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There are few things in motoring more appealing than a small, fast Italian car, and this new Grande Punto Abarth is one of the best ever. All the ingredients are there: 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, light and sparky and free-revving and developing 155bhp, tight, well- honed chassis, good looks and plenty of chirpy Latin character. If you love cars, there's no way you could help but love a Punto Abarth , that's the bottom line. The engine's powerful for a 1.4, but more importantly, it's torquey: 152 lb ft at 5000rpm, which increases to 170 lb ft at 3000rpm when you press the Sport Boost button in the middle of the dash. It's a good, useful button, that, firming up the steering at the same time. It transforms the nature of the car, with all of that boost punching in at lower revs.It really nails you into the seat: the 0-62mph time is 8.2secs, which is fairly brisk, and it's easy to zap through the six speed box because the change is quick and precise. Throw it at a corner and the fun continues...
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