I have installed a bigger intercooler and also went ahead with an ECU remap.

BHPian cogWheel recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

50,000 km completed

The car clocked past 50,000 km in September 2022. The 50K km milestone came up in 4 years and 4 months. That's an average of about 32 km per day. The car was averaging 45 km/day in the first two years. So running has reduced.

Engine mounts replacement

In September 2021 (about 40K on odo), I noticed a jerk on sudden acceleration and during gear changes. Also, I could feel vibrations on the steering wheel while idling. An inspection indicated a busted c-mount and a weakened GB mount. I decided to replace all three engine mounts. The cost for the three mounts was Rs. 14,465 with the C-mount being the most expensive at Rs. 8636.

Replaced all three engine mounts in one go.

4th-year service

• Done at 47K km in August 2022
• At KHT Pride, Mahadevpura Bangalore
• All fluids and filter change - engine oil, gearbox oil, brake fluid, coolant, oil filter, fuel filter, AC filter. This time I have used Motul 8100 X-Cess 5W-40 which I bought from Amazon. The experience is as good as, if not better than the stock Selenia K oil.
• Replacement of front brake pads
• Service cost - Rs. 20,146 all-inclusive
• A word of appreciation for Mr. Nagarjun at KHT Pride - did a good job and delivered the car on the same day as promised.

Upgrades

In 2021, I tried my hand at my first-ever mods - a larger intercooler and an ECU remap. Both jobs were done at Engineering Exponent at Whitefield, Bangalore.

Intercooler upgrade

The stock intercooler is surprisingly small for a car of its nature. Intake air temperatures are known to climb rapidly and affect power delivery. I opted for an 18” x 6” x 3” intercooler manufactured by Stellar Turbochargers with a Garret core. This is a bolt-on upgrade which requires no other modification for fitting it in the available space. The air deflector shrouds could also be fitted back in place.

Notice how puny the stock IC is!

Wolf Remap

The switchable Wolf remap makes a perceptible difference and ups the fun quotient. The three maps - 1 - stock, 2- optimized for 95 octane petrol and 3 - optimized for 100 octane petrol can be switched between easily using the gas pedal. The 2nd map delivers more power even with regular 91 octane petrol.

The whole job took about 4 hours. Jayant of Engineering Exponent is a knowledgeable and passionate guy and his team is efficient.

Tyre upgrade

The stock Apollo Alnac 4Gs had run out of tread by 40K km. I have replaced them with Conti UC6 at one size up i.e. 205/55/16 (stock being 195/55/16). They cost Rs. 9250 a piece. Happy with them. They have better grip and are less noisy compared to the Alnacs.

The slightly wider Conti UC6s have been a good upgrade

Cosmetic changes

The decals of the car had begun fading and particularly the ones on the bonnet have started turning yellowish. I have removed the bonnet, rooftop and hatch stickers, leaving behind the go-faster stripes on the sides. To me, the car looks neater now. I however plan to buy a replacement set and keep them in storage for a possible later day revival of the signature look.

The car continues to be a joy to drive. Only regret is that opportunities for long drives have come down due to work pressures. The car is driven more often by our driver for chauffeuring my wife!

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It pulls like crazy. The mid-range acceleration is insane, enough to give the flying Polo owners an inferiority complex.

BHPian sidindica recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Update: In 4th year, 39,000 kms

As and when the car culture of Delhi is overtaken by cringe, I have been building the car slowly, with quality stuff sourced from different people. Delhi is just not a good place to showcase your builds, ever since cringe content has taken over more than 90% of the target audience. But then, the beauty of finding and sourcing stuff has its own stuff of challenges and rewards. And I think I have built the most balanced Abarth Punto in this region. But of course, the car does have its share of unexpected quirks.

What's the condition of the strut mounts?

People driving Fiats must be aware of the poor quality noisy strut mounts which make grinding noise after 1-2 months of being installed. Fiat is yet to provide a new design or remedy, but touchwood, my car is still on OE mounts. So no complaints there.

