FIAT newest version of the ubiquitous Punto, the Evo, is well named.

Evo, for evolution, almost perfectly explains what is going on with Fiat's best seller.

The successor to the Grande Punto has a new look with a re-shaped front end featuring a wide-mouthed grille and new headlamps - and has divided opinions.

My son, an avid fan who has owned a couple of Puntos was unimpressed with the new front end look, a view shared by many.

However this is still a stylish-looking supermini - one of the best looking still -  that has upped its game to take on the likes of the Polo, Corsa and Fiesta and the swooping rear roofline together with smoked rear glass and near rear light clusters ensure it is still one of the most striking around.

It is well equipped, well built and offers petrol and diesel engines that deliver excellent economy and low carbon dioxide emissions.

Theis car featured the powerful 135bhp MultiAir petrol engine also seen in sister company Alfa Romeo's excellent MiTo.

It features a host of technical gubbins and gizmos to do with valve timings and lean burning burning designed to get maximum power with minimum costs and minimum emissions.

It certainly delivers the grunt with the 1.4-litre engine powering the car from 0-60mph in 8.6 seconds, up there in hot hatch territory, while at the same time delivering fuel economy of 50mpg, thanks to the technical wizardry and the stop/start technology.

Emissions of only 129g/km put it in a low road tax bracket.

It makes for an engaging drive with the only downside being the being the torque steer that snatches at the wheel  when accelerating hard.

The sporty set up gives a firm ride, but it does soak up the lumps and bumps pretty well, while the handling is pretty good. The steering is reasonably well weighted and can be made lighter for manoeuvering by switching to the city button.

A nice touch is the standard hill start control which keeps the car in place when pulling away on an incline.

There is evidence of tyre and road noise, but not to much as to make it uncomfortable.

The interior of the range-topping test model is a bit of a revelation. Gone are many of the low-rent plastics to be replaced by soft touch trim, sporty chrome bits on the door and kickplates and nice leather touches on the steering wheel, gear and handbrake lever.

The sports seats are supportive and there is also a reassuringly pleasant thud replacing the tinny clang when the door closes while the sports seats are both supportive and multi-adjustable.

Instrumentation is clear and logical and feels sturdy while the standard across the range is Fiat's Blue&Me technology which adds a luxury touch not often seen at the budget end of the car range.

Blue&Me allows drivers to pair mobile phones through voice commands and allows MP3 players to be played through the sound system.

On the practical side, the Punto Evo still offers one of the best boot spaces in its class with 275 litres and there are plenty of pockets and cup holders for extra storage. Folding the rear seats increases space to 1,030 litres.

: 50.4

: 129g/km

: 15%

: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles