2016 Fiat Abarth Punto long term review, first report

The thing about the less-used Ambenali ghat from Poladpur to Mahabaleshwar is that it’s rarely in perfect shape. There’s always a bad patch somewhere on this 40km stretch, which gives any car’s suspension a thorough workout; and this is another area the Abarth came up trumps. The fact that you don’t need to lift off for the odd bits of broken tarmac – which the Abarth flattens in an almost SUV-like fashion – is a huge plus. In fact, just by virtue of it being able to sail over roads other hot hatches would have to slow down for, the Abarth is easily the fastest A to B hatch on Indian roads.

The return home is via Panchgani and the Bengaluru-Pune highway. This route is longer but faster with a shorter and less twisty ghat section that quickly takes you to a section of the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ). By now, the Abarth’s unflinching poise has given me enough confidence to keep my foot in there through the fast sweepers and open radius corners on the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani stretch I know so well. The brakes, however, aren’t as reassuring. Stopping power is again limited by the tyres and the pedal feel is a bit mushy, especially after hard braking on the downhill run from Panchgani to Wai.

The smooth and four-lane wide GQ is made for high-speed cruising and so is the Abarth. On the long, straight stretches of the fairly busy run down to Pune, the meaty torque curve comes in handy, allowing you to scythe through traffic with just a gentle dab on the pedal.

The Abarth has a reassuring big-car feel which is great on the highway, but, on the inside, it’s anything but a big car. The small boot doesn’t hold much luggage and is just about sufficient for a couple of soft bags for a long weekend. The rear seats too are cramped and the odd driving position doesn’t make the driver’s seat particularly comfortable either. Also, the dashboard, which gets a splash of tiny Scorpion motifs crawling over it, now looks seriously dated; especially true at night where the red LED lighting looks so 1990s.

But these foibles are quickly washed away the minute you leave the city. Flawed the Abarth is, but curiously that’s a part of its appeal. This one car whose keys I’m not letting go off in a hurry.