[Waspune]

Congrats on your Abarth. I have the MC5S on my remapped Punto evo and they are great tyres. Btw why don't to upsize to 205 sections? Abarth would love it.

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by Waspune

Congrats on your Abarth. Btw why don't to upsize to 205 sections?

Thank you Waspune! The stock alloys of Abarth Punto are 6J and the ideal rubber for this rim width is 185 or 195 mm hence decided to stick with the stock size for a while.

Will upgrade to wider patch when I go for performance mods, may be after an year or so.

[Mar21]

Folks,
Would love to get your thoughts.

I'm in the market to buy a car around the Feb/March timeframe.

It will be with me for the next 10-12 years at least and if the Bawa genes kick in, maybe even longer.

The head has shortlisted the City, the EcoSport, the Verna and the Yaris (the multi airbag, auto variants) but neither really ticks of all the boxes.

The Abarth Punto is one of my "buy with the Heart" options. The other two being the Thar and one of the JTP twins.

Mileage is not a factor. Neither is the 8" touchscreen.

While I haven't driven her as yet, I love the way she looks, I have a soft spot for the brand and then there's the Abarth halo. So the Punto is at the top of the heart list.

I wanted to get inputs from those of you who own one or recently considered buying one

1. Given where Fiat and the Punto are in their respective journeys in India, how realistic is it to expect ASS support and availability of spares over a 8-10 year duration ?

Personally, I am ok with waiting for a couple of weeks while spares are ordered (as long as it is not a couple of months)

2. Given the turbo, can I expect the FNG to step in and take on the role typically played by the ASS. Do Fiat/Abarth competent FNGs exist in Bombay/Bangalore?

Of course, all of this assumes that the car Gods are on my side and i can get my hands on one.

Look forward to your inputs

Regards
Marzi

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by Mar21

I wanted to get inputs from those of you who own one or recently considered buying one

I was recently in the market for a fun to drive car as a daily driver, and on my shortlist were the Ecosport, City and Punto Abarth.

The Punto Abarth was offered with substantial and lucrative discounts in December 2018 (I believe the discounts are even better now), however, the first thing which steered me away was that all available cars with dealers in Bangalore were 3-4 months old and lying in the stock yard for that period. There were also no newer built cars expected with this dealer.

When I gave more thought to the Abarth, I realised that I did not have the comfort level to purchase it given Fiat's bleak future in the country. While I am told that the T Jet engine can be serviced by certain specialist FNGs without hassle, I simply did not have the risk appetite to have a daily driver with such basic concerns. If this were a second or third car for me, my though process may have been different.

My two cents, but then again, I am someone for whom reliability is very important, and goes hand in hand with the fun to drive nature of the car I will eventually pick up. Result? The Abarth sadly dropped out of my list, while the City and Ecosport still remain top contenders for my personal usage.

As far as getting hands on one is concerned, I believe KHT Motors in Bangalore does have stock and is offering great discounts on the Abarth.

[octane1002]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

My two cents, but then again, I am someone for whom reliability is very important, and goes hand in hand with the fun to drive nature of the car I will eventually pick up. Result? The Abarth sadly dropped out of my list, while the City and Ecosport still remain top contenders for my personal usage.

Well to be honest, I haven't heard of reliability concerns on the Abarth. If you mean Fiat's future in India, that is different from reliability. As far as Fiats are concerned Bangalore does have a good owner circle and support group as far as i know. Also, if FTD is your top priority, I would say neither the City nor the Ecosport can compare. I was in the same boat as you back in 2010, when I had to make a choice on a primary car. I went through with a used Octavia RS (Skoda support in Kolkata was arguably the worst amonst the metros back then).

With these decisions you tend to learn as you go. I built a connect with my car. It was unreliable too on the bad days. But my rapport with my FNG more than made up for it. The point of this post being that you are in a (much) better situation compared to me back in 2010.At least the Abarth is not unreliable. And the performance exhilerating. One of the few real enthusiast's cars available in the market today.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by octane1002

Well to be honest, I haven't heard of reliability concerns on the Abarth. If you mean Fiat's future in India, that is different from reliability. As far as Fiats are concerned Bangalore does have a good owner circle and support group as far as i know. Also, if FTD is your top priority, I would say neither the City nor the Ecosport can compare.

