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Old 10th November 2017, 10:49   #16
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

That's one heck of a Review! Well written @wildy
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Old 10th November 2017, 11:22   #17
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Amazing writeup on an equally amazing machine! I wanted to buy this gem at the start of this year, but somehow things did not fall into place. You really have bought what you rightly termed as rarer than a ferrari! It just looks so beautiful in white with those amazing scorpion alloys!Wish you lots and lots of happy miles with this car!Live the dream!
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Old 10th November 2017, 11:24   #18
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura



Can't thank you enough for buying and posting a review for us. We might have better chance of spotting Unicorns in Bangalore than spotting an Urban Cross.

Ever since I sold my Punto, I do get a slight heartache when I see another Punto on road. The vibes you get in a fiat , is rarely experienced in another car south of 15 lakhs. All the very best.

Last edited by khan_sultan : 10th November 2017 at 11:44. Reason: Only 2 smileys per post please.
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Old 10th November 2017, 12:59   #19
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Excellent write-up fully from the heart!! Enjoyed reading it.
Rated this thread a 5* . Wishing many more happy miles with this awesome machine.
Hope to drive it in a future Fiat meet!!
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Old 10th November 2017, 13:04   #20
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

If there was one car which could do justice to the breed of crossovers , it’s your model the UC Abarth. The risk you took to own this near - to - extinct species is a lesson to all the serious off-roaders that just having a Cross in the name doesn’t add up to the capabilities and one needs to look beyond Fiat’s horror stories and take an informed decision to own this car.

It’s a great review with some lovely pics. Enjoy your ride and please post pics of your temple runs.
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Old 10th November 2017, 14:22   #21
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Congratulations on your new purchase @Wildy. One nice review. You've really got a rare gem. UC Abarths are so uncommon that I am yet to see that car on road in Pune. Looks classy and I am sure it drives even better.

Being a TJETer, I could easily connect with what you've written. It is difficult to drive these cars with light foot. Take care of her like a baby. Happy revving!!
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Old 10th November 2017, 20:10   #22
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

@Wildy, beautiful review. Rated 5 stars. Your reasoning behind purchasing this variant of Punto over the regular Abarth is sound. And, you have done justice to that line of thought too, taking the car to places where the regular Abarth Punto would have surely scraped it's belly. The ground clearance on this car does give you the confidence to take your car out without having to bother about the condition of the roads to your destination. I remember, for my trip to Puri I was repeatedly asking people about the condition of the road. There was another occasion during my trip to Bankura/Bishnupur, that Google maps took me through some really narrow and broken stretch of roads littered with deep potholes, and I remember my car scraping the road surface quite a few times.

By the way, you mentioned that the car is not fun enough in the first two gears. That was a bit surprising, as in the Abarth Punto, second gear, revs beyond 6000 using just normal petrol. And hits close to 90. If one is not bothered about fuel efficiency, this is the gear of choice inside the city. I guess, it would be the same in UC too. Can you please check and confirm.

Overall, it's a good write up on one of the rarest cars on the road accompanied with well taken photographs. I hope the tjet takes you to many more temples in offbeat places. Wanted to end this with the words "Drive Safe" but I guess the way you are always cautioning us against doing high speeds, I would keep it aside for this thread.
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Old 10th November 2017, 21:24   #23
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Re: Driving Experience, Likes & Dislikes

Congrats Wildy on owning this rare car. A very interesting write-up and a type written by a proper enthusiast. Must say, that your review is complimented by some lovely wallpaper-material pictures too. Only a few who know what Fiats are capable of would know that this one is a very competent car. I hope you managed to get a mouth-watering discount from Fiat considering the lack of demand for this car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildy View Post
First Impressions: [/b] After taking the delivery, started the car and slotted into the first gear and the power is evident with first touch itself. I carefully drove until the highway and then tried to test its abilities to some extent. In my view, the first two gears were little lazy. From 3rd gear on wards the fun starts.
I've never experienced the 140 hp tune on the Avventura or Urban Cross, but AFAIK the gearing is different compared to the 145 hp Punto, so I'm quite surprised to learn about the lazy first two gears reading your statement. From my experience, the super short first gear in the 145 hp Punto immediately pushes you back into the seat with heavy throttle inputs.

