Fr-s VS. Fiat 500 Abarth

[davidp]

well i'm a previous gencoupe owner .. now rolling in a brz ... i went for a test drive with the 500 abarth last week and found it to be a fun little car .. it feels nice in the twisties and has no torque steer which is pretty nice for a little car with that much torque ..
torque comes in at really low rpm's and i miss that feeling i had with the genesis ..
the seating position is too high in the car and makes you feel like you're in a minivan and i hope fiat will correct this ..
the shifter is ugly and feeling isn't great .. i remember my 1996 accent had a more precise feel...
dashboard is ugly .. i thought that the brz's dash not so good coming from a genesis but was really happy to get in my brz after testing the abarth lol

the abarth is a nice little car but they should correct these problems because right now i think it's overpriced for what it is .. they sell it for the price of my fully equipped brz here (29000$) .. while i think it should be more like 22-24k

[stockysnail]

I was also shopping for either a Abarth or BRZ. I chose the BRZ after driving both. The main reason was that the Abarth handed and felt like crap compared to the BRZ. The Abarth has lots of body roll (feel like I may roll it in a hard corner), the steering is vague, and the steering wheel doesn't telescope. It's not a drivers car, it's just a faster 500 flashy econobox. Yes the Abarth is cool, the exhaust sounds good, and yes I wouldn't mind it if someone bought one for me but I'd never spend money on one after driving both multiple times. Thus why I bought the BRZ.

[speed7]

So to bring a thread back from the dead. I was actually googling for a Chris Harris Abarth video and found this.

So I actually just recently purchased an Abarth. But was specifically looking at the BRZ prior to even considering the Fiat. Mainly I wanted to sell my C55 and buy a track car. Something that would be reliable, new, and I could simply just drive it to the track and then drive home.

The BRZ is what I test drove.. Love the car. Handles like a dream, planted. Very reminiscent of a 93 R1 Rx7 I used to have. Same blind spots too. =)

Except for one HUGE issue I had with the car. All of the power was at the top. And unless you really gave it the beans you really weren't going anywhere. And the lack of torque was really killed it for me.

Now I test drove the Abarth honestly by accident... walked up to the dealership which was next to the Ford dealership (looking at mustangs) and asked to test one out. I flat out said.. "I'm not going to buy one of these" to the sales guy. Told him I was just curious.. looked meaner then I thought they would IRL. He laughed at me and said "everyone says that, but then ends up buying one."

So first thing to note when you start an Abarth and the engine and exhaust is cold. It is soooooooo LOUD.. it just screams "I'm upset right now". Give it a little gas at that point and it back fires and grumbles. All at the same time... puts a big $#!T eating grin on your face.

So in the end I got this for my track car. Mainly because after a little bit of research I found that with just a few bolt on's you can get some really fun power out of it. At the wheels 196 HP and 233ft lb torque. Couple that with a KW coil over suspension and some good sticky tires you can really make this thing scoot.

Granted the seating position is all wrong.. and the car is FWD. But for the money you really can't beat it. To start its cheap 22k.. Tires aren't all that expensive. The KW v3's cost the same if you are a BRZ or a Fiat... To get the HP up to the numbers I posted costs $700. And even comes with a remote so you can on the fly choose between 3 settings (Off, sport, and race).

And being that this was going to be a track car I was going to cage it anyways and so the resale value wasn't really going to be there. Plus in all honesty the car I really wanted for a track car isn't here yet.

Till then this is what I went with. However... when the STI version of the BRZ is released. That will be track car number 2. That is all the BRZ really needed to be perfect. More torque.. and I'm hoping that with a lower compression engine and an added turbo this would complete the package for the BRZ.

[hmong337]

those cars are just so damn ugly. omg i can't stand seeing them. the shape of the car remind me of the villains in the game pac-man. i can't believe anybody would spend $22k for a hunk of crap like that. that's crazy. i'd take a honda fit or a toyota yaris if compact, light, and good fuel mileage was what i was after.

[jflogerzi]

Originally Posted by speed7

So to bring a thread back from the dead. I was actually googling for a Chris Harris Abarth video and found this.

