From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto

vinitbhavi · 12th July 2016, 10:44

Thats a wonderfully written from the heart kind of report. The reader can relive your excitement and joy for your fiat. The negatives are also frank and not biased. Rated the
5-star ranking this thread deserves.

ant_vas · 12th July 2016, 11:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Finally an enthusiast who puts his money where his mouth is. A refreshing change from the so called enthusiasts who cry hoarse about not having a performance hatchback in India and then buying and gloating about the fuel efficiency numbers of their 1.2 liter "performance" hatchback on the fuel mileage thread. More power to you mate.

Very Well said!

And congrats mate for the beast!

miharbe · 12th July 2016, 12:40

Congratulations Kanad! Your straight from the heart review should help many others and should tempt a few like me as well. The day your bosses at Maruti find out what this car is you're going to have some serious explanation to do!

There are 2 things missing for me personally which act as a deterrent:

Lack of an automatic gearbox. Even an AMT from the Fiat 500 would do and to think Fiat is an AMT supplier to other car companies
Touchscreen entertainment system in this day and age (no matter how good the other system may be if it's not a touchscreen it won't work for me!)

I feel point 1 if addressed will not only bring in loads of sales but also take care of the rubbery gearbox and long clutch travel.

That being said I can't wait to drive it on one of our meets. As someone rightly said finally an enthusiast who's put his money where his mouth is!

. Having said that here's someone who sells Maruti for a living and buys Abarth

Wish you many happy smiles with this one buddy!

P.S.1 we need an Abarth vs 320d M Sport drag to be done on our next meet

P.S.2 Nice clicks Varun, now time for you to click for some other ownership reviews

ankurchaturvedi · 12th July 2016, 13:23

Kanad,

That's a great car. Eye catching! Really good write-up mate. I still remember you driving on the Igatpuri drive. That Abarth was the star of the drive and of many more drives to come.

blackwasp · 13th July 2016, 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaviprem

A nice and clean review. No stories, no English jargon, but all seems to have come from heart rather than mind

Congratulations on a great acquisition. Enjoy the ride.

Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keynote

That was a nice review with some awesome pictures. Many congratulations blackwasp and wishing you safe miles with the Italian Beauty

Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waspune

How do you find the ride quality at lower speeds, compared with your 1.2?

Have a happy Italian family, cheers.

Thanks. I found the ride slightly hard, especially while going over sharp undulations at very low speeds (<30) but it gets better. And personally I never liked the soft suspensions. The 1.2 has a nice ground clearance, but it got kinda bouncy after going slowly on speed breakers. For instance, there a speed breaker where 1.2 used to scrape on full load, but the Abarth doesn't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinitbhavi

Thats a wonderfully written from the heart kind of report. The reader can relive your excitement and joy for your fiat. The negatives are also frank and not biased. Rated the
5-star ranking this thread deserves.

Thanks Vinit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by miharbe

Congratulations Kanad! Your straight from the heart review should help many others and should tempt a few like me as well.

Lack of an automatic gearbox. Even an AMT from the Fiat 500 would do and to think Fiat is an AMT supplier to other car companies
Touchscreen entertainment system in this day and age (no matter how good the other system may be if it's not a touchscreen it won't work for me!)

P.S.1 we need an Abarth vs 320d M Sport drag to be done on our next meet

Yes, agree that the AMT would have been a good deal compared to current one when we know Fiat has that available on the 500. But pricing could go unchecked. From an affordability point of view I feel the current package is the best you can get. Also with discounts going on, it is even more sweeter.

320d with staggered tyres and RWD and sub 8 sec times will decimate the Abarth with me at the wheels. But no harm trying

Quote:

Originally Posted by ankurchaturvedi

Kanad,

That's a great car. Eye catching! Really good write-up mate. I still remember you driving on the Igatpuri drive. That Abarth was the star of the drive and of many more drives to come.