You mentioned about body roll in your car. Let me tell you, the Punto too has a lot of roll and it's quite annoying to be honest. I've driven an Abarth with a different set of dampers and the way that car changes direction is very Mini Cooper S-like, in other words, go-kart-like, with 0 roll.

Quote:
If you want to own a car that is more rarer than Ferrari and within your budget, look nowhere else.


Looking forward to a more photoshoots and pictures from more Abarth meets in the future. Till then, keep revving, km/l be damned!

Last edited by S2!!! : 10th November 2017 at 21:25. Reason: removing the third smiley :)
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Old 10th November 2017, 23:24   #24
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

A lovely and much expected review, your review was truly awaited since you posted the pictures of the car on the Abarth Punto thread. Your car is very special, it is not only the first on the forum but also the first in the whole of South India. Wish you lakhs of happy miles with the car.
This is one of the few cars which puts a smile on your face. A rare breed indeed.

BTW What does the designer package include? I could not find much details on the Fiat website.

Keep Revvin'
With Regards,
Shreyas Kumar Agarwal
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Old 11th November 2017, 07:35   #25
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackwasp View Post
Thanks for the thread! Abarth Punto is one rare car and you have the rarest of them all! Good to see you going places where I would't dare to take my Punto. If I may ask, how is the Abarth branded oil? I've been sticking to the regular oil recommended in the manual. Can you notice and changes? Happy miles to you...
Thanks very much Kanad for your kind wishes and support. Yes, I'm very much satisfied with my UC purchase as it can serve me perfectly for my hobbies except for the fact, mileage concerns. But then, as I said earlier, future gonna be not so great for diesel cars for the obvious reasons. So, no regrets. Regarding Abarth Specified engine oil, Tjets are already super refined engines. But with this one, it become extra silent and engine feels more happy, more revvy. Please note this is noob's point of view. You can drive my car whenever we able to meet, say "Gandikota"?


Quote:
Originally Posted by ghodlur View Post
Heartiest congratulations on getting home the gem of a car, the UC Abarth. ...what was the designer package all about, you haven't mentioned anything in your review. Did you change the tyres as Alnacs are more noisier but quite rugged for their life. Your Abarth needs a more grippier and silent tyres.
Thanks very much Ghodlur, I have been closely observing your threads for a long time. You are so good in maintaining your cars.

Regarding Designer Package, its a red colored leather package interiors. Sadly, they couldn't able to provide it for me saying it was a limited offer, although hardly anyone bought UC Abarth until I bought one.

The following photos may give you an idea about the designer package.

