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Old 28th February 2016, 11:41   #346
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

You can't argue with the TSI practicality over the abbie. In fact, my (very) practical SO was difficult to convince (It was also the husband-dangerous time around Feb 14). Cannot argue with the woman friendly nature, AT, and all the modifications you could do with it. Sure, it costs about a lakh less, but then it also lacks flair, desirability, and uniqueness.

There already are so many TSIs around. And now imagining myself pulling at a signal next to one in my own TSI, I feel I made the correct decision. I love the head-turning effect of the abbie. I do not believe the TSI turns heads as much.

I take the office Indica to work (to my SO's relief) and keep the abbie for a sense of occasion. There is a lively, Italian charm to the Abbie that the TSI cannot match. I am slowly turning him, too.

After an especially tiring week, when I look at it parked out-front, it makes me smile. When the weekend's over, I put the cover on and (almost) pat it to sleep. It is alive, and it is special.
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Old 29th February 2016, 07:47   #347
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Guys, anyone knows about the exchange and loyalty bonus for exchanging a Fiat Punto for Abarth? I'm planning to visit Pune sometime after 6th March for a TD. Other showrooms have quoted me 1,10,000 for our 2009 1.2 Active 36k kms done Punto. Abarth buyers please give me some negotiation tips
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Old 29th February 2016, 10:49   #348
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

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Originally Posted by nehaagg View Post
Heyy guys! wow my first post!

Sooo excited to post the first pic of my abbie!
Quote:

After an especially tiring week, when I look at it parked out-front, it makes me smile. When the weekend's over, I put the cover on and (almost) pat it to sleep. It is alive, and it is special.
Congrats nehaagg on your latest acquisition and welcome to TBHP

Passion, Passion, Passion......thats all I can see in your post on your "Abbie"

With hot hatches a reality in India and lady fellow members of this prestigious forum going in for such performance machines, automobile scene in India seems to be heading in the right direction.

Wishing you a happy motoring. Drive safe and rev that Scorpion hard.
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Old 29th February 2016, 18:50   #349
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Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

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Originally Posted by GT145 View Post



My choice was based on few requirements and budget, whopping 1.7 Lakhs difference played a big part for sure (got TSI for 9.55 OTR). Rear Disc setup at Vagtune will cost 1.15 lakhs and WolfMoto remap another 25K which will bump BHP figures to 125-130 and torque to 220-240NM, with these figures maybe I can match Abarth to some extent, so I will still have 30K saved for few electrical/electronics upgrades.



Exactly what I meant! The GT TSI has many things going for it against the Abarth :
- Gem gearbox
- Gem engine with better mileage compared to the Tjet
- Lower cost
- Slightly better interior quality
- More features

Practically speaking, it's the obvious choice for many. Even I used to think whether I made the wrong decision by going for Abarth over the GT, initially.But after a few spirited drives (accompanied by a GT TDI) I am 100% sure I made the right decision! The car literally makes my jaw drop with its handling prowess and silly silly silly power! Sometimes I'm not able to believe the overtaking manoeuvres this car allows me to make. It's like all other traffic is just still.
But all this fun does have one major side effect. FE! This might be because I'm usually heavy on the A-pedal but I rarely get above 9 kmpl in the city. This is especially scary since it's my daily driver. The gearbox is another pain in the a** to work in traffic.

How I wish I could have the GT TSI for weekdays and Abarth for weekends!

Talking about aftermarket mods, a 30k remap on my car will surely make the TSI eat dust, and how! No offence to anybody!

Last edited by Suraj25 : 29th February 2016 at 18:54.
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Old 1st March 2016, 18:52   #350
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

As much tempting it is when thinking of a remap, I wonder it should be done. If I am not wrong, the maximum torque rating of this gearbox has already crossed by 1 NM or two in the Abarth spec.

Would recommend a remap only if its within the safe ranges of the gearbox. Considering that Abarth might be revved harder than other cars, it would be better to ensure better and frequent maintenance/tuning of the engine to maintain that sweet powerband.

Would love to hear opinions on this though. Don't mind being criticized for having a party-pooper logic !

Last edited by anand_lukose : 1st March 2016 at 18:52. Reason: Subtle grammar errors
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Old 1st March 2016, 19:31   #351
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

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Originally Posted by anand_lukose View Post
As much tempting it is when thinking of a remap, I wonder it should be done. If I am not wrong, the maximum torque rating of this gearbox has already crossed by 1 NM or two in the Abarth spec.

Would recommend a remap only if its within the safe ranges of the gearbox. Considering that Abarth might be revved harder than other cars, it would be better to ensure better and frequent maintenance/tuning of the engine to maintain that sweet powerband.

Would love to hear opinions on this though. Don't mind being criticized for having a party-pooper logic !
There are quite a few MJDs running with much higher torque with their remapped cars on the same gearbox and clocking quite a few kms without much trouble. But like any case, going overboard with power and torque can be disasterous on any car. As with all manufacturers, even this gearbox would be rated lower than its actual peak capacity. I presume this margin to be around 20% (again a rough guess). And this being a manual gearbox, it will be less prone to damages compared to a complicated auto box.
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Old 1st March 2016, 20:19   #352
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anand_lukose View Post
As much tempting it is when thinking of a remap, I wonder it should be done. If I am not wrong, the maximum torque rating of this gearbox has already crossed by 1 NM or two in the Abarth spec.


Quote:
Originally Posted by nkrishnap View Post
There are quite a few MJDs running with much higher torque with their remapped cars on the same gearbox and clocking quite a few kms without much trouble.


Yes, this is my only concern at the moment. Will have to ask around since there are quite a few remapped fiat MJDs on the forum itself. I hope ~250 Nm doesn't harm the gearbox since this is what I'm aiming for! I won't miss the train-like pulling power of my Vento then
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Old 2nd March 2016, 11:02   #353
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

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Originally Posted by Suraj25 View Post
How I wish I could have the GT TSI for weekdays and Abarth for weekends!

Talking about aftermarket mods, a 30k remap on my car will surely make the TSI eat dust, and how! No offence to anybody!
Surely you will end up sleep in the garage in that case

Once again when you compare power delivery TSI is no match to Abarth so a remap will surely make it even more devilish, but torque figures hitting 250Nm on this gearbox seems impossible. If so FIAT engineers should have done it already ?
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Old 2nd March 2016, 20:12   #354
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

Thats not true. The gearbox is 'rated' at 210 nm. That doesnt mean it cant take more.

It just becomes a bit less reliable at that rating. Obviously, FIAT is too conservative to exceed its own rating in a road going car, lest the transmission fails soon. Then there will be have to be another Mangesh Kodalkar to handle complaints.

As an abarth technician mentioned here:

http://www.fiat500usaforum.com/showt...ngineers/page7

"Q: This begs a question Chris. The NA Abarth engine has max 230Nm and the C510 shows 206Nm max input torque. Is the C510 being built for us in Italy stronger? I've never heard of a transmission, stock from the factory, with the input torque already exceeded.

Here is my understanding on these transmission figures I posted way back. The figures are a guideline used when selling the transmission to third parties.

As is common in manufacturing a high performance car, the envelop is pushed to achieve higher levels of performance. However, these figures I published two years ago don't really tell the whole story. It is not a clear cut " apply 1 lbs-ft over this amount something is going to break." The figure is a calculated, and includes a test applying the full stated torque over 100,000 miles. With all the testing and abuse we've seen in Europe and in the US, I wouldn't worry about the transmission. You are not going to shear a crown gear by driving the car hard.

Remember, cars with the ATM trans are running 200 hp, the difference is the auto clutch operation uses controlled engagement and takes the shock out of the gearbox. Probably the biggest factor in all this is how YOU drive your modified car.

Abuse systems and everything is out the window
. "
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Old 2nd March 2016, 21:08   #355
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

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Originally Posted by thedragula View Post

Abuse systems and everything is out the window[/i]. "
Personally speaking, I have found that the last line is the key to any significant mod you may want to make.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 12:28   #356
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

Folks - Which dealer in Bangalore has the Abarth for test drive. Vecto motors doesn't. I went on Sunday to KHT in inner ring road and while the display car was there, it was locked. The sales executive mentioned that since this being a Sunday, they do not expect foot falls in the showroom and may or may not be open . Apparently the TD car was out for service is what he told me.

He also took my number and said will revert for a TD. Haven't heard back anything since 4 days now.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 12:47   #357
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

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Originally Posted by nkrishnap View Post
There are quite a few MJDs running with much higher torque with their remapped cars on the same gearbox and clocking quite a few kms without much trouble. But like any case, going overboard with power and torque can be disasterous on any car. As with all manufacturers, even this gearbox would be rated lower than its actual peak capacity. I presume this margin to be around 20% (again a rough guess). And this being a manual gearbox, it will be less prone to damages compared to a complicated auto box.
I would say, if the gearbox can take the remap in an MJD, then the Abarth guys have not much to worry about because in Diesel the Torque is quite instantaneous when the maximum torque starts being delivered and it starts tapering mostly after that rpm, almost like a shock load. In petrol, the shock load is not that much and hence if the gearbox had to fail, the chances of it failing are higher in the MJD then the Abarth and since that has not happened, you guys are chill.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 15:30   #358
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

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Originally Posted by NFS2024 View Post
Folks - Which dealer in Bangalore has the Abarth for test drive. Vecto motors doesn't. I went on Sunday to KHT in inner ring road and while the display car was there, it was locked. The sales executive mentioned that since this being a Sunday, they do not expect foot falls in the showroom and may or may not be open . Apparently the TD car was out for service is what he told me.

He also took my number and said will revert for a TD. Haven't heard back anything since 4 days now.
You can try Aadya motors on Bellary road . It is located soon after Mekhri Circle on the right (towards airport) next to the Shell bunk.
However, good to call them and go . I called them and went and although the car was available, it had a flat and there was no one to replace it.
It was the second time when I dropped in while passing by, I got lucky.
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Old 7th March 2016, 15:59   #359
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

After months of procrastination and oscillating decisions about letting go of my GT TSI and purchasing the Abarth Punto, I have finally decided to bite the bullet and have purchased the Abarth Punto in Vijayawada yesterday. I am yet to bring the car home and I will do that in the next couple of weeks. I feel really sad to let my GT TSI go, if I had a chance to keep my GT TSI and own the Abarth Punto at the same time I would do that in a heartbeat however that is just not feasible for me. So with that said and done, here is a tantalizing pic of my new Abarth Punto in the foreground with my ex GT TSI in the background. Stay tuned for a user review in the next month or so.


My new Abarth Punto in the foreground with my ex GT TSI in the background.
Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review-abarth-foreground-gt-background.jpg
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Old 7th March 2016, 16:16   #360
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Re: Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review

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After months of procrastination and oscillating decisions about letting go of my GT TSI and purchasing the Abarth Punto, I have finally decided to bite the bullet and have purchased the Abarth Punto in Vijayawada yesterday.
Attachment 1483521
Congratulations. That is a tough decision to move from TSI to Abarth. Eagerly waiting for your review to see the Justification behind this decision
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