Is the AC of the car reliable?

In one word, a big no. The infamous AC malfunction happened in my car last month, wherein first, the cooling coil gave up, and this lead to a catastrophic chain of failure of condenser and compressor. My car was at Jhalak Cars wherein Khan tried every possible step to save on costs but eventually, the entire AC system was replaced and the bill came up to be about 57k. Thrills do come at a price.

Upgraded suspension a must

I was running Eibach pro kit lowering springs, but now the time had come to upgrade the dampers. I researched and discussed with a few Abarth Punto owners in my circle and all of them recommended going for Koni Active FSD Sport dampers. Ordered a set this April through wicked wheels and it came at end of June, the prices were a juicy Rs.73,960.

The suspension upgrade has been worth every penny. The dampers are gas charged, and match the height of the springs. While the travel mm is reduced, the damping properties are fantastic, and ride quality is as amazing as its handling. The high-speed dynamics and cornering have improved by leaps and bounds, and this is a complete package now, wherein you can drive the car daily as well as have fun on weekends on winding roads as well.

Better brakes

The Brembo discs of the car measure 284 mm up front and 251 mm at the rear, so it has its base covered. I added EBC yellow stuff pads, purchased from my friend in Bhopal who shipped me the pads within a week. Cost a cool Rs. 20k for those. The braking is point blank, improved by leaps and bounds and brake fade, which on stock pads was a bit of a cause of concern, has been eliminated.

The most important, a better remap, to complete the package.

I changed the ECU tune from Quantum to Wolf multi Octane map. Sreekanth Komama flew down to Gurgaon to update my ECU and the software was flashed in 15 minutes flat. The claimed power figures are as follows:

• upto 165 bhp on map 1 (91 octane)
• upto 170 bhp on map 2 (95 octane)
• upto 185 bhp on 99/100 octane (map 3)

I filled XP100 and we tested the car on map 3. The ECU took about 200 kms of drive to adapt to the new tune map and again, wolf's proven map for T jet made the old quantum map feel from a prehistoric era. The driveability improved by leaps and bounds, and the car was a flying terrestrial jet on map 3. Torque figures are about 290 nm. Pulls like crazy, and mid-range acceleration is insane, enough to give the flying Polo owners an inferiority complex. I run the car on Xp95 (map 2) and get consistent FE of 11-13 kpl on city driving with the air conditioning on for 70% of the time.

Interior add-ons

I added a smoke black tinted Alfa Romeo Giulietta cabin light sourced from eBay UK with two spotlights, a custom gear knob lens (from Abarth 595) and cruise control with footwell lights. All thanks to my friend Ashish from Gurgaon for doing the connections.

Audio

I had made up my mind to dispose of all the audio equipment and go back to basics. Stock audio is back and so is the reduced weight due to no speaker mounts, no heavy damping and no ill-fitted panels. A performance car cannot be an audio car, it's on my principle.

Exhaust

Again, installed back the OE setup and couldn't be happier. Custom exhaust began to develop rust and intermittent leaks within a bit over a year, so threw the crap out and scrapped it. In this stage of life, it's more important to have a balanced build rather than running behind fitting everything for the sake of fitting it.

I added a few more merchandise items as usual, and the build list of the car is now like this:

• Wolfmoto performance remap, upto 185 hp on 100 octane map
• Bonalume Short throw shifter
• Eibach Pro kit lowering springs
• Koni Active FSD Dampers
• Eibach 15mm wheel spacers all round
• Forge motorsport intercooler
• Forge motorsport intake
• Forge motorsport blow-off valve
• Forge motorsport underbelly subframe brace
• Garrett mechanical boost and vacuum indicator gauge
• EBC yellow stuff pads on OR Brembo discs
• Michelin Pilot Sport 4 205/55 R16 tyres

This is a thrill machine, and the privilege to own this masterpiece, one out of 357 odd ever made, is unparalleled. It's a piece of history dumped in a graveyard wherein the ghosts roar to keep the legacy alive. I am sure Fiat India has now completely forgotten that this existed.

