[nitninja]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Hey nitninja I may be wrong with my assumption, but I think me and chase_nt were 'Technically' correct with our views on the Abarth & GT.

Lemme try to explain:

Both the 1.2 TSi & the 1.6 GT TDI are quick cars. At the time of launch and until recently, these 2 were the fastest hatches in their respective fuel types. One of the biggest reasons for this was their weight. These cars are build heavy, but they were not bulky per se.

In today's scenario, Figo TDCI is ~100cc, ~7 bhp & ~40NM torque lower than the 1.6 GT TDI but is way faster to the ton. Again, the reason here is the power to weight ratio. When I drove the Figo TDCI, it felt darn quick. Vento 1.6 TDI is quick, but the same engine in a car without the boot will feel a but scary.

The problem with Punto is the BULK it carries. Considering the fact that Abarth was destined to be the TRUE BLUE HATCH, FIAT must have really considered better weight management. I am not even contending/contesting the fact that Abarth is quick. But if you look closely, GT TSI with ~200 cc, ~40 BHP & 30NM Torque actually closes the acceleration gap continuously. Yes, all this is the technical data which is excellent for a track day.

What matters to normal/everyday petrol head like us, the sense of power. Again, I am not telling that Abarth is slow. But a very bad combination of Bulk, Gearbox and probably Ergonomics robs that Funny Tingling feel that one gets when you accelerate in a fast car.

PERSONALLY, what really bothered me about the Abarth is that even the Linea T-Jet had that better sense of 'Pin to your seat' feeling.

personally im really surprised at your statement that linea is faster! Linea produces 207nm torque whereas abarth produces 212nm torque.How can abarth weighing less than linea and producing more torque , still does not give that "pin to your seat feeling" ? Im very sure mathematics cant go wrong in this world.By the same logic as yours, linea engine(infact with more power) in a punto, should feel scary and it is.Im very sure there is a reason why fiat gives heavier car.Maybe safety, maybe stability, only fiat knows that. You are saying figo is lighter, the same has been pointed out as a negative in many threads in our very own forum.A jetta owner after driving my car, simply said " this car is just too powerful".I think this statement says what abarth is all about.

[nehaagg]

No doubt weight can be better managed in the Abbie. But let us consider where it went from a laywoman's perspective. I've spent considerable time in a Polo. Where the difference is immediately felt is in NVH. I kept looking back in the Polo to check whether the windows were up. Exterior sounds were filtering through considetably. This is much better better in the Punto.The suspension also doesnt go-cart through potholes. The Punto's suspension has been a pleasant surprise, and as I've noted before in a short review.

So I am guessing the weight went in the long-travel suspension, better or more NVH panels and thicker gauge of sheet metal. The weight subdues the performance (along with the GB), but it also results in better overall comfort.

[Samar117]

Originally Posted by nitninja

personally im really surprised at your statement that linea is faster! Linea produces 207nm torque whereas abarth produces 212nm torque.How can abarth weighing less than linea and producing more torque , still does not give that "pin to your seat feeling" ?

Personal opinion this, but something which other people might echo. The turbo lag in the T-Jet in the Abarth I found to be much less than the first (pre 2012 I think?) Linea T-Jet. In the Linea, once you cross the lag zone and the turbo has spooled up, there is a whoosh of power and that pins you to the seat. With the newer Abarth, I found the acceleration much more linear and hence not so much of 'pinning to the seat'. I think the newer ECU tune reduces the lag and has changed the HP and torque map across the rev range for a more linear pull.

[Waspune]

Originally Posted by Samar117

Personal opinion this, but something which other people might echo. The turbo lag in the T-Jet in the Abarth I found to be much less than the first (pre 2012 I think?) Linea T-Jet. In the Linea, once you cross the lag zone and the turbo has spooled up, there is a whoosh of power and that pins you to the seat. With the newer Abarth, I found the acceleration much more linear and hence not so much of 'pinning to the seat'. I think the newer ECU tune reduces the lag and has changed the HP and torque map across the rev range for a more linear pull.

Brother, you need to accelerate to higher RPMs to feel the kind of push it has. It's stronger suit is the mid range and the top end where it just pulls and pulls without any sweat. Keep the RPM above 2500 RPMs and then feel the push. Till 2500 RPMs the power delivery is linear that you rightly said so as to improve the city drivability and FE and also helps in negating the bigger turbo's turbo lag. You need to cross 2500 RPMS, all the way to the red line to have hell lot fun on the Abarth.

[Waspune]

Originally Posted by nehaagg

The suspension also doesnt go-cart through potholes. The Punto's suspension has been a pleasant surprise, and as I've noted before in a short review.

Yes Fiats are the best when it comes to suspension. Think of any other car that has 185 mm of GC (punto/ Linea ) and yet is so fun around the corners. Or let's talk about your Abarth, it is a performance oriented car with lowered springs(155 mm of GC) but still has a sublime ride quality. This kind of balance is an European trait, but again it's even better with Fiats.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Waspune

1) Punto weighs quite a lot, but the same weight tranforms into a greater momentum on the highways which makes you progress well even with small dab on the accelerator.

2) The sense of power is missing as per you, maybe because the Abarth masks the speed like no other, including the Polo. The TSI would be blown over by the Abarth as far as the mid range and top end performance is concerned.

3) Again working with the gearbox and understanding the torque/bhp charts makes sense before commenting like 'Linea T-Jet had that better sense of 'Pin to your seat' feeling'. In fact I am shocked at this statement of yours.

Originally Posted by nitninja

personally im really surprised at your statement that linea is faster! Linea produces 207nm torque whereas abarth produces 212nm torque.How can abarth weighing less than linea and producing more torque , still does not give that "pin to your seat feeling" ?

All due respect to your stand but neither of you seem to be getting the point here and if its my way with the words that is the problem, then I am really sorry for "Electrocuting" you guys !!

Inspite of me reiterating the facts that Abarth is a fast car and a true hot hatch, but THE SENSE OF SPEED & ACCELERATION was not there, people are getting shocked/surprised that I alleged of Abarth being slow, when I never even mentioned that anywhere.
If Abarth must be revved over 4.5-5k RPM to just experience the power, then its my bad that I did not either get the road for that or the time. But when I drove the other turbo charged engines such as Tjet or Laura TSI, that sense of urgency was imminent at lower RPMs. Probably I must carry torque figure and gearing ratios documents from next time when I go for a TD.

Jokes apart, what I posted was exactly what chase_nt felt. Considering the fact that we both have some sort of knowledge on cars and even if one were to say we were being very biased towards GT, I thought the below statement by his father gave a better picture:

"When my father first drove my GT TSI he was really impressed with its pick up and how easy it was to get carried away with it however when my father drove my Abarth recently he just bluntly said that "this car is not like your GT TSI". My father is not a car enthusiast at all."

Again, I am not trying to tell that Abarth is slow or not worth the 'Blue Hot Hatch' tag at all and I have not intentions of shocking anybody anymore. I only tried to put across my TD experience which mirrored what chase_nt felt.

[nitninja]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

All due respect to your stand but neither of you seem to be getting the point here and if its my way with the words that is the problem, then I am really sorry for "Electrocuting" you guys !!

Inspite of me reiterating the facts that Abarth is a fast car and a true hot hatch, but THE SENSE OF SPEED & ACCELERATION was not there, people are getting shocked/surprised that I alleged of Abarth being slow, when I never even mentioned that anywhere.
If Abarth must be revved over 4.5-5k RPM to just experience the power, then its my bad that I did not either get the road for that or the time. But when I drove the other turbo charged engines such as Tjet or Laura TSI, that sense of urgency was imminent at lower RPMs. Probably I must carry torque figure and gearing ratios documents from next time when I go for a TD.

Jokes apart, what I posted was exactly what chase_nt felt. Considering the fact that we both have some sort of knowledge on cars and even if one were to say we were being very biased towards GT, I thought the below statement by his father gave a better picture:

"When my father first drove my GT TSI he was really impressed with its pick up and how easy it was to get carried away with it however when my father drove my Abarth recently he just bluntly said that "this car is not like your GT TSI". My father is not a car enthusiast at all."

Again, I am not trying to tell that Abarth is slow or not worth the 'Blue Hot Hatch' tag at all and I have not intentions of shocking anybody anymore. I only tried to put across my TD experience which mirrored what chase_nt felt.