Well - I suppose I did place reliability and long term support/ future of Fiat under the same umbrella when I reluctantly took the call to drop the Abarth off my list. And yes, I am most certainly aware that in terms of performance et al, the City and/or Ecosport cannot be compared to the Abarth.

However, when it comes to putting my money on a product, I am perhaps more conservative than many others and hence prefer to go with the likes of the Ecosport / City, both of which are, in their own right and their own way, fun to drive. At the same time, they have a good dose of practicality thrown in.

Purely a personal choice, though. I am sure there are tons of happy T Jet owners who are having a fuss free experience as well.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Mar21

2. Given the turbo, can I expect the FNG to step in and take on the role typically played by the ASS. Do Fiat/Abarth competent FNGs exist in Bombay/Bangalore?

I goto Vroom Pointe - its an authorised service centre for Fiats. Good chaps running it and unlike any ASS. Its run like an FNG with practical approach to any problems while keeping costs in check. I have seen many Palios, Puntos, Lineas and Abarths from Nashik and Pune coming to service here. Service is least of your concerns in Mumbai.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

My two cents, but then again, I am someone for whom reliability is very important, and goes hand in hand with the fun to drive nature of the car I will eventually pick up.

Define reliability. If you mean car failing / leaving you stranded, it's a super rare occurrence in today's modern cars. Fiats are no different. Most complaints about reliability that I know of come from lack of usage. I have seen 3000 km yearly run Marutis, Toyotas plagued with multiple problems while a friend has a 1.72L km Punto diesel with no troubles. I had a Spark which was run very less ~ I got it in 2017 with 19k on the odo (it was 2009 make car). It had many issues one after the other. Sold it last year. In comparison my Abarth has done 51.5k kms since May 2016 and the only time I was left stranded was when rats chewed the fuel line. I also had a 2009 Punto before this Abarth and it too was super reliable except for 1 occasion when slave clutch cylinder failed with no warning in 2015 I think. I also have a 2016 WagonR with 95k km on the odo and it too has been reliable.

So, you can get out of your mind the reliability factory of Fiat specifically. Treat it like a machine with timely usage and service and it should not be a problem.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

However, when it comes to putting my money on a product, I am perhaps more conservative than many others and hence prefer to go with the likes of the Ecosport / City.....

Mate, the Abarth is going for 8.6-8.7 lakhs OTR with included accessories like mudflats, cover and reverse cam. These are Sept - Nov 2018 make with 5 alloy wheels. This is the deal few people got in Pune (5+ booked with 2 full payments). At that price, you simply can't beat it. Even if you spend 1L on it every year (owing to "poor reliability") its the bargain of the year!

[mxh]

I am not sure why the Ecosport is receiving the same consideration as the abarth. I drove it once and it really was like a small truck to drive with a really bad clutch. If SUV is your thing, then only Ecosport can be considered.

My requirements were similar to yours. The City petrol manual is what I have and is a very fast car when driven aggressively and relatively trouble free. But the city engine as you know is a NA and has little grunt when it's not being whipped. The Abarth was launched I guess 3-4 months after I purchased my City in 2015 so I didn't have to make this hard decision like you lol. If I were considering an Abarth today I would check the distance to the nearest service station. If that is Ok, buy the car and replace fluids and parts proactively *before* schedule especially engine oil, fuel and engine air filters, transmission and brake oil, coolant and belts.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by mxh

I am not sure why the Ecosport is receiving the same consideration as the abarth. I drove it once and it really was like a small truck to drive with a really bad clutch. If SUV is your thing, then only Ecosport can be considered.

If you are referring to my earlier post, the answer is as follows:

For my personal requirements, each of the City, Ecosport and the Abarth ticked several boxes. Most importantly, I enjoyed driving all three, albeit each were with their own different character. Hence, all three featured in my initial shortlist, and received my consideration. This does not in any way imply that the performance of the Abarth is matched by that of either the Ecosport or the City. It is a known and documented fact that it is not.

