Talk about differen point of view.
For me the driving position is flawed, the gearchange is sloppy and the suspension setup is poor on uneven surface.

Groupie Vs Yuppie....

Unsolvable..

Interesting, I've driven neither car, but I've played with both shifters and I thought the Abarth's was crap.

Its engine sound was very amusing. I still intend to test drive it for fun.

The high seating position may be flawed when considering the high center of gravity but the seating position for visibility, accessibility to the pedals and shifter and steering wheel were perfect for me. I'm 6'1.

As for the suspension, I was under the impression that the US suspension was setup differently to account for the shitty roads we have. It was tight without being harsh. The wheels kept contact to the pavement, not choppy.

Gearchange was perfect without a notchy gate feel. Clutch pedal had a short draw and I never had an issue with the catch point.

Things I've read about the US version:
-US version comes with Koni FSDs and new rear stabilizer bar.
-US version comes with New gearing for the 5 speed manual trans. Could explain the difference in feel and function.

And then there's the interloper...

They probably changed a few things, after all the car came out in the US years after the EU launch!

I had the Koni FSD on my old '02 Cooper and they weren't bad new but they didn't last very long.
The gearbox is the same on the Fiat Panda so it isn't very strong, maybe the improved it but it's not reliable on big power increase (bigger turbos...)

Ordered an Abarth 500 and a BRZ
 

I have gone through many cars in my life but these two cars will not be leaving my stable. After I test drove the Abarth I couldn't get out of my mind how much fun that car was to drive. I haven't felt that way in a long time. Okay, maybe not that long ago (BRZ test drive) but the Abarth had a overall visceral feel to it. The BRZ is a more serious driver focused car, that I look forward to tracking and auto crossing, but the Abarth is going to be my daily driver and I look forward to making my daily grind more enjoyable.

:burnrubber:

Cross shopping this with a mini cooper I can see, but with an FR-S/BRZ, not so much.

The interior space is practically the same as the 86. It should be a lot cheaper, in Italy it's 9.000 euro cheaper!

Aside from the blind-spot issue this is by far my biggest gripe with the Toyobaru after having several minutes in the seat playing around -extremely notchy shifter, I wonder if you would not tire of it pretty quickly in daily driving. I don't feel that way about the shifter in my Tiburon, it's got much longer throws and certainly isn't elegant but at least it doesn't feel like I am trying to jam uncooperative gearsets together!

May have to test drive an Abarth. Saw a nicely optioned 500 with big wheels a few weeks ago for the first time -loved the look.
Edit: just read some reviews. Don't think it's in the 86's league.

I am getting the BRZ in a auto because i like the transmission and the rev matching. The BRZ I test drove had a nice short shift point but IMO it was quite notchy and it took some time to get used to the clutch pedal draw and catch point. I'm happy with my choices, no matter what people say about getting an Automatic in the BRZ. My Abarth order is for a manual 5 speed for sure. (duh, it only comes in a manual, for now)

:burnrubber:

I agree, but the Abarth gave a totally different and engaging driving experience just driving around normal roads. I liked both experiences so that is why I'm getting both cars. I was originally going to get another BMW which would have cost me around 48k + taxes and tags, etc so I figured I could get both of these cars for the price of one BMW. Am I being practical...probably not but will I look forward to driving every day? Yes, yes and yes!

My BRZ out the door price = 28k
My Abarth out the door price = $25k

BMW out the door price around 52k

The Superbowl commercial will get me to test drive one of these. I would never buy one, but I love that they are sold here!!

Wow. Very jealous. I would do exactly the same if I knew my wife wouldn't kill me.:happy0180: