To Abarth or not to Abarth

[kmead]

I'm just waiting like a vulture for a few to hit the junkyard, I really want to put this drivetrain in my Yugo

A gentleman in the northeast had his totalled after owning it for a short time. Bought the car back from the insurance company and is now working on putting it into his X1/9.

Finally an X1/9 with some decent power and an Italian engine (there are a bunch running around with B16s and a few very hot ones with K20s and a 6 speed. Mmmmm

A thread about the install of a K20:

http://www.motorgeek.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41469

[JThw8]

A gentleman in the northeast had his totalled after owning it for two weeks. Bought the car back from the insurance company and is now working on putting it into his X1/9.

Finally an X1/9 with some decent power and an Italian engine (there are a bunch running around with B16s and a few very hot ones with K20s and a 6 speed. Mmmmm

A thread about the install of a K20:

http://www.motorgeek.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41469

Yep, fully aware of that. When I heard about the wreck I went into vulture mode Should be a hoot in the X1/9. I'm currently building up an x1/9 motor for the Yugo so it's all kinda the same equation.

[alleghenyman]

I like my Sport. I alternate between 110 mile highway commutes and city traffic and it is great for both. Smooth on the highway, corners like a 2300 pound car with a very short wheelbase and short front and rear overhang.

I had a MkIV Wolfsburg Jetta that I loved and a GD Fit that I was bored with right away and I am very happy with the refinement and fun of the Sport. An Abarth seems like it would be awesome if the dealer would actually have any available for a test drive.

[golf2k87]

I used to own a modded MK4 and recently test drove an Abarth. I say keep the 337.

If you want a more boy racer type of car then sure the Abarth may suit your needs. I feel like the 337 is more mature, roomier, comfortable and better looking although it is getting a bit dated.

I HATED the seating position in the Abarth. I could never get comfortable with the seating position being high and was constantly moving my seat and adjusting my legs around. Also, the exhaust is a little bit too ricey for me. It is loud and borderline obnoxious.

The shifter was better than average, clutch take up was easy to modulate, seats were comfortable, and had plenty of headroom. But it just didn't really do it for me. The MK6 GTI and NC Miata I drove was leaps and bounds a better car in all aspects.

Of course everyone has different perspectives on what they want out of a car. So definitely try to find one to test drive and have fun!

[don jaime]

I used to own a modded MK4 and recently test drove an Abarth. I say keep the 337.

If you want a more boy racer type of car then sure the Abarth may suit your needs. I feel like the 337 is more mature, roomier, comfortable and better looking although it is getting a bit dated.

I HATED the seating position in the Abarth. I could never get comfortable with the seating position being high and was constantly moving my seat and adjusting my legs around. Also, the exhaust is a little bit too ricey for me. It is loud and borderline obnoxious.

The shifter was better than average, clutch take up was easy to modulate, seats were comfortable, and had plenty of headroom. But it just didn't really do it for me. The MK6 GTI and NC Miata I drove was leaps and bounds a better car in all aspects.

Of course everyone has different perspectives on what they want out of a car. So definitely try to find one to test drive and have fun!

Good to hear from a former MKIV owner, it gives me a good perspective. A test drive will definitely make or break my decision about this car.

[SAV912]

The rental Mazda5 I had was due back Saturday and my Yaris isn't out of the shop yet so I went to the airport to extend the rental contract on the 5 (which I didn't really want to do because the 5 has way more room than I need for a daily commute) and there it was, sitting in the rental lot at Hertz. Somebody had just turned it in because the engine was still hot.

I have a Fiat 500 Sport on rental, silver on black, for the next week. AND I AM LOVING IT.

I haven't driven an Abarth yet, but I have had the most ridiculous time in the normal 500. This one is unfortunately a 6AT, being a rental and all, but that's probably one of the only demerits. It's probably one of only a handful of cars in the US that's smaller than my Yaris. The engine has the power of a few harnessed toddlers at daycare but otherwise sounds fantastic. I can only imagine that the 500 Abarth sounds even better. I've barely averaged 31 MPG according to the trip computer but that's likely due to me revving the nuts off it to hear the pops and burbles out the exhaust.

