RE: Abarth expands with 595 Turismo and Competizione
Discussion
I like the sounds of this, but for it be viable for me, it needs a decent options list like the Mini. The appeal of cars like that is that you can have a luxury car in small form; a practical commuter car without compromise. Little trinkets like heated seats make a big difference to me... and i'm put off by the 500 having a bad ride. The Mini is bad enough!
M@1975 said:
Type R Tom said:
If I had the money for a city / small commuter car I would probably consider one. I regularly see a guy commuting to Canary Wharf (via the Blackwall Tunnel) in an 911 GT3 RS and always think t
t!
If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
He probably has an Aventador for the weekend and that is what he considers a city runabout... Don't worry he's still a t**t though. t!If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
Back on topic, I like the look of both of them.
Type R Tom said:
If I had the money for a city / small commuter car I would probably consider one. I regularly see a guy commuting to Canary Wharf (via the Blackwall Tunnel) in an 911 GT3 RS and always think I'm jealous as fk!
If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
You're a PH'er, you say? Rather look at Civic's or rep mobiles all day, eh?k!If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
Back on topic, had my 500 Abarth for coming up for two years now. Love it to bits, hasn't cost me a penny so far. They are amazing fun and cheap to run too
I'm due a change soon and the new model(s) do look pretty tempting.Only rant with my Esseesse is the lack of dealers and poor service from Fiat / Abarth. Staying in Aberdeen my nearest dealer is Edinburgh and they expect me to make two visits just to diagnose problems then get them fixed, so I'll be writing to head office tomorrow. Still love the car to bits, looks fantastic, fun to drive, not many above, quick yet economical, and if you don't have any kids you don't need a big "cock enhancing" couple ;-)
Mr_Sukebe said:
Are the Abarth versions any better than the standard 500s to drive? I tried a 1.2 and a diesel at launch and was completely unimpressed with both. Nothing wrong with either, just nothing interesting either. Drove like a typical boring 21st century euro-bland hatch. IMO a Mini was MILES better to drive.
That's a big affirmative. The 500 is cheeky, a little bit of fun (with the standard 1.4 at least - the 1.2 is lame and diesel quicker but no more fun) but the Abarth blows them all into the water. First of all you have the extra power and more importantly loads more torque. The suspension is much stiffer as standard (but you really need the suspension upgrade to get the best out of it). The steering is miles better, the standard 500 has variable electronic assist which tries to correct your steering input according to the speed of the car - the result is you never quite get the same response twice. The Abarth has all of this dialled out coupled with a much more direct feel (still slightly numb from the EPS). Brakes are upgraded to match everything else and it can really haul on the anchors when needed. Comparing it to the mini on straight-up, straight-line performance is always going to lose as each mini model at the same price point has more power and an extra gear to bring the ratios closer together, the mini is supposed to handle better too but I still wouldn't have one....I've put 25k on my A500 now over 3 years (nearly 3 1/2) and enjoyed almost every moment of it. Most importantly my wife loves it too (to the point where we really need two of them - so the arrival of the two new models is of interest).
A word of warning though to all reading, servicing can get expensive (about £600 for the 3rd year + MOT) for the base A500. The Esseesse needs servicing at 6 month/9000 mile intervals so you can pretty much double the servicing costs. The standard Pirelli P-Zero Nero's that it comes with are good for about 20k on the rear and the front depends on how you drive but between 10k and 15k, they cost about £100 a piece if you hunt around but keep in mind that come that 3rd year service they will probably be worn out so that is another £400 on your service bill. There is no spare tyre - just a compressor with a can of tyre foam attached, not even a jack because the lovely Abarth body trim sits too low and obscures the jacking points. Add to this the need to clean the rear brakes regularly and you get a bit of a problem. The Esseesse has a tyre upgrade as part of the package that increases the cost of tyres and the extra torque tends to increase the wear too...
I bought mine as a bit of a bargain when they first came out (one of the very first on the road) but the cost of ownership is not on the cheap side - my Griffith 500 cost about the same used as a daily driver...
In spite of the costs I wouldn't give mine up without a fight - I lost my job less than a year after getting it and was out of work for 9 months but I still managed to find the money to keep it in my possession!
Mouse1903 said:
Only rant with my Esseesse is the lack of dealers and poor service from Fiat / Abarth. Staying in Aberdeen my nearest dealer is Edinburgh and they expect me to make two visits just to diagnose problems then get them fixed, so I'll be writing to head office tomorrow. Still love the car to bits, looks fantastic, fun to drive, not many above, quick yet economical, and if you don't have any kids you don't need a big "cock enhancing" couple ;-)
I can get my two kids in their car seats in the back, and the double buggy in the boot Not much space for anything else mind you, but still..I agree with Mr Nobles comment.
Are we the only 2 people that think that Fiat put the blueprint into a photocopier and pressed the button that reduces it by 25%.
I feel like an extra in Land Of The Giants in one and I'm only 6'00" tall.
Hopeless little car (or Ka) for anyone who hasn't got growth deficiency......
Are we the only 2 people that think that Fiat put the blueprint into a photocopier and pressed the button that reduces it by 25%.
I feel like an extra in Land Of The Giants in one and I'm only 6'00" tall.
Hopeless little car (or Ka) for anyone who hasn't got growth deficiency......
Wah said:
M@1975 said:
Type R Tom said:
If I had the money for a city / small commuter car I would probably consider one. I regularly see a guy commuting to Canary Wharf (via the Blackwall Tunnel) in an 911 GT3 RS and always think tt!
