[Pretorian]

Originally Posted by splitinfinitive

Thanks for a great review S2!

I went over to the dealer yesterday to book the car. I was told that if I want the white version I could have it the same day, while the black will take 6 weeks. So, now I’m going to spend the next six weeks in a state of breathless anticipation!

Congrats splitinfinitive !! Hope you get your steroids before 6 weeks.

Until then whenever you feel jobless, can you bug the fiat guys and ask if they have any plans to replace the existing gear box with the C635 one in the near future, i know its lame to ask them. Also about the grey color's waiting period, i guess they will say 1 year.

[prashant316]

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

I find a lot of people who have taken the test drive talk about Torque Steer as if it is a great thing to have. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't torque steer a bad thing and an indication of something amiss?

You are right. Torque steer is an undesirable situation which signifies that the car isn't able to put down all the available power to its wheels and hence a waste of power.
Having said that, even oversteer is an undesirable situation and is not always the quickest way of going around a corner. But isn't it fun? Same with Torque steer

[Suraj25]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Isn't that just a wheelspin (or a burnout-if done intentionally)?

What is Torque Steer?

Quoted from Wikipedia for reference.

Technically speaking, torque steer happens due to many mechanical factors as someone mentioned above.
There's a link that explains the different factors pretty well:
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/249

But in the 'car enthusiast' jargon I guess anything that relates to unintentional wheel spin is called torque steer! This happens even while shifting from 1st to 2nd aggressively in some cars(especially the turbo diesels). This applies only to FWD cars, of course.

[firstguri]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

If you are opting for going through Mumbai to Goa then you have the best option of passing through Ghodbunder Road, Thane where I can meet you. Provided your travel dates don't clash with mine.

I was interested to know if the 150mm GC is a show stopper for the Abarth. Given the size of the mountainous bumps and crater sized potholes, would Abarth pass that test with such low GC. How's the rear seat experience??

Originally Posted by Joxster

I would also be interested to know the answer to this question though

@ghodlur: With regards to the route you mentioned, I will PM you if we do take that road.

Now for the question of ground clearance; I can happily say that the clearance seems to be sufficient as the car has not bottomed anywhere as yet. In fact we had gone to Patiala for a wedding function and the place where we stayed had unpaved roads and the house had a massively sloped ramp. Our 2009 Linea could not go up the ramp as it bottomed out midway and Abarth could, even with people on board. I think that answers the question pretty well.

Rear seat comfort is ok. Much better than my brother's Polo. Legroom is very average but the seats are very comfortable in themselves. They have the same double lined mesh as the front seats. Besides, who wants to buy an Abarth for the rear seats!

Originally Posted by NyHeadlong

First of all, congratulations Firstguri for the insane gift! I vouch that you are in an ideal city to test it. Should catch up with you some time.

Firstly thank you for the wishes. And surely we can meet. Just PM your number to me.

Originally Posted by swathyd

Nobody has mentioned the quality of front seats. It is unnecessarily spongy and lacks support. And the slow falling glow box with lights is really a good feature. They could have though provided a decent lid for it, as this seems to be lifted from Palio.

Well the spongy part that you're talking about is the lateral support extensions. And I agree they're too soft. They cant hold you when you're cornering hard. The mesh part is perfect. Gives good support to lower back and that is something that everyone who has sat in the car has commented of within seconds of sitting. The glove box lid; well, I would prefer calling it soft open . And yeah, it's really cool. But otherwise the glove box has hardly any space for anything!

Originally Posted by v_safari

Dear fellow Fiat/Abarth lovers,

I have a question to ask.

Now what are the options for tyre upgrade available easily, and what size 205 ?? R 16 ?
Will MRF ZSport be a good option if the upgrade size is available ?

Originally Posted by Suraj25

Since we're talking about tyres, will the MC5 in stock size be good enough or is upsizing to 205s a must? I'm a little apprehensive cause 205s with 55 profiles will ruin the slight 'low profile' look that the current 195/55 setup has.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

The MC5 is softer and the body roll will increase a bit. So 2 negatives. But still worth it. The alloys are 6J, for 205 mm the ideal width would be 6.5J

Well I got MC5 the second day itself. And the same size 195/55 R16. I drove around 150 km on Alnac 4G's. I agree I didn't drive too long on Apollo's but I did notice far, far better ride, comfort and noise. Handling wise I did not notice any perceptible difference. And yes, lesser wheelspins. I can say that because I was showing torque steer to my wife and then to my friend, the difference being the tyre swap in between.

The problem is that there are very limited options in the stock size. If someone decides to upsize to 205 section then there are a world of options out there. Go figure

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by firstguri

Now for the question of ground clearance; I can happily say that the clearance seems to be sufficient as the car has not bottomed anywhere as yet. In fact we had gone to Patiala for a wedding function and the place where we stayed had unpaved roads and the house had a massively sloped ramp. Our 2009 Linea could not go up the ramp as it bottomed out midway and Abarth could, even with people on board. I think that answers the question pretty well.