First of all, i bought a fiat just because of the power and dynamics and not beacuse im a fiat fanatic or whatever! I always have a soft corner for these german engineering and we own a vento(1.6 tdi) and a polo(1.2 tdi).I dont know what made you say im a fiat fanatic! I have driven almost 50000 kms in my current vento 1.6 tdi and this engine is a gem.low end torque is awesome(diesel engine) but lacks the top end power.In my whole life i have driven almost 2 lakh kms of german engineering, fiat dynamics are way better, i mean way way better!

Gt tsi is a different car, dsg is sheer brilliance.It keeps you in the turbo zone always so even a non enthusiast can drive the car fast.In a manual you have to work the gears to be in that turbo zone.

i remember a few years back people complained R15 to be powerless just because nobody wanted to rev the engine! i find a similar case here.Petrol engines are to be revved but you never did that and all your experiences are here.You yourself have admitted it.You posted the same in the abarth review thread and someone even asked if you really did rev the engine.Dont take me wrong here but i would ask you to take a long td,rev the engine in each gear before posting your views.

[chase_nt]

I'll agree with the fact that the Abarth may not have that low end bang that I have come to expect with the GT TSI but it does pull very Strongly when revved higher. It is the sort of vehicle that is more at home on the open road rather than within the city. The vehicle is a revelation on the highway because it pulls strongly even in fifth gear which is not something you see very often with other manual transmission vehicles

I would also like to know if any of you who have purchased the Abarth have received any welcome phone call from Fiat Customer Care? Its more than one and a half months since I bought the vehicle and I haven't got any call from the customer care asking me to provide feedback about my experience with the car or the dealership.

On a slightly serious note I took my Abarth for the permanent registration to be done a few days ago and I had a really bad experience with the Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI). What happened was the MVI objected to my car having red decals on it and asked me why the decals were not mentioned anywhere on the invoice where the color description is mentioned or on Form 22. All it states in the column that mentions the cars color is "New Pearl White". I tried to explain to him that the car is manufactured and delivered to customers this way by Fiat and that even their website lists the car in the same way. I offered to show him the Fiat website however he said that what is listed in the website is not of any concern to him and that the company should mention RED DECALS in the invoice and other forms.

A little while later one of the subordinates with the MVI approached me and asked me if I was willing to pay a bit of money so that this indiscretion can be overlooked and for the car to be registered smoothly without any hassle Its just ridiculous to see the state of affairs in the country. I can admit that I made a mistake if I actually subject my vehicle to a sticker job and take it for registration but if I have to pay a bribe for a legitimate vehicle to be registered that is just the bottom of the abyss that this country has sunk. I was really considering going to the ACB to lodge a complaint against that MVI but the agent through whom I went for registration said that he is going to take care of things and that I don't need to pay anything extra or bribe anyone. I'm just waiting to see how everything plays out In the next few days.

[nitninja]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

I'll agree with the fact that the Abarth may not have that low end bang that I have come to expect with the GT TSI but it does pull very Strongly when revved higher. It is the sort of vehicle that is more at home on the open road rather than within the city. The vehicle is a revelation on the highway because it pulls strongly even in fifth gear which is not something you see very often with other manual transmission vehicles

I would also like to know if any of you who have purchased the Abarth have received any welcome phone call from Fiat Customer Care? Its more than one and a half months since I bought the vehicle and I haven't got any call from the customer care asking me to provide feedback about my experience with the car or the dealership.

On a slightly serious note I took my Abarth for the permanent registration to be done a few days ago and I had a really bad experience with the Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI). What happened was the MVI objected to my car having red decals on it and asked me why the decals were not mentioned anywhere on the invoice where the color description is mentioned or on Form 22. All it states in the column that mentions the cars color is "New Pearl White". I tried to explain to him that the car is manufactured and delivered to customers this way by Fiat and that even their website lists the car in the same way. I offered to show him the Fiat website however he said that what is listed in the website is not of any concern to him and that the company should mention RED DECALS in the invoice and other forms.

A little while later one of the subordinates with the MVI approached me and asked me if I was willing to pay a bit of money so that this indiscretion can be overlooked and for the car to be registered smoothly without any hassle Its just ridiculous to see the state of affairs in the country. I can admit that I made a mistake if I actually subject my vehicle to a sticker job and take it for registration but if I have to pay a bribe for a legitimate vehicle to be registered that is just the bottom of the abyss that this country has sunk. I was really considering going to the ACB to lodge a complaint against that MVI but the agent through whom I went for registration said that he is going to take care of things and that I don't need to pay anything extra or bribe anyone. I'm just waiting to see how everything plays out In the next few days.

im really sorry for clouding your thread with posts.I didnt receive any feedback call from fiat regarding the experience or anything.