However, the Abarth did not tick as many of my boxes as the other two did, and hence I had to drop it out of my list. My requirement was that of a daily driver with a fun to drive character, within a specific price point, with a few other requirements thrown in.

It may well be that for others, their requirement set is better fulfilled by the Abarth,and for them, the Abarth is a stronger contender. For me, not so much.

[camitesh]

Originally Posted by Mar21

Folks,
Would love to get your thoughts.

The head has shortlisted the City, the EcoSport, the Verna and the Yaris (the multi airbag, auto variants) but neither really ticks of all the boxes.

The Abarth Punto is one of my "buy with the Heart" options. The other two being the Thar and one of the JTP twins.

Wow, these were more or less the questions running in my mind for last couple of days or weeks (since I've been seeing quite some posts on Abarth, either in 'I booked my car', 'Official review' as well as 'Initial ownership' threads). I'm in the process of test drives and buying a new car, primarily for family weekend getaways and have test driven Ecosport, Freestyle, Nexon, City petrol and diesel versions as a part of my shortlisted cars in budget of 8-12L. Abarth surely deserves a spot now since I believe it's extremely VFM, from an Enthusiast buyer's point of view.

JTP twins are a great option as well

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

I was recently in the market for a fun to drive car as a daily driver, and on my shortlist were the Ecosport, City and Punto Abarth.

The Punto Abarth was offered with substantial and lucrative discounts in December 2018 (I believe the discounts are even better now), however, the first thing which steered me away was that all available cars with dealers in Bangalore were 3-4 months old and lying in the stock yard for that period.

Similar shortlisted cars as mine, except Freestyle. Do try the TDCI version of Freestyle, it's my close second choice for now after City

Also, 3-4 months old Abarth shouldn't really be that big a problem right? I'm sure the dealership may consider the request for fluid changes if bargained hard.

Originally Posted by octane1002

Well to be honest, I haven't heard of reliability concerns on the Abarth. At least the Abarth is not unreliable. And the performance exhilerating. One of the few real enthusiast's cars available in the market today.

Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence in Fiat reliability. Although there is no doubt Fiat cars are better built and engineered as compared to most of it's competition, the question is on the reliability or rather the future ownership experience which is scary for most of us potential buyers, especially if it is going to be the only car in the house for someone like me. A relatively lesser fun to drive car such as Freestyle Diesel, Tiago JTP, Polo GT twins, City i-vtec etc makes more logical sense to most minds. I'm also on a active lookout for a Figo Sports TDCI as a practical solution but no luck. The massive price drop on Abarth's sticker price has got my attention for now.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

I goto Vroom Pointe - its an authorised service centre for Fiats. Good chaps running it and unlike any ASS. Its run like an FNG with practical approach to any problems while keeping costs in check. I have seen many Palios, Puntos, Lineas and Abarths from Nashik and Pune coming to service here. Service is least of your concerns in Mumbai.

Mate, the Abarth is going for 8.6-8.7 lakhs OTR with included accessories like mudflats, cover and reverse cam. These are Sept - Nov 2018 make with 5 alloy wheels. This is the deal few people got in Pune (5+ booked with 2 full payments). At that price, you simply can't beat it. Even if you spend 1L on it every year (owing to "poor reliability") its the bargain of the year!

So many informative posts supporting Abarth's cause. I was so pumped up seeing this post of yours, I called all phone numbers of two showrooms of FCA in Mumbai but no answer or the number was invalid. Probably I'm getting way too ahead of myself but the mentioned OTR with accessories is something I may not be able to resist if I am offered such a deal in Mumbai. Since you own an Abarth in Mumbai, any direct contact with any of the sales person whom I can take this forward with? Even if you can direct me to any of those 4-5 buyers from Pune, I can seek their help to negotiate a deal in Mumbai.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

For my personal requirements, each of the City, Ecosport and the Abarth ticked several boxes. Most importantly, I enjoyed driving all three, albeit each were with their own different character.

