[firstguri]

God damn it! Just got to know from a test driver that Abarth Punto 180 bhp coming in February for 12 lakhs! What the bloody fish! Now I don't know if it's totally reliable. Bit if it is then I'm going to be one sad man. 12 lakhs was within my budget too!

[rajaghuru]

Originally Posted by firstguri

God damn it! Just got to know from a test driver that Abarth Punto 180 bhp coming in February for 12 lakhs! What the bloody fish! Now I don't know if it's totally reliable. Bit if it is then I'm going to be one sad man. 12 lakhs was within my budget too!

I doubt it. And if it is true, existing owners, in all probability, will be offered a remap.

[thedragula]

I really doubt it. Although its the same engine, I am guessing this will involve a change of gearbox and a lot more components. Also, what about the chassis itself?

Plus, its FIAT. By the time they launch it, you would be itching for an upgrade anyway.

If they do end up launching it soon, get the car remapped to overcome this.

I would take this news with a pinch of.....no wait, 1KG of Free Flow Tata Salt.

[vpillai]

Originally Posted by firstguri

God damn it! Just got to know from a test driver that Abarth Punto 180 bhp coming in February for 12 lakhs! What the bloody fish! Now I don't know if it's totally reliable. Bit if it is then I'm going to be one sad man. 12 lakhs was within my budget too!

Less probability. Fiat's road map indicates the next launch under abarth brand will happen in 2018. But fiat has something for us in 2016. Could be a the Egea.

[Suraj25]

Originally Posted by firstguri

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

You will find out soon! I want to keep it a surprise and will post pics as soon as its done.
Its nothing major though, just a few stickers here and there

Oh cool. Which ones are you planning? And i think painting the calipers red will look awesome since the car has an all round disc brake setup!

[GT145]

Originally Posted by firstguri

God damn it! Just got to know from a test driver that Abarth Punto 180 bhp coming in February for 12 lakhs! What the bloody fish! Now I don't know if it's totally reliable. Bit if it is then I'm going to be one sad man. 12 lakhs was within my budget too!

If the sources are true and being optimistic we can hope for a 180Bhp machine with DDCT C635 gearbox Even though there were news about DDCT C635 being tested in India, there are no reliable updates regarding they being tested for Indian lineup. So being realistic I can't see any chances of this happening.

Punto's chasis is well enough to handle to another 35 BHP for sure maybe a slight modification in the suspension will be suffice. Price tag of 13.5-14 lakh OTR it will be one hell of a product if it really happens.

[firstguri]

Well one thing that I can tell you for sure is that 180 bhp is on the way. The test driver in question has driven it. I'll try to get more details. In fact he's my wife's acquaintance and his first reaction when my wife mentioned Abarth to him was “wait, wait, hold onto till February". By the way he also mentioned that he has test driven Polo Gti too and Abarth Punto is better. Sweet! But expected from a drivers point of view.

Originally Posted by Suraj25

Which ones are you planning? And i think painting the calipers red will look awesome since the car has an all round disc brake setup!

There's a guy in Chandigarh who does it. He's also a car enthusiast who's a part of Fiat North India group. In fact, a guy owning a Grande Punto drove all the way from Bangalore to Chandigarh to get projectors installed! Just happened a couple of days back. By now the guy would be enroute to Bangalore. So this installer guy is reliable. Saves me the DIY.

So I'm getting Hella E55 projectors with CNlights bulbs and Hylux ballasts. Would cost somewhere around 20k.

And lastly, painting the brake calipers red is something that I want to get done too. Just a word of advice, don't get any red covers put on the brakes. It prevents the heat from dissipating.

[Pretorian]

Originally Posted by firstguri

By the way he also mentioned that he has test driven Polo Gti too and Abarth Punto is better. Sweet! But expected from a drivers point of view.

Hoping that the Polo GTI he test drove was a manual and not a DSG. Fingers crossed on these two 180's.

[thedragula]

Originally Posted by firstguri

By the way he also mentioned that he has test driven Polo Gti too and Abarth Punto is better. Sweet! But expected from a drivers point of view.

Well, between the Polo GTI and the Abarth, there is obviously no competition. The VW machine will lose a wheel and is likely to look like this.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by firstguri

So I'm getting Hella E55 projectors with CNlights bulbs and Hylux ballasts. Would cost somewhere around 20k.

The hella projectors and hylux ballasts are good. Get the Osram xenarc night breakers 4200k bulbs. Works the best in this set up. But the down side the cost of the bulbs alone is around 100 usd. But still worth it.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by firstguri

Well one thing that I can tell you for sure is that 180 bhp is on the way. The test driver in question has driven it. I'll try to get more details.

