marcodg
Newbie
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« Reply #30 on: January 27, 2009, 09:52:39 AM » |
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Have driven it and it handles great, especially compared with the choppy ride of my 500 Sport. Does anyone know why the boost/shift guage is stuck on the dash unlike the left-hand models, where it fits in neatly to the side of the instrument cowel?
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Chris555
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« Reply #31 on: January 27, 2009, 10:12:03 AM » |
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Nearest answer was possibly because people complained it was obsucred, although there may well be something behind the dash on the right hand side which couldn't be moved. Don't know looks a little odd but not exactly the deal breaker I thought it would be.
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simer
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« Reply #32 on: January 27, 2009, 10:52:10 AM » |
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Nearest answer was possibly because people complained it was obsucred, although there may well be something behind the dash on the right hand side which couldn't be moved. Don't know looks a little odd but not exactly the deal breaker I thought it would be.
Not sure if this is the reason or not but here goes..... The instrument binnacle on Fiat 500's has the three buttons for the trip computer & headlight adjustment on the RHS of the speedo on BOTH left and right hand drive cars. If we were to have a mirror image of the LHD Abarth the Turbo gauge would be over he top of these buttons meaning that the whole binnacle would have to be redesigned with buttons & associated wiring on the left of the binnacle. Given that we only count for a couple of thousand A500's per annum, at most, perhaps it is too costly to make this change - hence the cheaper option of plonking it on top? |
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Abarth 500, Red, Petals, White Stripes & Mirrors, Skydome, Climate, Dipping Mirror, Cloth, Split Rear Seats
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Chris555
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« Reply #33 on: January 27, 2009, 11:00:36 AM » |
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Yes that would make a lot of sense, but I would have expected them to have reversed the position so the BG was to the left of the binnacle, maybe it was cheaper just to make it a pod than a proper redesign of the UK 500 dash.
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simer
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« Reply #34 on: January 27, 2009, 11:10:07 AM » |
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Yes that would make a lot of sense, but I would have expected them to have reversed the position so the BG was to the left of the binnacle, maybe it was cheaper just to make it a pod than a proper redesign of the UK 500 dash.
Perhaps it clashed with something else or was obscured, but more likely you are right more - it cost more. I just wish they had fitted the pod with a leather cowl complete with red stitching like the main binnacle - that would have been cool and would have looked a bit less aftermarket. Anyone fancy running up some mini leather cowl covers?  |
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Abarth 500, Red, Petals, White Stripes & Mirrors, Skydome, Climate, Dipping Mirror, Cloth, Split Rear Seats
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OPC
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« