[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Comparision pic between two different hearts yet one soul.

Considering your usual efforts and posts sidindica, that is just not enough buddy.

Though the comparison may not be of any real purpose, can I (we) expect any further updates/analysis of these 2:

Do Badan, Ek Jaan ??

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Comparision pic between two different hearts yet one soul.

Attachment 1478741

What is that additional sticker on the already 'crowded' hood?

[firstguri]

Originally Posted by splitinfinitive

The service guy did say that the mileage will be sub-10 for the first few 100 km's.

Well, I always got 10-11 in city driving. Partly also because you rarely get a chance to floor it during day time. But even at times when I have floored it, I've got around 9.5! But overall whether I'm on the highway or the city; I usually get around 10.5. That's like a mean (mathematical!) average. Although on highway runs I have got 13.5 too.

Originally Posted by v_safari

Guys any news on the Abarth Punto 180 bhp ??
Feb has come and soon will be over, and someone mentioned about its arrival in feb.

Originally Posted by Suraj25

I doubt it's coming anytime soon. Fiat wouldve surely showcased it at the auto expo if they had plans of getting a 180hp Abarth to India.

It was me who mentioned it. I got it confirmed again. So here's what I can make of it- the test driver in question has driven it, so the car is there. The Feb' launch part didn't turn out to be correct. But the testing is going on. The only thing that I haven't been able to confirm from him is if the car has any different features or add ons. Secondly last month even my dealership guys confirmed to me that 180 bhp is on the way. They got some head up from some state or regional head or something like that. And they did it because I told them about 180 Bhp Abarth and the owner of my dealership got furious with the company exec's as he didn't get any info' from them about a new launch. So the dealership owner got on the phone and had a word with someone. And later on of course that information was given to them and they were able to confirm that 180 Bhp will be launched.

When??? Your guess will be as good as any!

[v_safari]

Originally Posted by firstguri

It was me who mentioned it. I got it confirmed again. So here's what I can make of it- the test driver in question has driven it, so the car is there. The Feb' launch part didn't turn out to be correct. But the testing is going on. The only thing that I haven't been able to confirm from him is if the car has any different features or add ons. Secondly last month even my dealership guys confirmed to me that 180 bhp is on the way. They got some head up from some state or regional head or something like that. And they did it because I told them about 180 Bhp Abarth and the owner of my dealership got furious with the company exec's as he didn't get any info' from them about a new launch. So the dealership owner got on the phone and had a word with someone. And later on of course that information was given to them and they were able to confirm that 180 Bhp will be launched.

When??? Your guess will be as good as any!

Hahahaha, thank you so much. The big question is WHEN ?
Did the test driver tell you if it had a different gear box or an automatic or a different manual ?

[arjab]

Spoke to someone in the know. Fairly reliable. 180 Ps Punto does not seem to be on the anvil for now.
Slightly : 125 Ps Linea at an advanced stage. Expect by Diwali 2016. Final calibrations etc on. And birdie says, that the "stirring - a - stick - in - a - custard - pot" gearbox is apparently being seriously looked into, so that better shift quality, shorter throws and a better ratios can be offered to the customer.

Let's wait and watch

[teemus]

Originally Posted by arjab

Spoke to someone in the know. Fairly reliable. 180 Ps Punto does not seem to be on the anvil for now.

Like I said some pages ago, it is very very unlikely for the 180bhp version to come in the near future or even later.

[Suraj25]

I don't get why there's so much hatred towards the current gearbox that fiat offers! Have all the people complaining about it actually used it, or just posing something they read elsewhere? While the gearbox is nowhere close to being perfect, it's not half as bad as what people claim here. True, it's got a slightly longer throw and is kinda rubbery(this decreases drastically once you log a few 1000 kms) but once you've learnt how to work the box it doesn't annoy you anymore. I've completed a little above 2.5k kms in my Abarth and I can shift at the same speed(if not faster) in this car compared to my Vento, which is supposed to have one of the better gearboxes in the market. The key is to learn how to shift correctly with this gearbox, which obviously takes some time.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by Suraj25

I don't get why there's so much hatred towards the current gearbox that fiat offers! Have all the people complaining about it actually used it, or just posing something they read elsewhere?

Punto being the car it is, most BHPians would have test driven it once. I have test driven both the Punto 1.4 and Linea TJet, and the gearbox is not great by any parameter. It is not horrible though, but the Abarth begs for a better one.

Originally Posted by Suraj25

The key is to learn how to shift correctly with this gearbox, which obviously takes some time.

Exactly why this isn't a great gearbox. Try the gearbox of the petrol Rapid (probably Vento 1.6 petrol as well), because that is one that you don't have to learn how to operate.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Suraj25

I don't get why there's so much hatred towards the current gearbox that fiat offers! Have all the people complaining about it actually used it, or just posing something they read elsewhere? While the gearbox is nowhere close to being perfect, it's not half as bad as what people claim here. True, it's got a slightly longer throw and is kinda rubbery(this decreases drastically once you log a few 1000 kms) but once you've learnt how to work the box it doesn't annoy you anymore. I've completed a little above 2.5k kms in my Abarth and I can shift at the same speed(if not faster) in this car compared to my Vento, which is supposed to have one of the better gearboxes in the market. The key is to learn how to shift correctly with this gearbox, which obviously takes some time.

I found gearbox rubbery and clutch action weird-it rebounds back faster. But I drove a Vento 1.5 TDI and found the gear shifts very tight. I found it better in Abarth punto. VW imported gearboxes for Vento and Polo initially which were slick.

[nehaagg]

Heyy guys! wow my first post!

Anyways, at low rpms, especially in city conditions, I found the abbie very comfortable. There is no sound and the engine noise is very low. Yes, the gearshifts are a bit rubbery, but I have gotten used to them. Not exactly a girl-friendly car, especially wrestling the steering against torque-steer, but too much fun managing that and the formidable gear lever on the highway!

In a nutshell, the GB, in fact everything about it is addictive in an old-skool kind of way.

Sooo excited to post the first pic of my abbie!

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Originally Posted by nehaagg

Sooo excited to post the first pic of my abbie!

Congrats on your new ride... happy revving

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by nehaagg

Heyy guys! wow my first post!

Anyways, at low rpms, especially in city conditions, I found the abbie very comfortable. There is no sound and the engine noise is very low. Yes, the gearshifts are a bit rubbery, but I have gotten used to them. Not exactly a girl-friendly car, especially wrestling the steering against torque-steer, but too much fun managing that and the formidable gear lever on the highway!

Congratulations on the Abarth! Brave decision, and once bought I'm sure you will not regret it.

I happened to TD the Abarth today in BLR (yesterday now), and my perspective is over two years driving mainly a Rapid (MPI), and occasionally a Vento (TDI). Both of these cars have exceptional ride both in city and on the highway, and this just gets better at speed. The handling isn't the greatest in either though, and there is some roll around the corners and lack of feel through the steering wheel.

Skipping to the Abarth: The first impression on closing the door is that one is sitting really high! I thought the Abarth was lowered to pre-2012 height, but this was as tall as the regular Punto. I had the seat at it's lowest, but was still sitting surprisingly high.

The engine is quite quiet at the lower rpm range, and modulating the clutch was a little difficult because of my size 12 feet and the limited clearance between the dead-pedal and the clutch. I almost stalled it twice in the short drive. The car pulls along nicely even up slopes and speed breakers in first without any accelerator input, though there is a bit of a lag between when the accelerator is pressed and when the car surges forward. This is a small problem when aiming for gaps in traffic, but I think it is not a problem for owners.

The car surges in any gear, and doesn't mind pulling from even as low as 1k rpm, though there is a distinct surge post 1800ish rpm that needs to be managed if one uses a heavy foot. I liked the engine sound at higher rpms though I only reached just over 4k due to the limited speed breaker to speed breaker space. I didn't feel any torque steer though, but the only time I have felt that is in the XUV when the left tyre was on a thick layer of dust on the road and the right on clear tarmac, so I am not the best judge. The much repeated cornering ability is definitively above the Rapid and is quite like the Cruze, though the Cruze's front seats hold one in place far better.

