently announced for the Alfa  MiTo, and the Evo is the first car in the Fiat range to get it, although it will be beaten to the showrooms by the MiTo which goes on sale in September.

The 1.4 litre Multiair is a clever piece of kit. It manages the combustion and engine management to cut emissions by around 10%. But it also increases power by 10% and torque by 15%. It manages to do all this and improve economy in to the bargain. But the important bit in terms of emissions is that it cuts NOx emissions by 60% and particulate emissions by 40%. Far more important than CO2. Fiat intends rolling Multiair out across its entire range in the next couple of years, and is also offering a 1.3 Multiair diesel in the Evo, along with Stop-Start across the range.

Although Fiat hasn’t said as much, it seems likely that some versions of the Grande Punto will continue as a sort of entry-level ‘Classic’ Grand Punto.

The Fiat Punto Evo will show at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month and go on sale at the end of October. No word on UK prices yet, but they won’t be a lot different from the Grande Punto.