Thanks Ankur, next meet have a drive yourself.

pduttaghy · 19th July 2016, 17:44

Congratulations on your acquisition @blackwasp. I can well understand the fun you must be having driving the 145 BHP. I myself recently bought a Punto (albeit EVO dynamic, so can't compare with the Abarth) and have a grin on my face every time i take it out for a spin. I can well imagine the adrenaline flowing through your veins every time you step into the cock pit. Wishing you many happy miles.

blackwasp · 2nd August 2016, 21:24

Special thanks to Bhpian Noel for his invaluable help

First breakdown of the car. As usual I left for office with healthy amount of petrol in car (20 L approx). As I was moving along Palm beach road, at one signal after restarting ( switched off the car at signal ) got low fuel warning. I opened window and could smell petrol. Immediately switched off the car and asked traffic behind to move ahead. Called up BHPIAN Noel and he came ASAP. Like literally in 5 mins. Confirmed petrol smell in engine bay and helped me push car to the side. A biker helped too, but before I could say thanks he ran off as signal was turning green.

Noel had to go so he promised me to be back, meanwhile I dialled up Fiat RSA. No one was picking up. So called up their sales and was promptly transferred to RSA. The lady was calm, asked for car details and did a conference call with towing car. He promised to come in 20-30 mins.

Meanwhile Noel was back. I got the tow hook in place to avoid time waste later. Towing guy came by promptly as promised. Hooked up the car. Asked me to sit with him and his dad was piloting the Abarth. Took to FASS in Koperkhairane. SA there was prompt to attend to me. The towing guy didn't ask for any payment and left after exchanging numbers. He was praising the Fiat RSA compared to those of TATA and VW on matters on timely payments as well as actual rate of towing.

The issue was diagnosed as main fuel line chewed by rats. Thankfully the engine did not catch fire. Would need to order the fuel line as its one piece and will take some major disassembling to install

Will need to keep car in workshop for 4-5 days. Cost estimate is 4k + labour which i expect to be very high.

From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto-img_2279.jpg

attached the tow hook

From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto-img_2278.jpg

never expected a breakdown

From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto-img_2280.jpg

attaching the tow bar

From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto-img_2283.jpg

view from the tow van. Depressing sight

From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto-img_2286.jpg

You can see the double walled fuel line brutally chewed. Also spotted is wire chewed by rats earlier.

ankurchaturvedi · 2nd August 2016, 21:51

Oh god Kanad. Glad you are safe and nothing untoward happened. Imagine what could have happened on the highway. Big thanks to Noel too. Stay safe brother. Do keep us updated on the status of the vehicle. Has Fiat given you a standby car? If you want, you can use my accent in the interim. I saw your post on the spottings thread and wondered what were you doing in a tow truck.

blackwasp · 2nd August 2016, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by ankurchaturvedi

Oh god Kanad. Glad you are safe and nothing untoward happened.

Yes, I was lucky in the sense that nothing untoward happened. Hot engine and plenty of petrol is a recipe for disaster. Thanks for the generous offer ! But I won't need a car. FIAT doesn't offer standby car. I think the rats will be getting a bashing from me soon (Not literally). Spoke with a couple of friends, Bhpians, family members etc and hopefully one of their suggestions will work.

vibbs · 2nd August 2016, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Yes, I was lucky in the sense that nothing untoward happened. Hot engine and plenty of petrol is a recipe for disaster. Thanks for the generous offer ! But I won't need a car. FIAT doesn't offer standby car. I think the rats will be getting a bashing from me soon (Not literally). Spoke with a couple of friends, Bhpians, family members etc and hopefully one of their suggestions will work.

Woof scary!! Glad you are safe.

There is a thread in the forum regarding protecting your car from rats. Do check it for some ideas.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 2nd August 2016, 23:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Spoke with a couple of friends, Bhpians, family members etc and hopefully one of their suggestions will work.

