Abarth Grande Punto
Discussion
I've been looking at Abarth 500's and the Abarth Grande Punto has caught my eye, it's a bit more grown up and bit more roomy than the 500. Has anyone had one, any good? Problems? Suitable for track day use/abuse? Ideally I'll be looking at the Essesse. Any guidance gratefully received.
TDF
TDF
TheDoggingFather said:
I've been looking at Abarth 500's and the Abarth Grande Punto has caught my eye, it's a bit more grown up and bit more roomy than the 500. Has anyone had one, any good? Problems? Suitable for track day use/abuse? Ideally I'll be looking at the Essesse. Any guidance gratefully received.
TDF
I've had an Abarth Grande Punto for 4 years now. Absolutely brilliant car, don't think I'll ever sell it!TDF
Always puts a smile on my face when I drive it or just look at it. Fuel consumption is about 32mpg around town, can do up to 45mpg on a decent run. Only mechanical issue I've had was a faulty ABS sensor which apparently quite common but fairly painless to sort out.
The Essesse one is a bit more raw than the 'Assetto' which I have, as it has stiffer springs, a bigger turbo with a bit more power and things like that.
I see you are South coast, if you are anywhere near Southend-on-Sea give me a shout and I'm more than happy for you to come and have a mooch.
http://i.imgur.com/guQzTfH.jpg?1
Cheers, Ant
I suppose I am being a bit hard on it.
I recently changed the gearbox, DMF and clutch, apart from that the only thing that's gone wrong is the boot motor. The M32 gearboxes are pretty notorious for being made of cheese - I'm not sure if these are fitted to the petrol engines though...
It also has a regular starting problem, but I think I've got to the bottom of that.
Also the lack of a decent cup holder is a bit aggravating!
Probably the best looking hatchback around though
I recently changed the gearbox, DMF and clutch, apart from that the only thing that's gone wrong is the boot motor. The M32 gearboxes are pretty notorious for being made of cheese - I'm not sure if these are fitted to the petrol engines though...
It also has a regular starting problem, but I think I've got to the bottom of that.
Also the lack of a decent cup holder is a bit aggravating!
Probably the best looking hatchback around though
LiquidGnome said:
I suppose I am being a bit hard on it.
I recently changed the gearbox, DMF and clutch, apart from that the only thing that's gone wrong is the boot motor. The M32 gearboxes are pretty notorious for being made of cheese - I'm not sure if these are fitted to the petrol engines though...
It also has a regular starting problem, but I think I've got to the bottom of that.
Also the lack of a decent cup holder is a bit aggravating!
Probably the best looking hatchback around though
The gearboxes are notoriously bad. The M32 gearbox is also fitted to the Corsa and I think the Astra VXR with no issues. The AGP uses the same, but never heard any issues with it, i've heard that it's torque related that the bearings cannot cope with more than 300lb-ft? Could be wrong though. I recently changed the gearbox, DMF and clutch, apart from that the only thing that's gone wrong is the boot motor. The M32 gearboxes are pretty notorious for being made of cheese - I'm not sure if these are fitted to the petrol engines though...
It also has a regular starting problem, but I think I've got to the bottom of that.
Also the lack of a decent cup holder is a bit aggravating!
Probably the best looking hatchback around though
I have a Fiat t-jet which shares the same engine, but has a different turbo and a 5 speed box.
Other than niggles, and a DMF replacement it's been great and planning the modifications now
R2T2 said:
The gearboxes are notoriously bad. The M32 gearbox is also fitted to the Corsa and I think the Astra VXR with no issues. The AGP uses the same, but never heard any issues with it, i've heard that it's torque related that the bearings cannot cope with more than 300lb-ft? Could be wrong though.
I have a Fiat t-jet which shares the same engine, but has a different turbo and a 5 speed box.
Other than niggles, and a DMF replacement it's been great and planning the modifications now
The T-Jet is petrol right? Didn't know they had a DMF. It's a service item anyway so doesn't really count as a problem I have a Fiat t-jet which shares the same engine, but has a different turbo and a 5 speed box.
Other than niggles, and a DMF replacement it's been great and planning the modifications now
What modifications are you planning?
I wouldn't mind a getting a remap as the 1.9 has great potential for an increase in HP and torque, but I think putting more torque through the cheesebox might be a bad idea
LiquidGnome said:
The T-Jet is petrol right? Didn't know they had a DMF. It's a service item anyway so doesn't really count as a problem
What modifications are you planning?
I wouldn't mind a getting a remap as the 1.9 has great potential for an increase in HP and torque, but I think putting more torque through the cheesebox might be a bad idea
It is yeah, 1.4 petrol, using the same engine as the A500 and the AGP.What modifications are you planning?
I wouldn't mind a getting a remap as the 1.9 has great potential for an increase in HP and torque, but I think putting more torque through the cheesebox might be a bad idea
There are cases where people have no issues at all running 350lb-ft, but they all say 300 is about the limit the 'box can take.
Seeing this thread prompted me to make my own readers' cars thread
( http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... )
and that lists what I want to do to it.
If you're on faceballs, I would also recommend joining "Punto Enthusiasts" as they're a great community and a load of very knowledgeable people will always help out.
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