Fiat/Abarth 500

  • Thread starter Moglet
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I'd like to hear the TwinAir uncorked. Being a twin roughly the size of a Ducati mill...

Terminogi, make an exhaust for this thing.
 
That TwinAir engine sounds like someone did it with their mouth, except really good. Seriously, I could make a noise like that.

And it's not a bad thing. That's gotta be a fun little thing to brrrrriinnnggg around town.
 
My favorite pics of this year's auto show happen to be of the 500.

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I'm happy Fiat brought such a beautiful model.
 
Jondot
To be fair that's not really a great comparison. The 1.4 and indeed the 1.2 are both 4cyl 16v affairs - which of course are going to sound nice and smooth. Presumably this TwinAir is going to sound more like the 3cyl 1.0, and having driven a Corsa with one of those under the bonnet I can assure you it's not a refined affair. Far more loud and grumbly than the 1.2 I had my driving lessons in, anyway.

I'm just guessing, though - this 2 cylinder might sound totally different to a 3. I've got even less idea about Nissan's attempt.
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As Toronado mentioned, I think they've done their best to make it as smooth as possible - balancer shafts and the like. The 500 already seems like quite an insulated car.

With diesels the ones with least NVH I've driven are the Smart and strangely, the Transit Connect van I had a few weeks ago. The former felt more like a petrol because it's such a tiny engine and revs very freely, and the latter felt like there was a significant amount of metal and insulation between cabin and engine. It almost felt like the engine was in a different vehicle.
 
think they're gonna sneak a diesel in for the American market version? 'cause you guys just made one sound very lucrative for the job i'm in right now.
 
homeforsummer
Especially newer ones with particulate filters which have a habit of clogging up when they aren't warmed up - and city driving is rarely strenuous enough to fully warm a DPF. Which is why there have been incidents of MINI diesels and a few other types catching fire when the DPF clogs up, overheats and sets alight.
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This is a big issue with the 500, now you mention it. Almost all of the diesel owners of the Fiat Forum have complained about the DPF cycle causing huge losses of power, or giving errors when it hasn't been used enough and clogs up. A lot of them have already put their orders down for the TwinAir.

homeforsummer
The 500 already seems like quite an insulated car.
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It really isn't. Road noise at 70mph makes conversations very difficult, you have to shout at each other in the front seats, even with low noise tyres. The stereo can be heard very clearly from the outside of the car, too. :lol:

On a related note, something is up with my exhaust. It's absolutely belting out the noise at the minute! I've looked all over and found no problems or holes so I'm guessing it's just wear and tear on the backbox. I'll try and record it on my phone.
 
Moglet
It really isn't.
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Admittedly my barometer is off on this sort of thing at the moment. Save for a brief test drive in my next car (Panda 100HP) I've not driven a "normal" car for ages. MX5, convertible Smart, and two different vans in the past year. After any of those, a regular car like the 500 feels quite quiet and refined! Been a while since I've passengered in one though.
 
I love that car.

Sorry for my ignorance, but can anyone explain to me what Abarth is? Is it another name for the Fiat 500, another name for Fiat itself...? I don't understand :boggled:. Here where I live we always refer to that car as Fiat 500.
 
Abarth was a tuning company back in the 1960s that tuned Fiats. The company gradually developed a working relationship with Fiat, a bit like Alpina do with BMW.

For a few years back in the 90s Abarth was just a sporty badge stuck onto some fairly unsporty Fiats, but now it's the mark of their most extreme cars, as it should be.
 
Thanks homeforsummer.

Let me see if I understood. Abarth is like a "personal tuning company" from Fiat then, right? Does it tune cars from other companies, too? Like those tuning companies in GT: Amuse... can't remember another one now.

I could google that, but it's nice to learn from members here and keep the discussion going :D.
 
They used to - even did a Porsche one. Now, I think, they're kinda like Fiat's AMG...they've kinda been incorporated into the fold.
 
Pretty much. They're a company in their own right, but wholly owned by Fiat. The Wikipedia page lists their models:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abarth

It's not comprehensive though. I'm fairly sure Abarth did tuning work on the old BTCC Alfa Romeo 155s from the mid nineties, and don't quote me on this but I even seem to remember they had a hand in the Ferrari F1 team at the same time.

They've also had a history of building gorgeous little coupes with Fiat running gear, as well as just tuning Fiats. Generally, apart from the Porsche that Jim mentioned, they've only stuck to Fiat-based products though.