Some things I'm not as sure about, but don't necessarily consider negative:
-The seats are wonderful. But the side bolsters are pretty tall and make getting in and out a bit clumsy if you sit close to the wheel like I do. As mentioned, you sit very upright.
-It may be roomier in some areas than a Mini Cooper, but I'm not as sure that those areas are ones of worthy acclaim. The hatch is deep but not very long and your cargo capacity will suffer as such.
-The ride is QUITE bouncy. There's no remedying this as it's due to the short wheelbase. The Abarth on stiffer suspenders is probably even worse.
-The Sport one I have has Bose Audio/Bluetooth which was very clumsy to get integrated with my phone but seems to work well once I finally got it paired after finding where to do so in a submenu of another menu.
-The ergonomics aren't the greatest. The layout to the radio as far as adjusting settings and such is cumbersome and I'm still finding new buttons, like the volume and radio station ones on the back of the steering wheel. And window switches on the sides of the shifter seems...odd. I've gotten used to it though.
-Cupholders are MK3 Volkswagen useless.

Positive stuff:
-Ridiculous fun to drive. And I daily a TRD suspended Yaris which I've already transformed into a corner carver in it's own right.
-THAT ENGINE/EXHAUST NOISE. This must be what 'soul' is!!
-I think the stubby look is excellent and it's an awesome city runabout.
-Attention. People notice this car, as I guess it's still a new thing at least here in Savannah. We don't have a dedicated Fiat dealer yet, but one will be opening soon. People point and smile or laugh or even just shake their head at how ridiculously small it is. And that's in a bland color like medium silver. I can imagine a bright red or yellow would grab even MORE attention until the novelty of the car being new to America wears off.
-I've had to fight the keys away from my fiancee, who's already put 75 miles on it by herself. Woke up this morning and she was already gone on errands. Got outside and her tC is still in the driveway. She took it and apparently says that she will be trading the Scion in on one in short order because she loves the little thing that much.

Overall, if the regular 500 is this much fun then the Abarth must be that much better and I will likely have one eventually as my next car. It is that good.

[Vanilla_Coke]

holy crap that looks awesome with those wheels

No doubt, the Luce Blue looks really good too, basically the same idea but a light blue instead of the old lady green.

[Veakswagon]

Well I finally got to drive the abarth this weekend! (with no salesman in the car!) I was really impressed. Not sure if I'm going to buy one or not. I was happy to see that my two kids fit in the back seat (one in a booster, one not). Since they fit now the car is a legit possibility....

1. I got the driving position to work OK for me.
2. Interior quality / design seems pretty good. I liked it more than my 2003 mini.
3. Sound: awesome - borderline obnoxious. My kids couldn't stop laughing and asking me to rev it at stop lights.
4. Reasonable amount of power. Good shifter. Good clutch.
5. Handling is good. There is some initial lean but then plenty of grip. For comparison: I thought my cooperS with sport pkg had way less body roll at turn-in. We took a few on ramps at extra legal speeds and the car begged for more.
6. Very very "fun". Would be perfect commuter car for me, it begs to be driven like a hooligan.

I now need to go and see if the back seats in the brz/ frs can fit my two boys. If so I'll have a decision to make.... Assuming no mark up they are the same cost and the scion dealer in 1 mile from my house.

[feels_road]

-Ridiculous fun to drive. And I daily a TRD suspended Yaris which I've already transformed into a corner carver in it's own right.
-THAT ENGINE/EXHAUST NOISE. This must be what 'soul' is!!
-I think the stubby look is excellent and it's an awesome city runabout.
-Attention. People notice this car, as I guess it's still a new thing at least here in Savannah. We don't have a dedicated Fiat dealer yet, but one will be opening soon. People point and smile or laugh or even just shake their head at how ridiculously small it is. And that's in a bland color like medium silver. I can imagine a bright red or yellow would grab even MORE attention until the novelty of the car being new to America wears off.
-I've had to fight the keys away from my fiancee, who's already put 75 miles on it by herself. Woke up this morning and she was already gone on errands. Got outside and her tC is still in the driveway. She took it and apparently says that she will be trading the Scion in on one in short order because she loves the little thing that much.

Overall, if the regular 500 is this much fun then the Abarth must be that much better and I will likely have one eventually as my next car. It is that good.

[RennbahnPolizei]

Cheap Ferrari:

[don jaime]

Cheap Ferrari:

i wish they came with that grill section color matched from the factory

[don jaime]

So I finally got to drive one and it is definitely a fun little car! It felt relatively the same as my GTI as far as performance goes it just feels much smoother and less dramatic. The exhaust note is amazing especially for such a small engine. For those complaining about the seating and steering positions, it isn't too bad just a tad high even when fully lowered and the steering wheel can be lowered as well making it less truck-like. Only weird things were the pedals. They are a bit strange to get used to and the clutch seemed really really soft.

