Thread Starter
#1
Prelude:
I have been owning a vw polo 1.2 tdi for the past 4 yrs and it has done close to 1.35 lakh kms.This car was mainly used for Bikaner to Mumbai trips (1300 kms one way and 3 trips monthly).Meanwhile I was transferred back to Neyveli from Rajasthan and recently got married, all these sparked a need for change in my life.The car has been running exceptionally well, but it was getting boring and the car felt underpowered on highways.The itch for an upgrade was getting stronger day by day and when abarth was released, decided it will be my next car.
The decision:
Although I decided on abarth, I still checked out a few used cars.My budget was 11 lakhs, car's looked for were Cruze,Laura tsi and 2012 Jetta. I saw a 2012 Cruze white 33k kms done, exterior looked real bad and drove awfully.After going through ownership reviews and discussion with friends, Laura was simply rejected,for my salary Laura would be just too much.Mind you too much is an understatement! Pathetic service centres just added to the negatives for Laura.cruze was dropped for the same reason.After looking for a month, I couldn't find any good example that could outweigh the negatives. Searching for used cars need patience which I was severely lacking.so Abarth it has to be!
Dealership experience:
On road price came out to 11.47 lakhs. Paid the booking amount of 1.7 lakhs and rest was decided to pay on loan.Sbi car loan was arranged through the dealership and the loan was sanctioned in 3 days flat.A special thanks to sbi branch for such a quick approval. These public sectors have come a long way from being total time wasters.kudos to them! Colour choice was white and delivery was promised on December 17th. Delivery experience was overall good and much better than vw dealer.
Abarth experience:
The car is a real head turner and the design theme attracts a lot of people.Some people even say it looks similar to Ferrari ! Stickers though look bad in pictures,in reality it looks a lot better. I was initially planning on removing the stickers but have now decided to keep them.
Driving experience:
This car is like no other car period.I must say this is the KTM of cars. Madness, just pure madness, this car is. It loves to be revved all the way to redline and the pushback in seat at around 4-6k Rpm is just addictive. This car can smoke any car below 20 lakhs and can keep up with some premium cars too. Floor the pedal in first two gears and the tires beg for traction. Even in second gear the tires screech and beg for traction. This should give you An idea about the power this car has. I had easily kept up with a Jetta on highways and cruising at 140 is just effortless. This car can hit 170 at no time, just redline In first 4 gears and you are at 170. Second gear maxes out at around 90 I think.i had done 190-195 kmph in a closed air strip and that's the max abarth can do I think.Engine is smooth all the way till redline and no unwanted vibrations around. Engine note at high rpm is throaty, at idle there is a brassy hum which indicates the power this car has. I would have loved fiat to offer performance parts for this beast at an optimum price, am I day dreaming?
handling,suspension and stability:
Stiffer suspension and 16 inch alloys gives the car the right amount of looks and stiffness.steering weighs up pretty good and handling this car on highways is a dream. Steering feedback gives the right feel about where the car is heading. The steering is such a joy to use, polo's steering felt lifeless even after I upgraded to 16 inches.Highway stability is exemplary. Abarth is stable at high speeds and lowered stance helps in this aspect.i can overtake and change lanes without nervousness, moreover when the car goes over the ridges on highways, it just glides whereas my polo would literally jump. Though stiffer suspension is good for highways, potholed roads cause discomfort. Cabin doesn't shake or there no noises but any sharp impact can damage the alloys and suspension. I think suspension on abarth has short travel.can anybody confirm ? I had done the chennai Bangalore Kollur kudremukh Bellur chennai last week, covering 2000 kms. Three cars joined the trip, I'm the ghat section Jetta and rapid just simply couldn't keep up with abarth. Abarth would keep its line in turns whereas other two cars would go out of line. Stiffer suspension,nil body roll etc all these gives the driver that ultimate experience of owning a properly hot hatch. From my experience of driving cars from past ten years, I have never driven a car so indulging as this. Brakes deserve a special mention. It can stop even a train.Abarth is an abarth.period!
Interior:
All black interior looks good to me and maintaining is a very easy affair. Plastics quality looks decent but nowhere in leagues of Germans. Space management is bad really bad. There are no bottle holders and there is no place where I can keep a water bottle close to me. Rear space is ok ok but not for 6 footer's. I'm 6 foot tall and I push the seat back to maximum, this leaves no space for rear bench people.hey! I'm not complaining, I didn't buy this car for space.seat contours are really good and they hug around the body tight.seat feels a bit firm though. Contrary to the difficulty in finding a driver seating position discussed in large, I find it pretty easy for me. Power window switches and door lock knobs are out of reach ! Everytime I have to extend myself to reach for them. Boot space is good by hatchback standards.Good for 4 day travel for 2 people.
Exterior:
Paint quality is really good but the stickers have started to peel off.come on fiat ! Not even a month and stickers coming off is really annoying. Moreover there are rust formation in two areas. I have given the car to service centre for painting.i had done the first servicing at rdc fiat Ambattur. The stock exhaust looks real bad.need to change them soon.
Overall the abarth is truly for an enthusiast, not for the weak hearted, as this can go faster than a heart beat. It is a practical and an affordable performance car.look at this way, 145 bhp car at present should be retailing at around 20 lakhs. You are spending much less and still getting a fun to drive car for half the amount. Finally thanks to fiat for such a gem, though it might not create any stir in the market now, this will be looked upon as a legend in coming years. Abarth, the punto jet.
I attach some pictures for now, will update soon once I get hold of all the pictures from my friend.
