It's a well tried formula and one that works - drop a powerful engine into a shopping hatch, tweak the suspension so it stays on the road...then stand back and light the blue touch-paper.

So Fiat is hardly the first maker to try the approach, but that doesn't count against its effectiveness.

The Punto Evo 135 Sporting, as the name implies is just a tad sporty. It produces an impressive 135bhp from its 1.4litre ‘Multiair' engine which is going some considering the same size engine in eight valve form manages to squeeze out just 101bhp.

The Sporting also comes with a full repertoire of hot-hatch addenda, such as wide-rimmed, multi-functional steering wheel, adaptive cornering headlights, sports seats, side skirts, ambient cabin lighting and rear spoiler.

The latest body styling has cleverly extended the life-span of the Punto without making it look botoxed. I particularly liked the17-inch dark grey tinted, multi-spoke alloy wheels which adorned the test car.

Of course, all the goodies and boosted power comes at a price and the speedy baby clocks in at £15,150. A few stats - top speed is a respectable 127mph and you see 62mph coming up in around 8.5seconds which is a good effort for a warm hatch - a fraction faster than the either the Fiesta Zetec S or the MINI Cooper.

In typical Italian style, the performance is easily accessible but the engine becomes pretty busy - if not frenetic - as the revs rise.

Around country lanes and B-roads it's fun and responsive though a little tiring on the motorway where shortish gearing makes cruising noisier than rivals.

Handling is responsive enough but the front -drive nature means there's more than a trace of steering-tug when exiting tight corners under power.

Sprightly and sharp, the Evo is without doubt. And it's also pretty frugal thanks to Multiair technology coupled to stop-start ignition which cuts the engine at standstill.

Multiair is a revolutionary system for controlling the inlet and exhaust valves which leads to an improvement in efficiency of around 15 per cent.

The result is excellent emissions (a mere 129g/km) coupled to better than average fuel consumption of 50.4mpg combined. This corresponds with the mid-forties in real-life driving, which is good for a near-130mph hatch.

Cabin accommodation isn't as spacious as some of the latest band of small hatches, nevertheless four can sit in comfort with enough leg and headroom.  

The boot can swallow 275litres of luggage before the back seats are folded.

The driving environment with its leather trimmed gear-lever knob and steering wheel, TomTom and two-tone textured fascia is a treat and so much better made than Fiats of bygone days.

Snug it might be, but it feels more big-car in terms of styling and build quality.

The two main dials of speedometer and rev counter are set in a binnacle directly in front of the driver with two smaller ones for fuel and temperature between.

An onboard computer is positioned below. One criticism is that the figures are red which is difficult to view set against a black background.

£15,175

  133bhp, 1.4litre, 4cyl  petrol engine driving front wheels via manual gearbox

  127mph

8.5sec

50.4

21

129g/km

15%

3yrs/60,000 miles