What I didn't like is that one tends to bounce over every crack and lump in the road at city speeds. Since there are a lot of these in Bangalore, I had a pretty rough ride. It would have been funny watching the sales rep bouncing in my peripheral vision if I wasn't bouncing too. The car also crashed loudly over large flyover expansion gaps, so much so that I asked the rep to check the tyre pressure. I'm not sure if this was because of the 16" rims or overinflation.

The gear lever is noticeably taller than the Rapids, and has a longer and more rubbery throw. I didn't miss-shift at any point, and reverse engaged better (more consistently) than in my Rapid, so this doesn't seem like a deal breaker any longer to me.

I wish the seats were more sculpted to hold one in place, and that the steering had more range of adjustment or better yet had reach adjustment as well, but after the engine and suspension, everything else is really immaterial in this car. Love it, not buying though - practicality is more of a priority for me at this stage.

[Suraj25]

Originally Posted by nehaagg

Heyy guys! wow my first post!

Congratulations! Nice to see that you picked the Abarth over GT TSI since that seems to be the common choice. Drive safe!

Originally Posted by VeluM

What I didn't like is that one tends to bounce over every crack and lump in the road at city speeds. Since there are a lot of these in Bangalore, I had a pretty rough ride. It would have been funny watching the sales rep bouncing in my peripheral vision if I wasn't bouncing too. The car also crashed loudly over large flyover expansion gaps, so much so that I asked the rep to check the tyre pressure. I'm not sure if this was because of the 16" rims or overinflation.

Must've been overinflated tyres since the car takes bumps very well... It's not as noisy as the Ventos while doing the job either!

Originally Posted by VeluM

I wish the seats were more sculpted to hold one in place, and that the steering had more range of adjustment or better yet had reach adjustment as well, but after the engine and suspension, everything else is really immaterial in this car.

Agreed! The seats should've had better side bolstering. The Vento/Rapid seats hold you in place much better while cornering. Also, the lack of reach adjust is a stupid omission! This might've resolved the 'weird' driving position problem that many people face.

[nehaagg]

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[GT145]

Originally Posted by Suraj25

Nice to see that you picked the Abarth over GT TSI since that seems to be the common choice.

I don't think it's a common choice at all, it surely depend on what our requirements are, and whether it's VFM. I just loved Abarth Punto when I did the test drive, but the reason which pulled me away from the beautiful machine was the price and gearbox. Better say a gearbox which never ever justify the price tag from my point. I expected FIAT to give a better gearbox at-least on Abarth versions.

Now don't fire me I'm not a FIAT basher, I drove 70K KM on MJD in 3 years and I was only looking at Abarth Punto or Linea T-Jet as a potential replacement. Yes it's a true fact that you get used to that gearbox by time goes. But the problem comes when you are drive another machine, I used to drive my father's City i-vtec every weekend, sometimes my friends 1.6 GT TDI's, and those slick gearbox always made bigger smiles on my face. And whenever my friends drove MJD they always faced issue with gear shift, which they normally won't face when they switch to another car. So spending 11.25 lakhs for a machine with same gearbox didn't look sensible for me. With offers Linea T-jet was coming to 10.45-10.50 lakhs, a WolfMoto remap would have bumped the BHP figure to 150, which I felt more sensible as Linea T-jet comes with more features and still save approximate 60K after remap, but still the gearbox was pulling me back.

My choice was based on few requirements and budget, whopping 1.7 Lakhs difference played a big part for sure (got TSI for 9.55 OTR). Rear Disc setup at Vagtune will cost 1.15 lakhs and WolfMoto remap another 25K which will bump BHP figures to 125-130 and torque to 220-240NM, with these figures maybe I can match Abarth to some extent, so I will still have 30K saved for few electrical/electronics upgrades.

Now I will put my hopes on a Abarth powered Linea T-jet, hope they comes with a better gearbox setup. If that really happens hopefully a less distance covered second hand one will be waiting for me in 3-4 years time.

Sorry for any off topic part.