White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura-air_vent.jpg

White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura-interior.jpg

White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura-steering.jpg

White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura-window_lock.jpg

Regarding tyres, iam still on stock Apollo Alnacs. I will plan to change them, after I hit at least 20,000 kms. Yes, they are noisy and less grip but very sturdy. Sofar, no puncture at all even though I pushed the car in all kinds of semi offroadings, offbeat roads.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinVirage View Post
Just one word Wow! I think i would'nt be wrong in saying that this is the most economical+practical+fun to drive car
Thanks very much MartinVirage for your kind wishes. Yes, IMO, it's the cheapest car for the power and joy of driving they offered. If you want 140 plus BHP in the market, it will be easily north of 20 plus lakhs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by keroo1099 View Post
I'm glad you finally took the time to write this, very nicely written Wildy. You are probably one of the few who has used the UC the way FIAT intended and I hope you do a lot more trouble free trips to your favorite destinations.
Thanks very much Kedar sir for your kind wishes and support all through. Thanks for your helping hand and sharing your knowledge on my buying decisions. Glad we met few times and looking forward to meet you again.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Micki9559 View Post
That's one heck of a Review! Well written @wildy
Thanks very much Mick for your kind appreciation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AdiSolEn View Post
Amazing writeup on an equally amazing machine! I wanted to buy this gem at the start of this year, but somehow things did not fall into place. You really have bought what you rightly termed as rarer than a ferrari! It just looks so beautiful in white with those amazing scorpion alloys!Wish you lots and lots of happy miles with this car!Live the dream!
Thanks very much AdiSolEn for your kind wishes and good words. Yes, it's very rare car to see on Indian roads due to generally underrated/negative status for Fiats in India. Hopefully, you will buy one in near soon. If you need any help/suggestions, you can always reach me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHkrish View Post
Can't thank you enough for buying and posting a review for us. We might have better chance of spotting Unicorns in Bangalore than spotting an Urban Cross. Ever since I sold my Punto, I do get a slight heartache when I see another Punto on road. The vibes you get in a fiat , is rarely experienced in another car south of 15 lakhs. All the very best.
Thanks very much, TheHkrish. Yes, the safety feeling and driving pleasure in Fiats is something in different level when compared to other cars albeit we had to go through some interior ergonomic/features/service issues. But once you hit the peddle, nothing can be compared with Fiats, within this budget. Hope you get a Fiat/Jeep soon.


Quote:
Originally Posted by simplysaj View Post
Excellent write-up fully from the heart!! Enjoyed reading it. Rated this thread a 5* . Wishing many more happy miles with this awesome machine. Hope to drive it in a future Fiat meet!!
simplysaj, thanks very much for your good words and wishes. Sure, you can drive my car if we meet. Are you from Bangalore. PM me with your details, I can add you to my Veterans Garage Whatsapp group.

Quote:
Originally Posted by laddz1121 View Post
If there was one car which could do justice to the breed of crossovers , it’s your model the UC Abarth. The risk you took to own this near - to - extinct species is a lesson to all the serious off-roaders that just having a Cross in the name doesn’t add up to the capabilities and one needs to look beyond Fiat’s horror stories and take an informed decision to own this car. It’s a great review with some lovely pics. Enjoy your ride and please post pics of your temple runs.
Thanks a lot Pradeep for your kind appreciation and wishes. You are one of my Whatsapp friends who closely observed my buying decisions. Thanks for the support all through. Looking forward to meet you and to drive your Rapid Automatic.

Sure, I shall try to write my travelogue here. Thanks for the heads up on that.


Quote:
Originally Posted by shankulk View Post
Congratulations on your new purchase @Wildy. One nice review. You've really got a rare gem. UC Abarths are so uncommon that I am yet to see that car on road in Pune. Looks classy and I am sure it drives even better. Being a TJETer, I could easily connect with what you've written. It is difficult to drive these cars with light foot. Take care of her like a baby. Happy revving!!
Thanks very much Shanthanu for your kind wishes and words. Yes, UC Abarth is very rare to spot on a road. I wish it sustains in the Indian market at least for few years. BTW, once again hearty congrats for your Tjet. Happy miles with your beast.

Quote:
Originally Posted by s_scorpion View Post
@Wildy, beautiful review. Rated 5 stars. Your reasoning behind purchasing this variant of Punto over the regular Abarth is sound. And, you have done justice to that line of thought too, taking the car to places where the regular Abarth Punto would have surely scraped it's belly. The ground clearance on this car does give you the confidence to take your car out without having to bother about the condition of the roads to your destination.
Thanks very much Sandipan. The good point in UC is it has stiffer suspension like in Punto Abarth. So, it is more practical than his big brother Avventura, both on highways, cities, country roads, offroads ..whatever. Iam very much satisfied with my purchase. I have gone through some of your Puri travelogue photos. They are awesome. Why don't you write a thread here on that?