Thank you for clarifying, I was fairly sure that I was right. I'm also sure this will help a lot of people who may be having second thoughts about buying the car due the ground clearance.

Forgot to say congrats on the car, and enjoy her to the fullest .

[Pretorian]

Originally Posted by firstguri

Our 2009 Linea could not go up the ramp as it bottomed out midway and Abarth could, even with people on board. I think that answers the question pretty well.

Rear seat comfort is ok. Much better than my brother's Polo.

Gives good support to lower back and that is something that everyone who has sat in the car has commented of within seconds of sitting.

Pretty important points for folks comparing a TSI to Abarth, Thanks.

[prashant316]

Originally Posted by Suraj25

Technically speaking, torque steer happens due to many mechanical factors as someone mentioned above.
There's a link that explains the different factors pretty well:
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/249

After reading this, it just struck me - All The Punto Abarth Torque steer videos that I have seen or the one that I experienced myself too had the steering pulling towards the right and never to the left. Could it be due to one of the factors mentioned in this link? Or is it that coincidentally I have come across only right veering Abarths
Anyone here with any left veering instances on this car?

[Suraj25]

Originally Posted by prashant316

Anyone here with any left veering instances on this car?

Nope, it's always been to the right for me! Must be the length difference between the engine and the left and right wheels.

[VRPAI]

Hi guys,

Test drove the Abarth Punto today and was blown away to be honest. Simply brilliant car. The steering is bloody brilliant, acceleration is brutal, braking is superb and the car seems as stable as a rock on the highway. It is simply put Nirvana. It just goes on and on and on as long as you keep pushing the A pedal.

In the city as well the car was so drivable, there's only a negligible lag. Pretty good to use in the city I guess as it required only a few downshifts. There is ample amount of torque for you to potter around in the city. The ride isn't harsh at all and handling is great. The car took the bad patches and the potholes pretty easily and it never seemed to bottom out. All in all-AWESOME car. The only little flaw one could think of is the feature list. I got used to the seating position pretty quickly and the gearshifts where pretty much okay. Nothing to complain about but nothing great neither.

It's a car which will always satisfy the driver inside you .Test drive this car and then you'll know the reason why fiat owners go gaga about the brand. In short, just loved the car.

[Suraj25]

Had been to the yard yesterday to check her out. I think i'm in love
A few pictures of my car:











Sorry for the crappy pictures. Didn't have enough room to move around.

[VRPAI]

Originally Posted by Suraj25

Had been to the yard yesterday to check her out. I think i'm in love

.

Congrats on getting this beauty brother.
It's a dream to drive.Running in this car is going to be a nightmare for you I guess as youl find it realy hard to get your legs off that A pedal. Enjoy your ride man. Your gonna have the time of your life in this.

Oh and yea,looking forward to your ownership report.

Congrats again

[firstguri]

Congrats Suraj on the buy. From one owner to another- it's an absolutely awesome car. Word of advice, just hold onto the steering in first and second gear. And welcome to the club.

[Suraj25]

Originally Posted by VRPAI

Congrats on getting this beauty brother.

Thanks mate! Ownership report will surely be up by the time I'm done with run-in

Originally Posted by firstguri

Congrats Suraj on the buy. From one owner to another- it's an absolutely awesome car. Word of advice, just hold onto the steering in first and second gear. And welcome to the club.

Thank you! You're absolutely right about the holding on to the steering part. I guess they weren't joking in the television commercial :P

Btw, have any Abarth owners planned/done any mods? Mine will be getting a slight visual makeover on the day of delivery itself, if everything goes as per plan.

[firstguri]

Originally Posted by Suraj25

Btw, have any Abarth owners planned/done any mods? Mine will be getting a slight visual makeover on the day of delivery itself, if everything goes as per plan.

What visual makeover are you talking about, may I ask? I'm getting bi xenon projectors. At least that's the plan.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

If you are opting for going through Mumbai to Goa then you have the best option of passing through Ghodbunder Road, Thane where I can meet you. Provided your travel dates don't clash with mine.

I was interested to know if the 150mm GC is a show stopper for the Abarth. Given the size of the mountainous bumps and crater sized potholes, would Abarth pass that test with such low GC. How's the rear seat experience??

Originally Posted by Joxster

The GC for the Abarth Punto is 155mm, and not 150 mm .

I would also be interested to know the answer to this question though. Although my suspicion is that due to the changes made in the suspension, it will not have any issues, due to the set up being more stiff than the standard car.

Gen 1 Linea had 161mm GC with large overhangs.
I drive it daily, though roads around me are in a good shape, but once in a blue moon, it does scrape occasionally.
So abarth with 155mm GC, smaller overhangs and a stiffer suspension will just do good.