Signing off with a few clicks below:

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I was not worried about the car's fuel efficiency during the entire journey.

BHPian Rahulkool recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Road trip after 2 years, went to Calicut in Dec 2021.

Another milestone.

Beautiful TN highways!

Car returned a fabulous FE. Controlled my itch to bury the pedal this time and used CC @ 90kmph in most of the driving on the 4 lane TN highways.

Always take a pic after parking the car

A visit to Paragon is a must in Calicut. Fantastic food.

Found this automated car cleaning place in Calicut.

FE for the whole trip. Needless to say, I was not much worried about the FE on the return trip.

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The Fiat Pulse Abarth is also the performance division's first-ever SUV.

Abarth - the performance division of Fiat has made its return to the Brazilian market with the unveiling of the all-new Pulse Abarth. While the standard SUV has been on sale in the market for a while now, the performance-oriented Pulse Abarth version is expected to go on sale later this year. The Fiat Pulse Abarth is also the performance division's first-ever SUV.

Fiat has released a set of images of the Pulse Abarth, showcasing the design changes made on the SUV. This includes the use of Abarth badges all around, new 18-inch alloy wheels, restyled front and rear bumpers with a more aggressive and sporty look, unique mesh grille and use of plenty of red accents all around. The SUV can also be seen with the 'ABARTH' lettering on the boot lid, along with faux rear diffusers and a dual exhaust system.

Fiat is yet to reveal the engine & transmission specifications of the Pulse Abarth.

Thanks to BHPian YCJ for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

The 2017 make Abarth Punto is now available in showrooms. The first batch of 40 cars has been produced and dispatched to dealerships. Production of the car was stopped sometime in 2016 as Fiat had many 2015 make vehicles lying in stock. It was rumoured that normal production would resume after June 2017. Further, due to the upcoming Jeep Compass, the company's assembly line was being upgraded. The factory has now resumed production of the Abarth Punto in both colour options - Pearl White and Hip Hop Black. 

The Abarth Punto is powered by a 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine that makes 145 BHP and 212 Nm of torque. Despite being one of the the most powerful hatchbacks available at the price, on an average, it was selling in just single digits per month for the last 6 months. While those preferring the Pearl White colour could still get a car built in 2015, fans of the Hip Hop Black shade were disappointed due to the lack of production. With production resuming, this colour will once again be available for buyers to choose.

Cosmetically, there won't be any changes to the vehicle. However, it is rumoured that the cars will be equipped with the 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with offline maps, 4-wheel disk brakes, ABS with EBD and dual Airbags as standard. The Abarth Punto is priced at Rs. 9,90,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

Fiat is planning to introduce new multi-brand FCA dealerships in India, which will sell cars from all brands of the FCA group present in the country, including Fiat, Abarth and Jeep. The first such dealership will be opened in Mumbai around this year's festive season.

Fiat India is currently going through a tough phase with its monthly sales dropping continuously. In July 2016, the Italian automaker sold just 560 cars in the country. As a result, the new multi-brand dealership strategy is a move to provide more sales potential to Fiat dealers across the country. The company hopes to convert around 80 existing Fiat dealers to multi-brand FCA outlets in order to give them a better opportunity to sell cars.

Fiat has also reworked the dealers' incentive structure to address sustainability of its authorised dealerships. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) had earlier announced that the Jeep brand will be officially launched in India on August 31, 2016.

Source: ET Auto

The Abarth 124 Spider made its debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The car in question is the all-new Fiat 124 Spider which is based on the Mazda MX-5, but with the Scorpion's flavour.

Powering this two-door sports car is a 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo-petrol engine which produces 168 BHP and 250 Nm of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 230 km/h. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels by a 6-speed manual or a Sequenziale Sportivo automatic gearbox with paddle shifters.