Quote:
Originally Posted by S2!!! View Post
Congrats Wildy on owning this rare car. A very interesting write-up and a type written by a proper enthusiast. Must say, that your review is complimented by some lovely wallpaper-material pictures too. I hope you managed to get a mouth-watering discount from Fiat considering the lack of demand for this car.
Thanks very much Saumil for kind words of appreciation and glad to know your liked it. Regarding discounts, unfortunately No discounts, except some accessories. I should have wait sometime for that. But then, had some great fun.

Quote:
Originally Posted by S2!!! View Post
I've never experienced the 140 hp tune on the Avventura or Urban Cross, but AFAIK the gearing is different compared to the 145 hp Punto, so I'm quite surprised to learn about the lazy first two gears reading your statement. From my experience, the super short first gear in the 145 hp Punto immediately pushes you back into the seat with heavy throttle inputs.
Sandipan and Saumil, As I drove a couple of Punto Abarths, I can tell you, It's same gear box that you have in Punto Abarths with same gear shifts. I agree that it has good pushes in the first two gears and easily gets into 90 and red lined too. Well, yes, that's far better than any of cars in the market of it's price range. But, what I felt is, it doesn't have enough punch like we get from 3rd gear on wards. May be iam stupid.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Shreyas Agarwal View Post
...Your car is very special, it is not only the first on the forum but also the first in the whole of South India. Wish you lakhs of happy miles with the car. This is one of the few cars which puts a smile on your face. A rare breed indeed. BTW What does the designer package include? I could not find much details on the Fiat website.
Thanks a lot Shreyas Agarwal. I appreciate your kindness and for your heartfelt wishes. Regarding designer package, please go through the picks above of this post.
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Old 11th November 2017, 10:03   #26
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Let me congratulate you once again for purchasing a vehicle which is going to be pretty hard to find on the roads of this country. You covered almost everything in detail regarding your Urban Cross powered by Abarth. She looks great and the only sore point was the beige interiors, its a pity that you were not able to get your hands on the designer package (I feel that a red designer interior package would have looked awesome). Thank you for your shout-outs and I'm glad that our interactions helped point you in the right direction in terms of purchasing the car.

You rightly mentioned that a person would go "bankrupt" if he were to drive a machine like this solely in the city. I drive my Abarth Punto mostly in the city and I end up seeing 8.0 km/lit on the MID (without even turning on the a/c). The lowest I have ever seen on the MID was 6.2 km/lit which was after half hours worth of pedal to the metal driving. A few weeks ago I went on a highway cruise of around 200 km with 4 adults in the car and the fuel efficiency on the MID was 8.5 km/lit. I was constantly hitting high triple digit speeds (which I cannot mention here) with the a/c turned on and it was just so addictive. The power that the Abarth has even in 5th gear at high triple digit speeds is just mind blowing. Cars like the Abarth Punto and the Urban Cross powered by Abarth are meant for the highways and you are doing the right thing by using your vehicle solely on the highway as this is where you will experience maximum pleasure.

Personally speaking the wind/tire noise from the Abarth Punto while doing high triple digits on the highway was manageable and I didn't feel it was out to place however it could be a different story with the Urban Cross as the dynamics of the vehicles are totally different. Something that I never liked in the Abarth was the orange illumination on the gauges as I didn't feel it was soothing but a bit harsh. I would prefer a nice blue/white theme or red/white theme for the gauges ala the Hyundai or VW cars.

I'd like to point out that my Abarth Punto pulls to the left too but not too much and I would feel this mostly when i accelerate hard in first or second gears due to torque steer kicking in. I find it really strange that they gave you just one remote key for your Urban Cross while my Abarth Punto came with two remote keys. The Abarth Punto weighs 1200 Kilos vis a vis the 1215 Kilos that the Urban Cross powered by Abarth weighs, so there's not a lot of difference in weight and its just that these engines are gas guzzlers. Its very difficult to drive a high revving motor with a light foot so don't worry about the mileage figures that you are getting as its perfectly normal.