Oh, and as for the 500 TwinAir, I followed one tonight. Picked up my Panda and a guy from the garage led me to a petrol station to give me a tank of fuel. It really shifts - has as much power as my car, but it's amusing watching a fairly feminine sky blue 500 taking off so quickly...
 
homeforsummer
Admittedly my barometer is off on this sort of thing at the moment. Save for a brief test drive in my next car (Panda 100HP) I've not driven a "normal" car for ages. MX5, convertible Smart, and two different vans in the past year. After any of those, a regular car like the 500 feels quite quiet and refined! Been a while since I've passengered in one though.
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I imagine the Panda 100HP is a quieter ride, but not by much. The tyre roar is the main issue at 70mph, the rest of the noise is fine and isn't intrusive at all.

Good choice on the 100HP btw, I was looking at swapping my 500 in for one recently but I'm going to wait and get something else instead.
 
I suspect engine noise will be greater than road noise in the Panda. It's doing 3,000rpm in top gear (6th) at 60mph. Not a motorway car then, but neither was the Mazda.
 
Heh. I was actually thinking how similar it is to the SporK but expected the economy to be better, until I realised how short the gear ratios were...

Since we now have comparable cars too, I challenge you to a drag race at Santa Pod at some stage :P
 
Unfortunately I think you'd win. As you would an MPG-off.

I will however challenge you to a boot space race. Meet me at IKEA Leeds tomorrow, 10AM sharp!
 

So, it's a little more than the Fiesta, but way less than the MINI. The 500 will probably find a good number of buyers in/around there. If you're really interested, Fiat USA has their configurator up as well.

I'm pretty impressed with the level of standard equipment in the car. A 500 Sport checks every box I'd want, although I see that some of the sticker packs from the UK aren't available. I'm looking forward to seeing the car in person ASAP.
 
I can't figure out whether the 1.4 MultiAir engine you'll be getting is the turbocharged one or not. I'm assuming not since that'll be reserved for the Abarth versions (if you get them), but I'm struggling to find any specifications for it. Interested to see how it compares to the 1.4 FIRE-spec engine in my Panda.
 
I believe the original announcement for the 500 said it was getting the 1.4 Multiar that is turbocharged, so I assume that it is the unit from the Abarth. They said today that we're getting the Abarth in late 2012 or early 2013, but I'm willing to bet that it is the EsseEsse version only.
 
YSSMAN
I believe the original announcement for the 500 said it was getting the 1.4 Multiar that is turbocharged, so I assume that it is the unit from the Abarth. They said today that we're getting the Abarth in late 2012 or early 2013, but I'm willing to bet that it is the EsseEsse version only.
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In Italy, there are several steps for the 1.4 Multiar. 135 BHP, 150 BHP and 170 BHP (on the Alfa Romeo Mito Quadrifoglio Verde, and on Giulietta too).

Then, there will be a 900cc Multiair with 85 and 105 BHP, I think...
 
I checked out the configurer for the 500. it's not complete, quite yet. the color swatches are still in Italian (i'm surprised it has't been pared down to "ISO standard American Insurance Safe colors" yet). hope they get the graphic graphics set so I can see the stripes. looks like it's gonna sport the same interior colours as Europe, as well.
 
Mil1983
In Italy, there are several steps for the 1.4 Multiar. 135 BHP, 150 BHP and 170 BHP (on the Alfa Romeo Mito Quadrifoglio Verde, and on Giulietta too).

Then, there will be a 900cc Multiair with 85 and 105 BHP, I think...
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Thanks for the info 👍 Yeah, I suppose it might use the less powerful MultiAir engine, and the more powerful ones will sit in the Abarth.
 
Why does the US market get so many nicer colours than us?! Bloody hell Fiat 👎 The greens and browns will suit the car perfectly, yet the UK market is stuck with shades of white, grey, black, blue and red. On the upside, we get a LOT more wheel choices than the US configurator is showing so far.

I like the optional kit (the heated seats are a neat touch), though the ambient lighting is a tad on the pointless side but I guess some people will like it.

EDIT: Can anyone enlighten me on why you would need an engine block heater? Is it due to the weather dropping to lower temperatures?
 
Help the car start when it is really cold out, like it gets in Montana/Colorado/Northern New York. Pointless for 95% of the country, but it is still nice to see it as a factory option.
 
If I owned a house, an engine-block heater would be nice. I'd think it to be a good idea with a DIG Turbo setup like what this would have.
 

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