Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: No data available
Great-looking hot hatch properly designed for a good time, grippy, rapid and involving. Great heritage too. Esseesse kit makes it riotously entertaining.
Questionable ride quality shown up on UK roads, steering a little vague.
A proper hot hatch, especially in wonderfully non-PC Esseesse form, and great value.
Abarth is one of those names from motorsport history that aficionados - especially Italians - get all misty-eyed over. Started in 1949 by Carlo Abarth, it was very successful in its own right and also after 1971, when it was subsumed by Fiat and became the company's motorsport arm.
After almost two decades of decline, the name solely existing as little more than a trim level, Fiat has revived the Abarth brand, using its sporting heritage to appeal to young carbuyers who want a slightly hotter Fiat.
There's going be a range of Abarth-branded cars (with no Fiat badging) plus equipment to make them into race or rally cars. Already several Grande Punto Super 2000 rally cars have been sold and campaigned with great success, and the expertise Fiat has gathered for the Abarth enterprise will also be used for other hot Fiat group products.
The Abarth 500 will be heading our way in 2009, but first comes the Abarth Grande Punto, which comes in a base spec for £13,500. It uses the turbocharged version of Fiat's 1.4-litre, 16-valve engine, similar to those used in the new Bravo but here developing 152bhp. Its standard torque peaks at 152lb-ft, reached at 5,000rpm, but depressing the 'power boost' button raises the peak to 170lb-ft at 3,000rpm: a rush of torque instead of a gentle build-up.
The suspension is stiffened by 20% and lowered by 10mm, the track is 6mm wider thanks to the broader 17" wheels, the front anti-roll bar is thicker and there are two-piston front brake calipers by Brembo.
The wider wheels are shielded by black wheelarch lips and a deeper front valance with side ducts adds a visual aggression and improves airflow. Twin tailpipes, red side stripes and red door mirrors complete the visual makeover, while inside there's leather covering for the steering wheel and gearlever knob plus a fine pair of racy bucket seats. Aluminium pedals are also standard, and there's a big list of accessories including helmet holders and extra body graphics.
Whatever, the Abarth Grande Punto looks great: sporty, functional and purposeful, without suffering the over-styling that spoils the Corsa VXR yet looking more the race/rally part than the low-key 207 GTi.
The car can be modified further with the help of the £3,500 Esseesse kit. This causes the engine, by means of an ECU change plus freer-flowing intake and exhaust systems, to produce 177bhp and 201lb-ft - extraordinary outputs for a 1.4 - and shaves 0.7 seconds off the 0-62mph time, reducing it to 7.5 seconds.
The kit also includes 18" Oz wheels, drilled front discs with pads to suit and suspension lowered another 20mm, which introduces some negative wheel camber. Racing seats are worth ordering with this kit for the full effect. The kit must be fitted by one of the 10 official UK Abarth dealers within a year or 12,500 miles of buying the car.
But do you need to spend 17 grand to bag yourself an accomplished, value-for-money hot hatch, or will opting for the base spec get you something that will bring a smile to your face?