The car weighs merely 1,060 kg and has a 50:50 weight distribution. It gets a double-wishbone front suspension layout and a 5-link setup at the rear. 'Abarth by Bilstein' dampers, stiffened anti-roll bars and a mechanical limited-slip differential further aid handling and driving comfort. Brembo brakes with aluminium front callipers provide stopping power. The car is fitted with a Record Monza exhaust system too.

On the outside, it gets a new front bumper with large air intakes, a rear bumper diffuser with quad muffler tips and a rear spoiler. The 17" alloy wheels, the windscreen surround and the roll bars are finished in "Forgiato Grey".

The interior features leather seats, aluminium pedals, a small-diameter steering, a short gear lever and an engine start / stop button on the dashboard. The instrument panel includes a large rev counter with a red background placed in the middle of the console.

Abarth also provides the Racing Anti-glare kit, a matte black treatment for the bonnet and boot lid, and a Racing Alcantara kit on the interior.

The Abarth 124 Spider will be available across Europe from September 2016 with prices starting at 40,000 Euros (approximately Rs. 29.26 lakh).

Thank you to Rahul Parihar for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts!

Earlier this month, Fiat launched the Abarth Punto and Avventura powered by Abarth in India. Both vehicles were priced at Rs. 9.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It appears that Fiat has already hiked the price of the Avventura to over Rs. 10 lakh. The company's website has listed the car at Rs. 10,00,976 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

In certain cities, cars with an ex-showroom price of over Rs. 10 lakh attract much higher taxes and duties than those priced below Rs. 10 lakh. This means that buyers could pay more on the on-road price of the Abarth-powered Avventura.

The Avventura powered by Abarth uses a 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder T-Jet petrol engine. The unit produces 140 BHP and 210 Nm of torque and is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Fiat claims that the car can sprint from 0-100 kph in 9.9 seconds. Stopping power comes from disc brakes all round.

To distinguish the Avventura powered by Abarth from the regular Avventura, Fiat has given it 16-inch "Scorpion Sting" alloy wheels and Abarth badges.

Fiat has launched the Abarth Punto and Avventura powered by Abarth in India. Both vehicles are priced at Rs. 9.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Abarth Punto is powered by a 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder, T-Jet petrol engine that puts out 145 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 212 Nm of torque @ 2,000-4,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Fiat claims that the car is capable of touching 100 kph from a standstill in 8.8 seconds and its top speed is estimated to be 190 kph.

The Abarth Punto gets disc brakes all round with ABS and EBD, lowered suspension and 16-inch Scorpion Sting design alloy wheels. The ground clearance of the car is now 155 mm. The vehicle is available two colours -Hip-hop Black and Pearl White with red highlights and Abarth decals and badges.

The interiors of the Abarth Punto feature automatic air-conditioning, soft touch front dashboard, ambient lighting, rear AC vents and black seats with red and yellow stitching. The steering wheel of the car has an Abarth logo.

The Avventura powered by Abarth is also powered by a 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder T-Jet petrol engine. The unit produces 140 BHP and 210 Nm of torque. Fiat claims that the car can sprint from 0-100 kph in 9.9 seconds.

The Avventura powered by Abarth comes with Abarth badges and disc brakes all round.

Fiat has announced that it will launch the Punto Abarth in India on October 19, 2015.

The Punto Abarth is based on the Punto Evo. To distinguish it from the Evo, the car gets Abarth badges at the front and rear, Abarth decals, 16-inch scorpion alloy wheels, a chrome-tipped exhaust, ORVMs, grille and air dam with horizontal slats in a contrasting colour, side skirts and a roof-mounted rear spoiler. The vehicle is likely to be available in white and black shades with Abarth branding on the sides and a scorpion decal on the roof.

On the inside, the car gets a black dashboard, tweaked instrument cluster, a steering wheel with an Abarth badge, black seats with red and yellow stitching and aluminium sports pedals.

The Punto Abarth is powered by a 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine that puts out 145 BHP and 212 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The car comes with disc brakes at the rear and a lowered and stiffer suspension. The ground clearance of the car is 155 mm.