Overall great little car just need to work out pricing on one Just thought I'd share my take on the car for anyone that cares.

[DeathsHead1979]

Hey guys, I thought I would chime in on the thread.

I traded in my 05- srt-4 acr on h&r coilovers, etc. for a 2013 Abarth.


Its a fun car. in stock form this thing would embarrass the acr handling wise.

Straight line power is ok, nothing like the brutal hit of the srt-4, but should be super easy to bring up to that standard.

Many guys on the Abarth forums are reporting 160-170HP - 170-180TQ at the wheels on multiple
cars/dynos. So it looks like they underrated it a bit.


The Shifter in "stock" form is ok, not great. but hey, you VW guys are used to that stirring a spoon in a bowl of oatmeal feeling, so you will be impressed with the Abarth shifter.


the stock in stock form sits 2" higher than it should, a set of eibach sportlines and this fixes the issue. I dont have ANY body roll issues on my mountain pocono mountain roads. the only time i notice it is on long tight freeway on ramps.

On the twisty mountain roads the car is an absolute animal. It just wants more and more, the turn in is amazing. its just ridiculous how much the car just wants to be pushed..

If you brake later and hard in the turns the ass end will come loose,car is very light in the rear. but its controllable, and fun! feels very rwd like.

[1993EuroVan]

The Abarth is a great car, picked mine up in June after i had it built, and i took it on a 7k mile road trip in september from El Paso to Canada and down the west coast. It has about 12k miles on it now. It's had no problems and it is comfortable to drive daily i also ocassionally drive 4 people around. For my needs with the back seat folding there is more than enough truck space!

[joe13472000]

No auto

[epbrown]

No auto

The auto trans in the standard 500 can't handle the extra torque of the Abarth (it's limited to about 105 lb-ft). The Euro versions use a paddle-shifter, but that doesn't fit the US models because of chassis changes made for crash regs.

Rumor has it the 500 turbo coming out will have an auto option, so a new transmission option must be in the works.

[Son]

Dirty white wheels are always so hot!

[don jaime]

Hey guys, I thought I would chime in on the thread.

I traded in my 05- srt-4 acr on h&r coilovers, etc. for a 2013 Abarth.


Its a fun car. in stock form this thing would embarrass the acr handling wise.

Straight line power is ok, nothing like the brutal hit of the srt-4, but should be super easy to bring up to that standard.

Many guys on the Abarth forums are reporting 160-170HP - 170-180TQ at the wheels on multiple
cars/dynos. So it looks like they underrated it a bit.


The Shifter in "stock" form is ok, not great. but hey, you VW guys are used to that stirring a spoon in a bowl of oatmeal feeling, so you will be impressed with the Abarth shifter.


the stock in stock form sits 2" higher than it should, a set of eibach sportlines and this fixes the issue. I dont have ANY body roll issues on my mountain pocono mountain roads. the only time i notice it is on long tight freeway on ramps.

On the twisty mountain roads the car is an absolute animal. It just wants more and more, the turn in is amazing. its just ridiculous how much the car just wants to be pushed..

If you brake later and hard in the turns the ass end will come loose,car is very light in the rear. but its controllable, and fun! feels very rwd like.

the shifter feel is probably the only thing i hate about that car. my stock shifter in my 337 never felt that bad

[rconn14]

I test drove one, briefly, about a month ago and really liked it. I didn't have much time, so I didn't get to enjoy it all that much, but I can say that I walked out of there wanting the car. The only thing that is difficult to get used to is the seating position, you'll have to go sit in any 500 to understand.

It is on the short list for my next vehicle purchase, but the Fiesta ST makes a great argument as well. I'd be coming from a 2004 R32, so losing some power, grunt, and traction will be tough, but the warranty and lack of issues is appealing.

[rconn14]

Cheap Ferrari:

Thought that said "Poser Racing" for a second there

I now need to go and see if the back seats in the brz/ frs can fit my two boys. If so I'll have a decision to make.... Assuming no mark up they are the same cost and the scion dealer in 1 mile from my house.

The rear of the BRZ/FRS is much tighter than the Abarth. For a daily driver/commuter I would much rather have the Fiat. No sunroof in the FRS is a bummer too, yes I understand why but I still enjoy having one. The Fiat feels much more open and roomy.

[don jaime]

the fiesta st looks great on paper, but that front end on the st cars is atrocious. Honestly the stock fronts for both the focus and fiesta look much better than than their st counterparts. a dodge dart might also be a good alternative.