Thats probably the "FASTEST" scoop from FIAT firstguri

Neither am I against this launch nor I am for the Abarth Punto, but I surely feel that the current tune of 145 BHP is more than what most enthusiasts will ever need.

Personally, I don't see the 'NEED' for this iteration by FIAT, unless they are somehow feeling the news on the Polo GTI with upwards of 180 BHP, too hot to ignore.

If I was the 'Decision Maker' at FIAT, I rather invest the money & effort in making the current Abarth Punto a VFM product with more of the 'Necessary Changes'.

Originally Posted by thedragula

Well, between the Polo GTI and the Abarth, there is obviously no competition.

You had in splits there thedragula

What an era we are a part of now, considering the fact that hot hatches are a reality in India today.

Just about 5 years back, Swift was the real hot hatch with 84PS power. Today even a 100 bhp GT is a passe' !!

[amitg79]

If I remember, the Overdrive first drive article mentioned that a 180 bhp version was on the cards. If the current version is so blazing fast, I wonder what the 180 version might be. Maybe it will come with a ECG monitor as standard

This version should keep the Polo GTI honest, specially on the pricing front.

I love the way things are hotting up in the hot hatch segment.

[SafeDrive0107]

The 180 BHP version sounds exciting for sure. My only fear is unruly drivers getting their hands on this hot hatch and making highways unsafe for everyone. In cities like Bangalore they would not get much of a chance to open up the engines. It can be deadly on the highways - a mixture of recklessness, total speed and lack of control. I understand it could be done with existing cars as well, but faster the car more the chances of things getting out of control.

[firstguri]

Well this is something that I always say. Reckless driving isn't just dependent on powerful engines. Case in point, I'm driving down to Diu with my friend. He's got a Dzire Ddis. I was always behind him as he takes too many close calls on the highway. So me with a powerful engine was still behind him. Although being with him just required me to be in the 2500-3500 rev range but still he was always ahead. And Abarth still has a lot, a lot of pulling power remaining after this. So just because people might drive rashly shouldn't be a reason to deny people like me powerful cars! Although I understand your concern too. Give Abarth to my friend and then we have what you're talking about. But still don't let that scenario deny cars like Abarth Punto to people like me.

[thedragula]

Originally Posted by firstguri

Well this is something that I always say. Reckless driving isn't just dependent on powerful engines. Case in point, I'm driving down to Diu with my friend. He's got a Dzire Ddis. I was always behind him as he takes too many close calls on the highway. So me with a powerful engine was still behind him. Although being with him just required me to be in the 2500-3500 rev range but still he was always ahead. And Abarth still has a lot, a lot of pulling power remaining after this. So just because people might drive rashly shouldn't be a reason to deny people like me powerful cars! Although I understand your concern too. Give Abarth to my friend and then we have what you're talking about. But still don't let that scenario deny cars like Abarth Punto to people like me.

I tend to agree with both the arguments. Both have their ounce of truth in them.

To my mind, a powerful car de-stresses the driving experience. It makes driving (as a whole) more relaxing because you don't have to whip the engine for every move. Small inputs get the car to where you want it to be.

I learnt this the hard way. Back in the early 2000s, I salivated over the Pulsar motorcycle when it was launched. Even though the difference between the 150cc and 180cc was just a few thousands, I went in for the 150cc because of better mileage. In six months, I was bored of it as I had to downshift and rev to 6000rpm everytime I wanted to pick up speed. It was exciting initially but to do it all the time got tiring.

Luckily, I found that the 150cc and 180cc shared many common parts. So I replaced the top half of the engine and got it converted to a 180cc (at 1/10th the cost of a new bike). I kept the 150cc crankshaft as it was lighter. And boy, what a difference the extra power made!!

I thought that the increased power would make me drive faster but it had the opposite effect. I became a more sedate rider because of the reserve of power and found that I didn't have to plan my moves 500metres in advance and then strain the engine to get there.

And the best part was, the mileage stayed by and large the same and I started enjoying the ride.

After that, I vowed that whatever I buy, it will be the more powerful version on offer.

Ultimately, there is a thin line between driving fast and driving rash. It all boils down to your judgement and discipline. And that comes only with experience. So perhaps, first time buyers shouldn't go with the Abarth, as they have a tendency sometimes to push certain things that push back.

Machines like these can kill if treated like a toy and without due respect for the power.