[sidindica]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjnYmkmvrjg

An experience video with my Black Raven.

[Swap_Abarth]

I took a delivery of my black abarth in the first week of March. Loving my new ride. It is fast and agile. I have received lot of attention on road and in car parks.
FE is alarmingly low at around 6 Km/L in city. I guess this is because, its a new car. Is that common with all owners intially? AC is also not performing as per expectation. It takes lot of time for cooling. I will take the car to SVC to have check on AC soon.

[MiJo]

Hi all, after much deliberation and discussion, I finally booked an Abarth last week.. I have been poring through this thread and all the knowledge it holds for the past few weeks, and after lots of back and forth (& convincing the wife) I finally decided to bite the bullet

I test drove the JTP but wasn't very impressed with the overall package. It has the grunt but the refinement was clearly lacking. The engine is way too jerky to be comfortable in sports mode. The city mode is better, yes. The test car already had a few rattles and even my wife who is a car layperson, could make out the lack of refinement.

I've been lusting after the Abarth ever since the day it was announced. The restarting of production after a brief discontinuation, plus the chunky discounts finally pushed me off the fence.
Im hoping to take delivery in the next few days. Just some questions I had, that the wise folk here might be able to answer:
+ Does this 1.4TJet engine use a MultiAir system? I've been trying to find some info regarding this engine, but have got nought to show for it. If some existing owners could share their engine codes, it would be great.
+ Slim chances, but is there a way to upgrade the touchscreen unit to Android? (I'm clueless on this matter, so it might come across as a silly question)

Thanks!

[naveenvenkatesh]

Originally Posted by Swap_Abarth

I took a delivery of my black abarth in the first week of March.

Many congratulations on the sweet new ride. I am in the final stages of negotiation and will most likely book in a month or two.

Can you share the discounts you got on it? Also, some pictures of the new interiour will be useful since none of the dealers have 2018 or 2019 test drive cars. I am curious to know how good the touch screen is.
Happy ownership to you.

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

That's a bit dispiriting to have a broken thing in a brand new car.

Don't expect it to be replaced anytime soon given the current state of parts distribution owing to warehouse shifting.

I'm yet to get the reverse cam which was promised to be installed by mid January.

Hey, can you post some pictures of the interiors, including the new touch screen? How does it perform?

[Wildy]

Originally Posted by MiJo

Hi all, after much deliberation and discussion, I finally booked an Abarth last week.


+ Does this 1.4TJet engine use a MultiAir system? I've been trying to find some info regarding this engine, but have got nought to show for it. If some existing owners could share their engine codes, it would be great.


+ Slim chances, but is there a way to upgrade the touchscreen unit to Android? (I'm clueless on this matter, so it might come across as a silly question)

First of all congratulations for booking the Abarth. Its still best enthusiast car on the road at unbelievably low price.

Regarding your queries, 1.4 Tjet and MultiAir engine blocks are same but boasts totally different technology with totally different electronics pitched in. The Engine Code of Indian Abarth Tjet is 312A1000


For more information on MultiAir engines (Currently its standard engine across Jeep Compass Petrol in India) you may see the following link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MultiAir


Regarding your query on upgrading touchscreen system, yes it is possible as some Abarth/Fiat owners have upgraded it with an infotainment system. (See the link below). But, personally, I would suggest you to use the stock system for an year or two or until you exhaust with it.


http://xtrons.com/pcd67gpfl-6-2-andr...-for-fiat.html

I hope I cleared your queries and if you need any further information, feel free to contact me. All the Best.

[camitesh]

Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh

Hey, can you post some pictures of the interiors, including the new touch screen? How does it perform?

These are from my Oct 2018 manufactured Abarth after little detailing

[Swap_Abarth]

Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh

Many congratulations on the sweet new ride. I am in the final stages of negotiation and will most likely book in a month or two.

Thanks a lot. I did manage to get 2 lac discount from the dealer. Initial offer was 1.8 lacs discount though. On top of that, I negotiated further on accessaries (7.5 k saved there).

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Swap_Abarth

Is that common with all owners intially? AC is also not performing as per expectation. It takes lot of time for cooling.

How did you measure fuel economy?

Yes; a brand new car is not going to give you great fuel economy. You need to allow the engine to bed in. If you can spare the time, do a few highway runs. This is the best way to open up an engine. Even at 100Kmph, the engine is spinning at 2200rpm or so which is well within limits. Do not thrash or lug the engine. I would say a few thousand kilometers to really free up on the internals. Even then, do not expect to get higher than single digits with this car in the city cycle. On the highway cycle, you can get up to 16Kmpl when driven sedately but then that is not the reason you went and bought an Abarth! The last thing you want to be staring at on a car like this is the fuel meter.

Air Conditioning is good. Not great or in the league of a Ford, Suzuki. Cools the cabin down in reasonable time. Unless the car was parked out in the open with the sun blazing down, the aircon does a pretty good job.

[Swap_Abarth]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

How did you measure fuel economy?

Yes; a brand new car is not going to give you great fuel economy.