I too never received any call from Fiat enquiring about my ownership experience of the Abarth Punto or the dealership experience. I even called Fiat Customer Care to find out why there was no feedback call about my happiness with the dealership or their product. They said that a call will be arranged but I never received one. These are the drawbacks of purchasing a Fiat. Once again enjoy your ride and I hope it brings you much happiness.

Last edited by chase_nt : 11th November 2017 at 10:09.
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Old 12th November 2017, 23:07   #27
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Excellent review Raj, rated it 5 stars !! Your review gives an insight of the car from a common man's point of view. It is also clear that Fiat not only needs to bring new models and designs but also need to boost up their sales and after sales support if they wish to continue business in our country. Product wise our Abarth's are way superior than any many others present but still hardly it manages to sell 1 piece through out the country in a month which is shocking. From your write up its clear that 'kitna deti hain' is not only the issue but many others need to be addressed seriously.

I have driven the Aventura (not UC) and liked the car. It gives more confidence to the driver through its GC and suspension. I would like to drive your UC when I pass through Anantapur again.

One more thing which you have tried to make clear is to set expectations before buying an Abarth. Many people do ask me why did I chose it? Several things like mileage, after sales service, urban driving issues like strong brakes etc. was not in my mind after giving the TD. And I do not regret either for not keeping them in mind. Because the things which I liked did not give a chance to think on these points. This might not be true for others. The Abarth should not open as a surprise package after buying and some should not regret for not being a lunatic

Happy driving, enjoy your car and keep blogging.
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Old 13th November 2017, 14:51   #28
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Thanks Wildy for a vivid review of a very rare car ! You do have a flair for writing and a love for cars, both of which shine through in your review. The fun in reading your account is the closest an enthusiast can get to driving an Abarth Urban Cross without actually driving it. Please keep your log updated with all upcoming details.

Co-incidentally, I'm also in the market for a petrol car and reading your review of the Abarth Urban Cross was an inspiration to go check out the car at the showroom on Saturday. I was blown away by the drive experience and more importantly my wife also could appreciate its build quality and ride!

The offers on the car are pretty decent too, with free Insurance being thrown in !

There are only two lingering questions in my mind now:
- Mileage - I'll accept anything above 12 km/l on average
- Fiat After sales and Service. The showroom experience was satisfactory on Saturday

A bit OT but the above two factors become even more important considering that it will replace my primary car (unlike you) - a Figo Diesel !

I will research more about these two aspects with current owners like you.

Keep driving your Urban Cross and writing about it here !

Last edited by Sangre : 13th November 2017 at 14:53. Reason: Punctuation and language
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Old 13th November 2017, 16:25   #29
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Excellent , passionate review Raaj. Brought out the true Fiat fan within you.

Its really sad that Fiat as a company which continues to exist due to hardcore fans like you dont really go the extra mile to show us their appreciation.

Lets all hope i can wake up Fiat to get the damn Air Intake and intercooler fixed so that we can enjoy our TJet's to our hearts content.

Keep exploring and keep revving.
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Old 13th November 2017, 18:19   #30
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re: White Scorp: An ownership review of the Fiat Abarth Urban Cross Avventura

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sangre View Post
Thanks Wildy
There are only two lingering questions in my mind now:
- Mileage - I'll accept anything above 12 km/l on average
- Fiat After sales and Service. The showroom experience was satisfactory on Saturday

A bit OT but the above two factors become even more important considering that it will replace my primary car (unlike you) - a Figo Diesel !
12 kmpl in the city is going to be tough because the engine just hates stop go traffic (Stupid positioning of the air intake as indicated by Adneo), but if you are looking at say a 50-50 city-highway figure you can easily achieve that if you drive sensibly. I am getting a constant 10.4 kmpl in my remapped jet.

I don't know which showroom you went to to TD the UC, but in 4+ years of ownership I have had no issues dealing with KHT, but I took the trouble to establish a relationship with the Service Manager . They have one large SC in Yeshwanthpur and a larger one that is supposed to open soon close to Phoenix City Mall, Whitefield main road.

Good luck with your search.
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