[nehaagg]

I would also like to know if any of you who have purchased the Abarth have received any welcome phone call from Fiat Customer Care? Its more than one and a half months since I bought the vehicle and I haven't got any call from the customer care asking me to provide feedback about my experience with the car or the dealership.

I did get a feedback call from FIAT India. They asked me to rate the delivery experience using the standard questionnaire. I get Abbie mid-Feb, got the call early April. So give it couple of months, I guess.

[firstguri]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

I would also like to know if any of you who have purchased the Abarth have received any welcome phone call from Fiat Customer Care? Its more than one and a half months since I bought the vehicle and I haven't got any call from the customer care asking me to provide feedback about my experience with the car or the dealership.

I received not one but three calls. The third time my wife gave a firing to them. All this happened within two weeks of delivery if my memory serves me right.

Originally Posted by chase_nt

On a slightly serious note I took my Abarth for the permanent registration to be done a few days ago and I had a really bad experience with the Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI). What happened was the MVI objected to my car having red decals on it and asked me why the decals were not mentioned anywhere on the invoice where the color description is mentioned or on Form 22. All it states in the column that mentions the cars color is "New Pearl White". I tried to explain to him that the car is manufactured and delivered to customers this way by Fiat and that even their website lists the car in the same way. I offered to show him the Fiat website however he said that what is listed in the website is not of any concern to him and that the company should mention RED DECALS in the invoice and other forms.

A little while later one of the subordinates with the MVI approached me and asked me if I was willing to pay a bit of money so that this indiscretion can be overlooked and for the car to be registered smoothly without any hassle Its just ridiculous to see the state of affairs in the country. I can admit that I made a mistake if I actually subject my vehicle to a sticker job and take it for registration but if I have to pay a bribe for a legitimate vehicle to be registered that is just the bottom of the abyss that this country has sunk. I was really considering going to the ACB to lodge a complaint against that MVI but the agent through whom I went for registration said that he is going to take care of things and that I don't need to pay anything extra or bribe anyone. I'm just waiting to see how everything plays out In the next few days.

Well that is really sad. This shouldn't happen when the whole country is changing with regards to corruption. The concerned guy, in my opinion, was just looking for a quick cash remittance I think. What happens in Punjab is that the dealer registers the vehicle from the showroom. You are shown the available numbers and then you choose one and pay the dealer only. So all these unruly guys are cut out from the scenario. And I think that's the way forward. It's also a lot easier for the customer as he/she doesn't have to run around the RTO for registration. In my case however the car couldn't be registered as Abarth Punto wasn't in the system. Mind you mine was the first in North India! But anyway my dealer went out of his way to deliver the vehicle to me on a dealer number (red numberplate) till the time the the system was updated.

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by firstguri

Well that is really sad. This shouldn't happen when the whole country is changing with regards to corruption. The concerned guy, in my opinion, was just looking for a quick cash remittance I think. What happens in Punjab is that the dealer registers the vehicle from the showroom. You are shown the available numbers and then you choose one and pay the dealer only. So all these unruly guys are cut out from the scenario. And I think that's the way forward. It's also a lot easier for the customer as he/she doesn't have to run around the RTO for registration. In my case however the car couldn't be registered as Abarth Punto wasn't in the system. Mind you mine was the first in North India! But anyway my dealer went out of his way to deliver the vehicle to me on a dealer number (red numberplate) till the time the the system was updated.

I just received a call from the agent informing me that my car has been registered and thankfully I didn't have to run around the offices of the ACB or pay any extra money (bribe) to anyone. The whole episode involving the MVI was really disconcerting to me. This is the 4th new car that I purchased in the last 5 years and its the first time that I had experienced anything like this. The system that you mentioned had been launched in my city in the month of March. It will be extended to other major cities in the state of AP over the next few months. It is definitely the best way to avoid all these corrupt people. The dealer through whom I purchased my car was located at Vijayawada and the above system has not yet been launched in that city at the time of my purchase. I had to take delivery of my car on a dealer number plate as well (If you closely observe the photos of my vehicle you will see that it has a T/C-Trade Certificate) since the details of the Abarth were not yet entered into the database of the RTO in the state of AP. It was only almost a month after I purchased the car that I received the Temporary Registration number and now I have finally got the Permanent registration number.

