Fiat's mid-cycle update of its best-seller arrived in Italian showrooms last week. The makeover is major, and, to make sure consumers know it, the company has given the small hatchback an additional badge. The second-generation Punto, launched in 2005, has been transformed into the 2009 Punto Evo.

There's enough substance in Fiat's changes to warrant those extra three letters, but they mean something very different from those on a Mitsubishi. Evolution, Italian-style, means a lightly restyled exterior, an all-new interior, greater refinement and the introduction of some advanced engine tech...Continued