Powerful cars can be a lot of fun, but fun cars do not have to be powerful. Although some people may scoff at the very thought, it's possible to create a really enjoyable sporty hatchback with an engine whose bhp output barely reaches three figures. And that is what Fiat has done with the Punto Evo 1.4 GP.When it's screaming its little heart out, the 1368cc petrol engine can muster 105bhp, which is enough to give the rest of the car a top speed of 115mph and a 0-62mph time of 10.8 seconds. There is nothing remotely exciting about any of this, but I would still class the GP as one of my favourite cars to drive this year.Before it arrived, I wasn't feeling very optimistic. The last Fiat I drove with similar power and similar sporting pretensions was the horrible Panda 100HP, a car whose like I hope never to encounter again. It was meant to be fun, but it wasn't fun, and it was so uncomfortable that it actually hurt.The Punto Evo GP is quite otherwise. It is surprisingly comfortable - far more so than the Panda was, and also (because the pedals have a more sensible action) than a Grande Punto I tested four years ago. You would expect it to have low-profile tyres, but it doesn't. You would expect it to be very stiffly sprung, but it isn't. On learning these things, you might expect it not to handle particularly well, but it does, for the usual but often ignored reason that soft but well-damped suspension is the best kind for a sporty road car.There is an extraordinary amount of grip, and an excellent front-rear balance, and so little power that you're unlikely to disturb either of these elements. You would have to be a special kind of stupid to get this car out of shape in a corner.I say there's very little power, but the characteristics of the engine make it feel surprisingly strong. This is one of Fiat's MultiAir units, and apart from giving the Punto Evo impressive official fuel economy and CO2 figures (a situation helped further by the use of an automatic start/stop system), the most obvious benefit of MultiAir is that it makes the engine work very efficiently across a wide range of speeds and throttle openings. A conventional 105bhp petrol engine in this car would at some point reach a level of feebleness which forced you to get the revs up, but the MultiAir performs well whether it's operating at just above tickover or scampering towards the revlimiter.Other remarks about the Punto Evo range in general can be found in David Morgan's launch report. My own view, based on experience only of the GP, is that it looks better than the Grande Punto it replaces and feels more upmarket from the inside. It's a shame, though, that the use of same bodyshell that formed the basis of the Grande Punto means that front and rear three-quarter visibility is as bad as ever. That's something I hope will be attended to during the development of whatever truly new car replaces the Evo. Engine 1368 cc, 4 cylinders Power 105 bhp @6500 rpm Torque 96 ib/ft @4000 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 49.6 mpg / 134 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.8sec Top speed 115 mph Price From £12582.00 approx Release date 01/01/2010
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