[chase_nt]

A little more than 2.5 months have passed since I bought the Abarth and the car is creeping toward the 1000 km mark. It’s at 795 kms to be precise and I bet the car will see the grand come up sometime around August. That would make this the fastest among the cars I’ve owned in the past 5 years to reach the 1000 kilometer mark. Usually the first one thousand kilometers would come up only after one year of my ownership and I have to thank the road trip that I undertook in order to get the car to Visakhapatnam for that. I got the White Scorpion registered in the first week of May and so far the car is doing great. I heard that Fiat is planning on opening a dealership in town in the next few months and I hope that materializes.





I went for a short drive with a friend who owns a Swift and he was blown away by the Abarth’s performance. He was insisting that we meet so that he could have a glimpse of the car. I asked him if he wanted to see what the fuss about 145 bhp in a hatchback is all about and he replied in the affirmative. I drove the car sedately until we got to an isolated road and told him to hold on. His reactions shocked me to the core. In fact I wish I had a camera mounted somewhere on the dash to record his reactions as it would’ve made a great youtube video. I slot the car in first gear and released the clutch completely allowing the car to just roll for a fraction of a second without any accelerator input, I told him to hold on and then I just floored the gas pedal. The car took off really fast and I allowed the car to redline in each gear before I up shift. I did this until the car reached 100. The strange thing is that wheel spin was negligible in first and second gear with this sort of launch however I was able to feel the torque steer. Maybe this is the sort of technique that needs to be adapted to launch the Abarth with minimal wheel spin To be honest I never really bothered with 0-100 sprints because I usually drive within the city on weekdays when the roads are busy. Besides it’s an Abarth and we all know that it’s fast. The allure of an isolated road prompted me to unleash the beast and it was pure magic. My friend is a lot younger than me (I’ll be 40 in a couple of years) and he’s going to touch 30 later this year. That single sprint to a 100 made him holler out loudly and grab his chest with his right hand. To tell you the truth I literally thought he had a heart attack as he was grabbing his chest for almost half a minute after I ended the sprint. I was wondering if I had to haul him to a local hospital


I’ve had people react differently when I drive cars spiritedly. The reaction I am used to from a person in the passenger seat is when they try to stomp on the imaginary brake pedal. But this reaction from him caught me off guard. He told me that he had never experienced such acceleration in a car and that it was too much for him to handle. While Abarth tells us drivers that the steering wheel is not for steering it’s for holding on I wonder what they expect the passengers to hold onto. I allowed my friend to drive the Abarth for a bit and he was extremely impressed with its performance. He pointed out that the driver’s seat is the best place to be in this car as you know exactly what you are doing and what a potent machine it is. According to him the only drawback was that the gearbox is not slick shifting but I feel that’s something that you get used to when you spend more time in the Abarth. The best part about this car is how it pulls strongly even when its at the 5500 rpm red line. I have a strong feeling that the Abarth would surpass my ex Suzuki Alto as the car that I’ve owned for the longest period of time (The Alto holds that record at 3 years and 10 months). I’m leaving you with a couple of photos of my Abarth for now.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

A little more than 2.5 months have passed since I bought the Abarth and the car is creeping toward the 1000 km mark.

Congrats chase_nt on piling up the milestones on this hot hatch.

Seems like the the Scorpion has injected its intoxication into you and just keeps you want to get behind the wheels at an instant.

I only hope that VW delays the launch of the Polo GTI, else Alto's record may still stand !!

In fact I wish I had a camera mounted somewhere on the dash to record his reactions as it would’ve made a great Youtube video.

I think you must really consider plonking in a video camera in your Abarth and take your friends/family/acquaintances for a spin, and record the reaction.

Something like this:

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

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

I slot the car in first gear and released the clutch completely allowing the car to just roll for a fraction of a second without any accelerator input, I told him to hold on and then I just floored the gas pedal.

We tried different launch techniques to time a launch for the Abarth, during our first look review posted here, and the best time was achieved with a second gear launch. 9.8 secs if i remember correctly. There was too much of wheelspin and torque steer in the first gear that you lose time and concentration, while trying to overcome these.