Hey all.. I have been following this thread and re reading many posts ever since the car was launched. Finally the time has come to update my car (Alto Lxi, 2008) and like all cars in our family, I'd like my first one to be fiat as well, but many factors will dictate if that will indeed be the case.
My dad's first car was a 2nd hand Premier Padmini. Liked it so much, bought a new Padmini a couple years later (1994). After a brief switch to a Maruti 800 and Indigo GLX, in 2009, We welcomed the first model of Linea Emotion to our stable. Had a mixed ownership experience and after 6 years and 60k odd KMs had to return it to the company (dad retired) and he got himself a used Honda City 2012 model.
Fast Forward to me - I have liked fiats but not been over the moon by it due to my focus on all the annoying ownership bits (Service, loose bits in cabin and so on, expensive spares)
I'm thinking of upgrading my car and wanted to try out a true hot hatch and decided to pay Sky Moto Fiat, Pune a visit. I had followed all reviews, posts and youtube videos and was looking forward to the experience. It was a sunday, there wasn't much crowd (around 4 pm) and we were welcomed and shown the urban cross. My friends loved it more than the abarth, but my eyes kept darting towards the TD abarth that was parked outside. Quickly we made our way to it and I took the wheel. Luckily, the showroom is adjacent to the mumbai pune highway and I was looking forward to let it rip.
Now, having read all the reviews, I was actually expecting myself to be uncomfortable or have a hard time finding a seating position. I'm 5'8 and I had a good view of the road, clear rear visibility and since in the Honda city I'm used a shorter clutch travel, I pulled my seat a bit in front. That's it. I was comfortable (is i because I was used to the Linea?) I was fine with the steering wheel height as it was, and the back position.
I was also anticipating the Gearbox to be wonky/rubbery or hard to slot in based on the many reviews. The TD car was 65xx kms and maybe in that much time and the abuse it has withstood has freed the gearbox, but I felt it was smooth to use. I wouldn't call it as slick as the City, but I found nothing really lacking per se. I don't know what expectations from a gearbox lead people to call it 'notchy'. Compared to Swift and City, yes it is not the kind that <click> slots into place, but it is also not hard to move into 2nd from 1st, nor vague in its slotting. This is of course my experience as a relatively novice driver compared to experts here. Even when @nehaagg among others mentioned that the long term gearbox is not an issue, I was a bit skeptical in thinking (no offense intended) that because they are absolute fiat fans they have learnt to live with it or work their driving style around it. Neither me, not my friend who is an absolute Hyundai i20 fan (we drove to the showroom in his i20 only) had difficulty or complaint using the gearbox. So that is my impression, as a daily city commuter alternating between City, Alto and i20 (pre elite facelift).
Now for the feel of the drive: The moment I saw a gap in the traffic I stepped on it without hesitation and the whoosh of power is simply awe-inspiring. I weaved in and out of traffic to see if the steering complied with my demands and it did it with ease. My lady friend in the backseat was chanting holy names by this time
The braking was also more instantaneous than any car I have driven till now. Fabulous show. Even in the pre 2k RPM it was happy pottering about in traffic. I wouldn't call the lag as noticeable as the one in diesels, but yes, there is a noticeable difference.
As for the ride, the drive was on a highway so it was fairly stable and planted. On the way back we deliberately drove it on a kaccha road next to a construction site and it had no issue in soaking up the bumps.
My Hyundai fan of a friend missed reverse sensors, cup holders, and other conveniences that he had in his mid end car and was critical of the Abarth to miss out on all this given the high asking price and I had to agree. All three of us weren't taken in by the upholstery and the interiors that much. Maybe it was that the TD car was poorly maintained, but still we were unimpressed. This is purely subjective of course, and I personally love all the photos I saw here, but in the end, when I saw the real thing, it didn't live up to all the photos and videos.
Conclusion: Absolutely LOVE the engine, steering and driving characteristics of the car. No complaints from the gearbox at all. Unimpressed by interiors. Was more impressed by the looks, interiors and feel of the Urban Cross (will write a separate post) with optional designer package. I was quoted 11.77 Lakh OTR for the Urban Cross Abarth with the optional interiors.