Abarth Grande Punto Esseesse 1.4 16V T-Jet 180 CV, test drive (part I)

Dear Three Wise Men:

Last year I was very good and that is why I think I deserve the Abarth Grande Punto Esseesse. It is a car built for competing, but I promise not to race it and, as hard as it may be for me, to respect the legal speed limits. On the track, its natural habitat, I will have a great time with it. When I tried it I really liked it and that is why I want to keep enjoying driving it.

That is how simple my letter to the Three Wise Men was, but unfortunately they replied that there was a crisis and that they could not get it to me. Even so, they have promised that next year, if I keep being this good, they will stop by one of their stores to order it. In the meantime, I hope the sting of the scorpion does not leave me and that I can make you enjoy, at least a small part, the test of what I did. If the Abarth 500 surprised me, with this one I have no words.

Engine and performance

One of the things that small-displacement engines with a lot of power have is that at the slightest touch of the accelerator they literally shoot off. If you are not able to control and measure the force of your foot, a scare is guaranteed. I can assure you that although I already expected something out of the ordinary, the acceleration capacity it has surprised me. Moreover, I had to do the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration test to check that it took 7.5 seconds (obviously I got a higher figure) and to trust the official figure. To reach this speed you need to shift up to 3rd gear. If second gear were longer, it could get close to 7 seconds.

The engine it fits is the same as that of the 120 hp Alfa Mi.To, the 135 hp MultiAir version and the Abarth 500. It is also the same as that of the Abarth Grande Punto without the essesse kit. The difference is the ECU, which in this case reaches the peak of 180 hp at 5,750 rpm. Its top speed is 215 km/h.

The maximum torque of 270 Nm is reached at 3,000 rpm (with Sport mode activated) and two acceleration phases can be distinguished: one up to that figure and another beyond it. The change in turbo pressure is brutal and at times I felt the car slide out from the rear; were it not for the stability control, a spin would be almost guaranteed. Although the red zone on the rev counter starts at 6,500, the fuel injection does not cut out even at 7,000 thanks to the ECU.

It has a 6-speed manual gearbox (the paddle shifter would be a sequential one like the Selespeed) that behaves excellently. It is quick, has short shifts and is very flexible, so much so that you can push it hard to get the most out of it or drive calmly and still enjoy the driving equally.

The handling, as could not be otherwise, is simply excellent. Cornering is really fast and you need to enter very recklessly for it to move slightly off its line. Once you manage to destabilise the car, the stability control puts it back in its place. It is really hard to get the car into trouble.

One of the things I was most eager to test was the §h67;cabin noise at high speeds -when I say high I mean 150 km/h on the speedometer-. It pleasantly surprised me, since hardly any sound or airflow gets through the structure, which has barely been touched compared with the standard model. This suggests that the standard model does not have much noise on the motorway either. I can assure you that the Stilo does have annoying noises.

When we get on board, the first thing that catches the eye are the bucket seats. It is hard to get out of them, though not impossible. They are not wide, rather narrow, and can become uncomfortable on long journeys. That is the price to pay for enjoying the bends. I find them appropriate for the car’s characteristics.

The essesse kit includes in its modification lowered front and rear springs that make it an authentic plank, and I mean that literally. It is certainly uncomfortable and sometimes, when going over the speed bumps that are so fashionable in towns and cities, if you are not careful you may have a mishap. Irregularities in the road surface are also felt in the cabin at the slightest bump. Something I did not like is that after it has been driven for a while, the springs weaken and lose effectiveness.

The brakes are another of the car’s greatest qualities. They deserve a separate mention. They are also different from those fitted as standard without the esseesse kit. They are made by Brembo and their peculiarity is that, besides being perforated discs on all four wheels, the front brake pads are high-performance, meaning they withstand temperature better and are more effective within their optimum range. I would dare say they are the most effective we have ever tested. They have one small drawback: they are very sensitive. In town, a slight touch can bring the car to a stop, which makes them good for emergency braking, but for everyday use it is excessive.

And if there is anything to be surprised about, it is the fuel consumption recorded during the test. The motorway average was 5.4 litres per 100 km when the official figure is 5.3 litres. Everything has its explanation: when the engine turns at low revs (we did not do the test at 150 km/h), the 6th gear barely makes a small-displacement engine work, so consumption ends up even lower than that of the Abarth 500, precisely because of the gearbox. In that car, weight did not influence enough to reduce consumption.

The magic button: Sport Boost

Unlike what happened in the Abarth 500, in this case the difference between Normal and Sport driving modes was not so clear, but there were obvious differences. One was consumption and the other acceleration, along with other less noticeable but still important changes.

The consumption difference between one mode and the other does not reach 10% (in the Abarth 500 it was 11.1%), and the readings were more even at constant speed. Acceleration, as can be deduced, does not differ so much either, although the biggest difference is noticed when accelerating in Normal mode without changing the force on the pedal and then switching to Sport. The steering adjustments are noticeably different, with the steering being too soft in Normal mode. Were it not for this, I would have used this mode more.

The last subtle difference, though not new, is that in Sport mode you can feel the turbo pressure even more through the digital boost gauge that appears on the instrument cluster. I say it is not new because the D position on the Alfa Mi.To also offers this option. The difference? In the Abarth Grande Punto Esseesse you see in thousandths of a second when maximum turbo pressure has been reached. Truly incredible.

The next part is well worth reading. We will talk about the exterior and interior design. I would like to give you a preview, but I am going to leave you with your teeth more on edge than they already are, and I would rather just invite you to drop by. It will not disappoint you (the car).

Greetings to David, who guessed the car along with its finish and everything. What a good eye!

Test §h156;| Part II and Part III

Photos | Javi Vicente and Jorge Rubio