Thanks for the input. I do use full tank method to calculate FE. Before buying, I knew about the the lower FE. Its just that, it is very low almost like a sports car FE. Hence wanted to check with other owners. I will be having few highway runs next month. Hope this would get little better.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Swap_Abarth

Before buying, I knew about the the lower FE. Its just that, it is very low almost like a sports car FE. Hence wanted to check with other owners. I will be having few highway runs next month. Hope this would get little better.

With a 55k+ km done Abarth let me tell you about the FE. I have been getting ~ 10 km/l in bumper to bumper traffic (25 km / avg speed 16-18 km/h types). Since you have not yet got used to the accelerator, it will take some time to get used to it. Initially I used to press it almost half way and then the car would get to a speed much higher than I anticipated. So over time (say around 5k kms) I got used to the accelerator. Now barely 10% is enough for commuting.

Another thing is the gearing. At low crawling speeds I keep car in the 1st rather than in 2nd and slip the clutch to control the speed.

Highway FE is totally dependent on how you drive. With minimal braking use and anticipation of the toll / intersections / traffic , etc. I have been getting 17-18 km/l on flats and 15-16 km/l on ghats. Eg. Mum-Pune / Mum-Goa runs I get 14-15 km/l and Mum-Kolhpaur / Mum-Dharwad I get 17-18 km/l with avg speeds of 65+ km/h. *roundtrips

I had to change rear disc pads at 56k km and the SA says that the front ones need to be changed in the next service, due around 58-59k kms (60k major service).

At the same time, at one of the Abarth owner's meets at Mahabaleshwar, I got 8 km/l roundtrip FE!

For your AC issues, I tend to keep it in Auto mode at a start and then lower the fan speed as cabin cools down. With the summer starting, I have just put on the magnetic sunshades on the side windows and they are really effective in cutting down the heat. Once the sun goes down, I remove the front sunshades as they affect visibility during night time ~ especially of the ORVMs.

[redCherry]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

With a 55k+ km done

Quoting from the official review :
Merely 155 mm of ground clearance. We have our concerns

With your vast experience on this car, did you ever feel the low ground clearance is a concern for a regular, daily drive?

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by redCherry

Did you ever feel the low ground clearance is a concern for a regular, daily drive?

It's actually very good in terms of practical usage. From a daily commute point of view, it's as good / bad as any other regular hatchback. Infact, the stiffer suspension helps by not bottoming out the car. I had a 2009 Punto as well which used to scrap her belly despite having an SUV-spec 198 mm GC. The softer suspension was the culprit and used to scrap on even the moderate speed breakers.

Yes, the car scraps if you are not careful, but only in extreme cases. I have driven on bad roads, no roads and even traversed a step once (Under construction road was about 4-5 inches above the old road and I was coming down). As long as you slow down / take the correct path, it won't matter much. On my trip to Spiti with the car, only once did the underbody take a hit. That too was absorbed by the sump guard and no damage whatsoever to the underbody.

[nazeer_ahamed]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

With a 55k+ km done Abarth

My Abarth now runs on Bridgestone B290 205/55 R16. The tyres after 20,000KMS have become hard and I can easily feel the loss of grip on cornering, braking and wet roads. This obviously was a bad selection. I am looking for better tyres and have shortlisted;

Michelin Pilot Sport 205/50 R16
Michelin Primacy 4ST 205/55 R16
MRF Perfinza 205/55 R16

Almost 75% of my drive will be on ghat roads and rest on highways. I would highly appreciate if you can help to choose the most appropriate one. Thanks.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by nazeer_ahamed

My Abarth now runs on Bridgestone B290 205/55 R16.

I have no experience on the Bridgestones, but a warning for 205/55 R16 tyres. The rear ones will rub against the wheel cladding and over time a small hole will develop. It won't affect the car in anyway except more accumulation of dirt and muck, esp in the monsoons days. Take a look:

Right side:


Left side:


Upon asking my SA, he said Linea and Punto have different wheel linings. So getting them would be a good idea if you want else continue and monitor the damage. I think it happens only when there is some compression in the shocks, during which the wheel-well gap reduces. Its called as the wheel well arch protection Rear Rear, costs about 170 bucks each for left and right. But he too was not sure if its a direct fit but he says it should fit.

Michelin Pilot Sport 205/50 R16
Michelin Primacy 4ST 205/55 R16
MRF Perfinza 205/55 R16
.

Not experienced any, but I personally would pick the Pilot Sport 4 205/50 R 16 just because they are that much closer to the stock size. Also the grip levels reported by others who are using them are excellent.

Currently I'm on 205/55 R 16 Ceat Gripp LNs. They are much quieter than the stock Apollo Alnac 4G.

[nazeer_ahamed]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

I have no experience on the Bridgestones, but a warning for 205/55 R16 tyres. The rear ones will rub against the wheel cladding and over time a small hole will develop. It won't affect the car in anyway except more accumulation of dirt and muck, esp in the monsoons days.

I think it happens only when there is some compression in the shocks, during which the wheel-well gap reduces. .

I am using Rogerab Thermoplastic Urethane Buffer for the coil springs and have not experienced the rub on wheel cladding. However I agree with the accumulation of dirt and muck.

I too had Piolt Sport on my mind but most of the dealers do not stock them. They will get if for me upon confirming my order with an advance.