Though I've never driven the Abarth yet and my impressions are purely based on most of the user experiences here, I tend to agree with you that City and ES are more practical yet fun to drive options. Loved the engines on ES and iVtec is a gem of course. However, IMHO both of them feel a bit less VFM when you compare ES and City to their competition such as Nexon and Ciaz.

Now comparatively the Abarth at around 9 lacs OTR or even less seems so much VFM if and only if we ignore the shortcomings such as dismal maintenance experience, less features, poor FE etc. and focus on it's strengths which I need not elaborate, at least on T-Bhp forums. But yes, it can certainly become a difficult choice to live with if things go wrong.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by camitesh

Similar shortlisted cars as mine, except Freestyle. Do try the TDCI version of Freestyle, it's my close second choice for now after City

Also, 3-4 months old Abarth shouldn't really be that big a problem right? I'm sure the dealership may consider the request for fluid changes if bargained hard.

Yes, the TDCI Aspire and Freestyle were also test driven and I loved them. I have always been a fan of the Ford TDCI engine's performance (and hence the Ecosport is on my list as well!). However, for various reasons, both these vehicles were out of contention and therefore, the list narrowed itself down to the Ecosport and City. Still battling the confusion in choosing between the two!

To answer your question on the Abarth, viewed in isolation, 3-4 months may not be a huge period of time, but I was personally not comfortable with cars lying around in the stockyard for that long.

[jbpanda]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Mate, the Abarth is going for 8.6-8.7 lakhs OTR with included accessories like mudflats, cover and reverse cam. These are Sept - Nov 2018 make with 5 alloy wheels. This is the deal few people got in Pune (5+ booked with 2 full payments). At that price, you simply can't beat it. Even if you spend 1L on it every year (owing to "poor reliability") its the bargain of the year!

Can't agree with you more on this. I have got an exact deal in Delhi NCR and awaiting to take delivery of my Black Abarth. Getting a 2 L discount with the accessories as indicated above. Mine is an October/ November 2018 manufactured car. Just couldn't resist buying it. Atleast in the metro cities or cities like Bangalore and Pune, I don't think it is a problem maintaining a Fiat in terms of reliability. Their engines are one of the most reliable ones. No wonder MSIL has stuck to the National Engine for this long.

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

These are Sept - Nov 2018 make with 5 alloy wheels.

What do you mean by 5 alloy wheels? Are they getting an alloy spare wheel?

[camitesh]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

To answer your question on the Abarth, viewed in isolation, 3-4 months may not be a huge period of time, but I was personally not comfortable with cars lying around in the stockyard for that long.

Getting a rare car like Abarth within a month or two of its manufacturing can be a bit difficult, although I'm sure many of them have got relatively fresh ones last year itself. But for someone like me who is just making up his mind, don't really have much of choice except to live with it. But I agree, to each its own.

Originally Posted by jbpanda

Can't agree with you more on this. I have got an exact deal in Delhi NCR and awaiting to take delivery of my Black Abarth. Getting a 2 L discount with the accessories as indicated above.

Congratulations bro, is the car in transit already? when is the delivery planned?

Originally Posted by blackwasp

This is the deal few people got in Pune (5+ booked with 2 full payments). At that price, you simply can't beat it.

Thanks for the DM Kanad. I'm in touch with those Pune guys now, let's see how it goes.

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

What do you mean by 5 alloy wheels? Are they getting an alloy spare wheel?

Yes, the spare is same scorpion alloy now. Even i didn't knew, cherry on the cake if you ask me

[jbpanda]

Originally Posted by camitesh

Congratulations bro, is the car in transit already? when is the delivery planned?

Yes, the spare is same scorpion alloy now. Even i didn't knew, cherry on the cake if you ask me

Thanks. The car has arrived. I am scheduled to take delivery sometime next week.

I have also been informed that the spare is same scorpion alloy. It is also coming with the touchscreen which was not there in earlier models.