If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
He probably has an Aventador for the weekend and that is what he considers a city runabout... Don't worry he's still a t**t though. t!If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
Back on topic, I like the look of both of them.
5hero said:
You're a PH'er, you say? Rather look at Civic's or rep mobiles all day, eh?
Yeah that's it mate, got in one 
Greg 172 said:
ZesPak said:
Greg 172 said:
Who the hell signed off that Turismo paint job?
What just going to say that I think it looks ace 
I reckon it looks like the guy doing the photoshop colourways for a brochure got bored and just decided to do a mix and match. Having said that I didn't mind one of the other 2-tone schemes they did - was it white and grey or something like that?
jimbro1000 said:
Comparing it to the mini on straight-up, straight-line performance is always going to lose as each mini model at the same price point has more power and an extra gear to bring the ratios closer together, the mini is supposed to handle better too but I still wouldn't have one....
A word of warning though to all reading, servicing can get expensive (about £600 for the 3rd year + MOT) for the base A500. The Esseesse needs servicing at 6 month/9000 mile intervals so you can pretty much double the servicing costs.
Pretty sure the mini cooper is dearer than the A500 which wipes the floor with it. Can't say I've had first hand experience with Essesse v Cooper S but again I think they're thousands apart in price.A word of warning though to all reading, servicing can get expensive (about £600 for the 3rd year + MOT) for the base A500. The Esseesse needs servicing at 6 month/9000 mile intervals so you can pretty much double the servicing costs.
Sad/Surprised to hear your 3rd service and mot were so dear, mine was £250 inc new brake pads and it's always driven spiritedly. Only get about 6000 miles out of front tyres and agree they have niggles with sticking callipers and bearings but all in all they're great value fun cars
Greg 172 said:
Fair point. Inflation, extra safety, more tech and so on understandably increase prices.
I guess my point is that £13k back then seemed pretty reasonable for what you were getting, whereas now most cars I look at seem to be priced to a point where I don't understand how people can afford them. Looking past the obvious '£30k? For a Golf?' meme, just getting in to a 1.6 Zetec Focus costs over £17k.
near base spec Golfs were £17k in 2005! I guess my point is that £13k back then seemed pretty reasonable for what you were getting, whereas now most cars I look at seem to be priced to a point where I don't understand how people can afford them. Looking past the obvious '£30k? For a Golf?' meme, just getting in to a 1.6 Zetec Focus costs over £17k.
Type R Tom said:
If I had the money for a city / small commuter car I would probably consider one. I regularly see a guy commuting to Canary Wharf (via the Blackwall Tunnel) in an 911 GT3 RS and always think tt!
If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
He's not one.t!If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
You're a t
t, a jealous tt.Mumsnet is that way. ->
Edited by James Dean on Friday 3rd August 08:23
jimbro1000 said:
I bought mine as a bit of a bargain when they first came out (one of the very first on the road) but the cost of ownership is not on the cheap side - my Griffith 500 cost about the same used as a daily driver...
And there was me thinking that ditching a 3.0 V6 in favour of an Abarth might save a few quid!
Type R Tom said:
If I had the money for a city / small commuter car I would probably consider one. I regularly see a guy commuting to Canary Wharf (via the Blackwall Tunnel) in an 911 GT3 RS and always think tt!
If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
The GT3 may be his bugdet daily hack. Who knows, he may have a Zonda for the weekend. Or even a fleet.t!If I had that sort of money I’d probably have something like this for the commute and keep the 911 for the weekend!
James Dean said:
He's not one.
You're a tt, a jealous tt.
Mumsnet is that way. ->
Hardly, I’ve long accepted that I will never be able to afford that type of car short of a lottery win, what’s the point of being jealous? You're a t
t, a jealous tt.Mumsnet is that way. ->
Edited by James Dean on Friday 3rd August 08:23
My point is why use a track based super car that was never intended nor designed for the daily commute when there are more suitable cars available, save it for the weekend! Maybe I have the romantic imagine of that amazing machine flying round a mountain road, not stuck in a traffic jam on a horrible wet February morning.
Besides we all know someone driving to Canary Wharf every morning is probably a banker and has the car as a status symbol and nothing more. Though as people have said, if that is his daily run about I would love to see the rest of the garage!
But back to the topic, this 500 or a mini cooper s or something similar would be high on my list as daily run about if I had a super car in the garage though I probably won’t spend £17k on one if it was my only car that I could have / afford
Absolute bargain giggle machines! I have a 1.4 Sport and I have never got out of the car without a huge grin on my face. I can only imagine that with another 60 bhp it would be epic.
Not sure they should make any comparisons with a Mini - the Fiat is far more of a Pistonheads car than any Mini could ever be. There is something very honest and raw about the Fiat that BMW failed to capture in the Mini.
As for the price, just played with the Vauxhall Corsa configurator for a mate who is thinking of buying one - for a 95 bhp diesel SRi with a limited number of toys, the price came up at £19,340 OTR. Times are changing it seems.
Not sure they should make any comparisons with a Mini - the Fiat is far more of a Pistonheads car than any Mini could ever be. There is something very honest and raw about the Fiat that BMW failed to capture in the Mini.
As for the price, just played with the Vauxhall Corsa configurator for a mate who is thinking of buying one - for a 95 bhp diesel SRi with a limited number of toys, the price came up at £19,340 OTR. Times are changing it seems.
ukmike2000 said:
As for the price, just played with the Vauxhall Corsa configurator for a mate who is thinking of buying one - for a 95 bhp diesel SRi with a limited number of toys, the price came up at £19,340 OTR. Times are changing it seems.
That's the concern that I was trying to get across. 
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