Some pictures
I have been owning a vw polo 1.2 tdi for the past 4 yrs and it has done close to 1.35 lakh kms.This car was mainly used for Bikaner to Mumbai trips (1300 kms one way and 3 trips monthly).Meanwhile I was transferred back to Neyveli from Rajasthan and recently got married, all these sparked a need for change in my life.The car has been running exceptionally well, but it was getting boring and the car felt underpowered on highways.The itch for an upgrade was getting stronger day by day and when abarth was released, decided it will be my next car.
The decision:
Although I decided on abarth, I still checked out a few used cars.My budget was 11 lakhs, car's looked for were Cruze,Laura tsi and 2012 Jetta. I saw a 2012 Cruze white 33k kms done, exterior looked real bad and drove awfully.After going through ownership reviews and discussion with friends, Laura was simply rejected,for my salary Laura would be just too much.Mind you too much is an understatement! Pathetic service centres just added to the negatives for Laura.cruze was dropped for the same reason.After looking for a month, I couldn't find any good example that could outweigh the negatives. Searching for used cars need patience which I was severely lacking.so Abarth it has to be!
Dealership experience:
On road price came out to 11.47 lakhs. Paid the booking amount of 1.7 lakhs and rest was decided to pay on loan.Sbi car loan was arranged through the dealership and the loan was sanctioned in 3 days flat.A special thanks to sbi branch for such a quick approval. These public sectors have come a long way from being total time wasters.kudos to them! Colour choice was white and delivery was promised on December 17th. Delivery experience was overall good and much better than vw dealer.
Abarth experience:
The car is a real head turner and the design theme attracts a lot of people.Some people even say it looks similar to Ferrari ! Stickers though look bad in pictures,in reality it looks a lot better. I was initially planning on removing the stickers but have now decided to keep them.
Driving experience:
This car is like no other car period.I must say this is the KTM of cars. Madness, just pure madness, this car is. It loves to be revved all the way to redline and the pushback in seat at around 4-6k Rpm is just addictive. This car can smoke any car below 20 lakhs and can keep up with some premium cars too. Floor the pedal in first two gears and the tires beg for traction. Even in second gear the tires screech and beg for traction. This should give you An idea about the power this car has. I had easily kept up with a Jetta on highways and cruising at 140 is just effortless. This car can hit 170 at no time, just redline In first 4 gears and you are at 170. Second gear maxes out at around 90 I think.i had done 190-195 kmph in a closed air strip and that's the max abarth can do I think.Engine is smooth all the way till redline and no unwanted vibrations around. Engine note at high rpm is throaty, at idle there is a brassy hum which indicates the power this car has. I would have loved fiat to offer performance parts for this beast at an optimum price, am I day dreaming?
handling,suspension and stability:
Stiffer suspension and 16 inch alloys gives the car the right amount of looks and stiffness.steering weighs up pretty good and handling this car on highways is a dream. Steering feedback gives the right feel about where the car is heading. The steering is such a joy to use, polo's steering felt lifeless even after I upgraded to 16 inches.Highway stability is exemplary. Abarth is stable at high speeds and lowered stance helps in this aspect.i can overtake and change lanes without nervousness, moreover when the car goes over the ridges on highways, it just glides whereas my polo would literally jump. Though stiffer suspension is good for highways, potholed roads cause discomfort. Cabin doesn't shake or there no noises but any sharp impact can damage the alloys and suspension. I think suspension on abarth has short travel.can anybody confirm ? I had done the chennai Bangalore Kollur kudremukh Bellur chennai last week, covering 2000 kms. Three cars joined the trip, I'm the ghat section Jetta and rapid just simply couldn't keep up with abarth. Abarth would keep its line in turns whereas other two cars would go out of line. Stiffer suspension,nil body roll etc all these gives the driver that ultimate experience of owning a properly hot hatch. From my experience of driving cars from past ten years, I have never driven a car so indulging as this. Brakes deserve a special mention. It can stop even a train.Abarth is an abarth.period!
Interior:
All black interior looks good to me and maintaining is a very easy affair. Plastics quality looks decent but nowhere in leagues of Germans. Space management is bad really bad. There are no bottle holders and there is no place where I can keep a water bottle close to me. Rear space is ok ok but not for 6 footer's. I'm 6 foot tall and I push the seat back to maximum, this leaves no space for rear bench people.hey! I'm not complaining, I didn't buy this car for space.seat contours are really good and they hug around the body tight.seat feels a bit firm though. Contrary to the difficulty in finding a driver seating position discussed in large, I find it pretty easy for me. Power window switches and door lock knobs are out of reach ! Everytime I have to extend myself to reach for them. Boot space is good by hatchback standards.Good for 4 day travel for 2 people.
Exterior:
Paint quality is really good but the stickers have started to peel off.come on fiat ! Not even a month and stickers coming off is really annoying. Moreover there are rust formation in two areas. I have given the car to service centre for painting.i had done the first servicing at rdc fiat Ambattur. The stock exhaust looks real bad.need to change them soon.
Overall the abarth is truly for an enthusiast, not for the weak hearted, as this can go faster than a heart beat. It is a practical and an affordable performance car.look at this way, 145 bhp car at present should be retailing at around 20 lakhs. You are spending much less and still getting a fun to drive car for half the amount. Finally thanks to fiat for such a gem, though it might not create any stir in the market now, this will be looked upon as a legend in coming years. Abarth, the punto jet.
I attach some pictures for now, will update soon once I get hold of all the pictures from my friend.
Some pictures
![[;)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Wink.gif "Wink [;)]")
![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
The car is indeed a super performer. Its looks awesome. Your choice is very good. This picture wont do any justice at all. Please do update with more photos. Any modifications? Wishing you many more trouble free kilometers ahed. Please do keep us updated. Enjoy your ride and drive safe.
![[anger]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Anger.gif "Anger [anger]")
. Waiting for the day eagerly ![[:D]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Big%20Smile.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
![[evil]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Evil.gif "Evil [evil]")
