Punto Evo designed to meet the requirement for smaller more environmentally friendly cars
To cater for customers who are more demanding than ever, the Punto Evo has been designed to meet the requirement for smaller, more environmentally friendly cars that are easier to park and more affordable to run, yet still stylish, safe, comfortable and fun to drive. Fiat has managed this by combining ground-breaking new engines with a healthy dose of technology and features traditionally associated with larger cars.
As a dynamic development of the Grande Punto, the Punto Evo has a bold new look inside and out, cloaking a stronger structure that makes it safer, better to drive and more welcoming for passengers. And it incorporates many advanced safety features to further enhance the ownership experience, including knee airbags, double seatbelt pre-tensioners and ESP with hill holder.
In line with Fiat’s philosophy of technology-for-all, every model in the range is fitted with the firm’s Blue&Me interface that allows drivers intuitive control of all the car’s major functions. And all models, except Active, can be specified with the Blue&Me TomTom system.
This means fingertip access to a touch-screen navigation system, mobile phone, trip computer and MP3 player with steering wheel commands. It also includes Fiat’s ground-breaking eco:Drive which helps owners lower their fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. For the first time, eco:Drive is a fully integrated system in Punto Evo, and customers can now receive real-time suggestions for more environmentally friendly motoring.
But this car’s launch is made particularly noteworthy because it heralds the unleashing of two important new ‘Ecotechnology’ engine line-ups, the MultiAir petrol family and MultiJet II diesels.
The Punto Evo’s range of five engines all conform to Euro 5 emissions requirements and are all fitted with Start&Stop technology as standard. But improved fuel consumption isn’t the only way in which Punto Evo owners will benefit from its innovative engines. Low CO2 emissions mean customers will also pay low levels of Vehicle Excise Duty (Car Tax) – just £35 in the case of the new Punto Evo MultiJet range.
Whichever engine customers choose, they’ll have two different chassis philosophies and five trim levels to deliberate over. All the GP and exclusively three-door Sporting versions follow the Sport chassis philosophy with racy on-road behaviour and more assertive looks. Three or five-door Comfort versions come in either Active, Dynamic or Eleganza trims with a more elegant look and feel to them.
Even the entry level Active model features a generous amount of standard equipment including front driver, passenger and driver’s knee airbag, five standard-size seats, two rear head restraints, front electric windows, height and reach adjustable steering wheel, electric mirrors, and Blue&Me infotainment. Owners can also choose from an extensive options list, and with a total of 22 versions to select from at launch, (a 1.6 16v MultiJet 120bhp version joins the range in October), customers will find plenty to interest them in the new Punto Evo range.
The Punto Evo has been conceived to cosset its occupants as a larger car might. This has been achieved through a clever combination of factors.
Most noticeably the car’s interior design has been substantially reworked. Hard angles have been abandoned and replaced with softer, curvier lines that appear plush and elegant, giving a cosier, more comfortable atmosphere.
Work by Fiat’s famed Centro Stile (Style Centre) has concentrated on finding and fitting materials that don’t just look good, but feel good too. And a radical redesign inside has halved the size of the centre console. At the top of this now sits a recess where the portable Blue&Me TomTom unit is situated just above the air vents (not on Active). A classy piano black panel surrounds the sound system’s LCD display and includes buttons for functions such as the central locking set into it.
Below this, some versions have a diffused ambient light source which can be switched on at night to bathe the interior in a mellow shade, making driving in the dark a real event. Beneath this is a separate console to house the ventilation controls.
The instruments feature larger dials for the speedometer and rev counter, and these sit within a new cowl that shades them from bright light. The instrument panel features a gear shift indicator (GSI), which advises drivers when to change to a higher or lower gear, depending on conditions, and a ‘real time’ indication of consumption.
Seats too have been redesigned to improve them ergonomically and a new range of innovative materials are being used on these and the door panels to ensure the Punto Evo feels absolutely contemporary.
This high tech approach is fully in keeping with the latest generation Blue&Me TomTom that any Punto Evo, except Active, can be specified with. Despite being cheaper to fit than rivals’ systems, this in-car interface is more versatile and user friendly. It is simple to use, offering easy access to information.
With Blue&Me TomTom in fact, a completely integrated infotainment system is created which allows for the management, via a modern colour touch-screen, of telephone, navigation and all the information necessary for driving. Thanks to dashboard provision, management via steering wheel controls and voice instructions, it is possible to ensure maximum safety when driving. This new system will also supply drivers with information in real time concerning the environmental impact of their own driving style, and will suggest how to perfect it through correct handling of gear changes and use of the accelerator pedal.
Featuring a 4.3-inch high-resolution touch screen, the portable unit links to the car via an integrated connector on the dash, meaning that there are no trailing cables or wires. Mobile phone, sound system, trip computer and navigation are all controlled via the screen. As it can monitor traffic conditions, the navigation system picks the most convenient route. The unit also employs Bluetooth and advanced voice recognition to allow you to control all functions either from the steering wheel or with your voice. This fully portable screen can be removed from the car and used in any other vehicle, with suction pads to hold it in place. Blue&Me TomTom works in conjunction with Fiat’s popular eco:Drive software.
The Punto Evo heralds the launch of two all-new engine ranges, the petrol MultiAir, and MultiJet II diesel models. On top of this, all versions feature Start&Stop where the engine shuts down instead of idling when the car is at a standstill, but bursts back into life when you need to get underway again.
The range starter is the 1.4-litre eight valve 77bhp engine which, like every other engine in the 22-strong range, now complies with Euro 5 exhaust emissions legislation. The other petrol units feature Fiat Powertrain Technologies’ unique and ground-breaking MultiAir expertise – a technological leap forward that is to be rolled out across the company’s entire fleet of models.
MultiAir optimises engine intake air over the entire RPM range, with an ensuing reduction in fuel consumption by an average 10 per cent, thanks to the dramatic reduction of pumping losses and the exact grading of the parameters which perfect combustion. MultiAir also provides for an average 10 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions; 10 per cent power increase; and 15 per cent torque improvement.
At the same time, toxic emissions are dramatically reduced, (40 per cent of HC/CO and 60 per cent of NOX).
| 
Print version | 
Email to a friend | 
View other articles
Related categories: Diesel car Fiat Green cars and environment Hatchback car Supermini car