Only one that seems to work is to have street cats around. Feed them just enough so they stick around, but not too much as to make them turn a blind eye towards rats.

ankurchaturvedi · 3rd August 2016, 00:19

One more thing. I know that you use the Abarth everyday. In that case by the time you reach home the engine compartment will be quite warm. Just drop a couple of biscuits around your car. Dogs and cats will crowd around the car for food, warmth and shelter and act as protection against any thief. I do this everyday and thankfully such an incident has not occurred with me. Stay safe mate.

CGB · 3rd August 2016, 11:48

You have too much rat menance in your parking. First the connector issue and now the fuel lines. Please adopt a pet to stop this.

Tanveer_2558 · 3rd August 2016, 23:31

Amazing review, This is one of my favourite car in India, I might have thought twice before getting the jetta if this was launched 2 years back! Considering the power offcourse, I will try to come down by this weekend to sort out the rat problem with tar brush, And if we get a chance we would even do a small photoshoot.

vinitbhavi · 4th August 2016, 13:18

Glad everything went well in the end kanad. Cant believe rats chewed up the fuel line. Had heard of wires being chewed, this is a new one

. Kudos to noel who was there in a jiffy. He was also of great help during our AWD offroading drive at kharghar.

The prompt response of fiat is admirable. All with AWD's would like to point out here that towing of AWD vehicles without a flatbed is an absolute No No! Something to remember.
Tanveer which photoshoot is happening and where.

12th July 2016, 10:44	#31
vinitbhavi BHPian Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Mumbai MH 02 Posts: 423 Thanked: 1,151 Times	Re: From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto Thats a wonderfully written from the heart kind of report. The reader can relive your excitement and joy for your fiat. The negatives are also frank and not biased. Rated the 5-star ranking this thread deserves.
	(1) Thanks

12th July 2016, 12:40	#33
miharbe BHPian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 315 Thanked: 263 Times	Re: From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto Congratulations Kanad! Your straight from the heart review should help many others and should tempt a few like me as well. The day your bosses at Maruti find out what this car is you're going to have some serious explanation to do! There are 2 things missing for me personally which act as a deterrent: Lack of an automatic gearbox. Even an AMT from the Fiat 500 would do and to think Fiat is an AMT supplier to other car companies Touchscreen entertainment system in this day and age (no matter how good the other system may be if it's not a touchscreen it won't work for me!) I feel point 1 if addressed will not only bring in loads of sales but also take care of the rubbery gearbox and long clutch travel. That being said I can't wait to drive it on one of our meets. As someone rightly said finally an enthusiast who's put his money where his mouth is!. Having said that here's someone who sells Maruti for a living and buys Abarth Wish you many happy smiles with this one buddy! P.S.1 we need an Abarth vs 320d M Sport drag to be done on our next meet P.S.2 Nice clicks Varun, now time for you to click for some other ownership reviews
	(3) Thanks

12th July 2016, 13:23	#34
ankurchaturvedi BHPian Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Thane Posts: 73 Thanked: 81 Times	Re: From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto Kanad, That's a great car. Eye catching! Really good write-up mate. I still remember you driving on the Igatpuri drive. That Abarth was the star of the drive and of many more drives to come.
	(1) Thanks

19th July 2016, 17:44	#36
pduttaghy BHPian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Guwahati Posts: 65 Thanked: 57 Times	Re: From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto Congratulations on your acquisition @blackwasp. I can well understand the fun you must be having driving the 145 BHP. I myself recently bought a Punto (albeit EVO dynamic, so can't compare with the Abarth) and have a grin on my face every time i take it out for a spin. I can well imagine the adrenaline flowing through your veins every time you step into the cock pit. Wishing you many happy miles.
	(1) Thanks

2nd August 2016, 21:24	#37
blackwasp Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 2,974 Thanked: 26,325 Times View My Garage	UPDATE : First breakdown Special thanks to Bhpian Noel for his invaluable help First breakdown of the car. As usual I left for office with healthy amount of petrol in car (20 L approx). As I was moving along Palm beach road, at one signal after restarting ( switched off the car at signal ) got low fuel warning. I opened window and could smell petrol. Immediately switched off the car and asked traffic behind to move ahead. Called up BHPIAN Noel and he came ASAP. Like literally in 5 mins. Confirmed petrol smell in engine bay and helped me push car to the side. A biker helped too, but before I could say thanks he ran off as signal was turning green. Noel had to go so he promised me to be back, meanwhile I dialled up Fiat RSA. No one was picking up. So called up their sales and was promptly transferred to RSA. The lady was calm, asked for car details and did a conference call with towing car. He promised to come in 20-30 mins. Meanwhile Noel was back. I got the tow hook in place to avoid time waste later. Towing guy came by promptly as promised. Hooked up the car. Asked me to sit with him and his dad was piloting the Abarth. Took to FASS in Koperkhairane. SA there was prompt to attend to me. The towing guy didn't ask for any payment and left after exchanging numbers. He was praising the Fiat RSA compared to those of TATA and VW on matters on timely payments as well as actual rate of towing. The issue was diagnosed as main fuel line chewed by rats. Thankfully the engine did not catch fire. Would need to order the fuel line as its one piece and will take some major disassembling to install Will need to keep car in workshop for 4-5 days. Cost estimate is 4k + labour which i expect to be very high. attached the tow hook never expected a breakdown attaching the tow bar view from the tow van. Depressing sight You can see the double walled fuel line brutally chewed. Also spotted is wire chewed by rats earlier. Last edited by blackwasp : 2nd August 2016 at 21:26.
	(5) Thanks

2nd August 2016, 21:51	#38
ankurchaturvedi BHPian Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Thane Posts: 73 Thanked: 81 Times	Oh god Kanad. Glad you are safe and nothing untoward happened. Imagine what could have happened on the highway. Big thanks to Noel too. Stay safe brother. Do keep us updated on the status of the vehicle. Has Fiat given you a standby car? If you want, you can use my accent in the interim. I saw your post on the spottings thread and wondered what were you doing in a tow truck.
	(1) Thanks

3rd August 2016, 00:19	#42
ankurchaturvedi BHPian Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Thane Posts: 73 Thanked: 81 Times	One more thing. I know that you use the Abarth everyday. In that case by the time you reach home the engine compartment will be quite warm. Just drop a couple of biscuits around your car. Dogs and cats will crowd around the car for food, warmth and shelter and act as protection against any thief. I do this everyday and thankfully such an incident has not occurred with me. Stay safe mate.
	(1) Thanks

3rd August 2016, 11:48	#43
CGB BHPian Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Chennai/Neyveli Posts: 180 Thanked: 172 Times	Re: From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto You have too much rat menance in your parking. First the connector issue and now the fuel lines. Please adopt a pet to stop this.
	(1) Thanks

3rd August 2016, 23:31	#44
Tanveer_2558 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,701 Thanked: 3,375 Times View My Garage	Re: From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto Amazing review, This is one of my favourite car in India, I might have thought twice before getting the jetta if this was launched 2 years back! Considering the power offcourse, I will try to come down by this weekend to sort out the rat problem with tar brush, And if we get a chance we would even do a small photoshoot.
	(1) Thanks

4th August 2016, 13:18	#45
vinitbhavi BHPian Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Mumbai MH 02 Posts: 423 Thanked: 1,151 Times	Re: From Grande Punto to the Abarth Punto Glad everything went well in the end kanad. Cant believe rats chewed up the fuel line. Had heard of wires being chewed, this is a new one . Kudos to noel who was there in a jiffy. He was also of great help during our AWD offroading drive at kharghar. The prompt response of fiat is admirable. All with AWD's would like to point out here that towing of AWD vehicles without a flatbed is an absolute No No! Something to remember. Tanveer which photoshoot is happening and where.
	(1) Thanks