So I actually just recently purchased an Abarth. But was specifically looking at the BRZ prior to even considering the Fiat. Mainly I wanted to sell my C55 and buy a track car. Something that would be reliable, new, and I could simply just drive it to the track and then drive home.

The BRZ is what I test drove.. Love the car. Handles like a dream, planted. Very reminiscent of a 93 R1 Rx7 I used to have. Same blind spots too. =)

Except for one HUGE issue I had with the car. All of the power was at the top. And unless you really gave it the beans you really weren't going anywhere. And the lack of torque was really killed it for me.

Now I test drove the Abarth honestly by accident... walked up to the dealership which was next to the Ford dealership (looking at mustangs) and asked to test one out. I flat out said.. "I'm not going to buy one of these" to the sales guy. Told him I was just curious.. looked meaner then I thought they would IRL. He laughed at me and said "everyone says that, but then ends up buying one."

So first thing to note when you start an Abarth and the engine and exhaust is cold. It is soooooooo LOUD.. it just screams "I'm upset right now". Give it a little gas at that point and it back fires and grumbles. All at the same time... puts a big $#!T eating grin on your face.

So in the end I got this for my track car. Mainly because after a little bit of research I found that with just a few bolt on's you can get some really fun power out of it. At the wheels 196 HP and 233ft lb torque. Couple that with a KW coil over suspension and some good sticky tires you can really make this thing scoot.

Granted the seating position is all wrong.. and the car is FWD. But for the money you really can't beat it. To start its cheap 22k.. Tires aren't all that expensive. The KW v3's cost the same if you are a BRZ or a Fiat... To get the HP up to the numbers I posted costs $700. And even comes with a remote so you can on the fly choose between 3 settings (Off, sport, and race).

And being that this was going to be a track car I was going to cage it anyways and so the resale value wasn't really going to be there. Plus in all honesty the car I really wanted for a track car isn't here yet.

Till then this is what I went with. However... when the STI version of the BRZ is released. That will be track car number 2. That is all the BRZ really needed to be perfect. More torque.. and I'm hoping that with a lower compression engine and an added turbo this would complete the package for the BRZ.

thanks for your honest opinion. The Black and red schemed one always caught my eye. never test drove one

[Franzo]

Originally Posted by shadoquad

One thing that folks should check out if they get the chance is the Abarth's exhaust note. Sounds so sweet.

Yea the exhaust on the abarth sounds very similar to the srt-4. The dodge dart with the 1.4 turbo has a nice sound to it also. You don't expect such a deep burble to come from such a small car and engine.

[Sully]

I don't know if I'd buy an abarth...but I was awfully tempted by the sale they had a while back for the base 500's, for 199/month.

[skye67]

Originally Posted by BioRage

Really?

Agree, the Fiat 500 Abarth is a waste. Smoked one last week.

[DarkSunrise]

Is there a reason to choose the Abarth over a Mini Cooper S other than the exhaust note? I test-drove a MCS a while back and liked it quite a bit.

[Dipstik-sportech]

I almost bought one over the brz when the dealer wasn't sure if he could get me one. The exhaust does sound amazing, the only
Thing I wasn't keen on was the twist beam rear suspension, under steer city

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Is there a reason to choose the Abarth over a Mini Cooper S other than the exhaust note? I test-drove a MCS a while back and liked it quite a bit.

Er, price! Have you priced a comparable Mini? The Abarth is no bargain but it makes the Mini look like the rip off it is.

Both cars make the BRZ look like a bargain, overpriced though it is also.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by Dipstik-sportech

I almost bought one over the brz when the dealer wasn't sure if he could get me one. The exhaust does sound amazing, the only
Thing I wasn't keen on was the twist beam rear suspension, under steer city

Twist beam doesn't cause understeer. It's an integrated roll bar and axle. The VW Rabbit introduced this clever idea. Lots of cars have successfully used it since.

Understeer is inevitable with fwd. period.

[Dipstik-sportech]

Yes they did have it back in the day but they also has super soft suspension that's one reason they lifted tires.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Suberman

Er, price! Have you priced a comparable Mini? The Abarth is no bargain but it makes the Mini look like the rip off it is.

Both cars make the BRZ look like a bargain, overpriced though it is also.

Yeah I saw that it was a few grand cheaper. Was just curious if the Abarth handled better or was faster than a MCS.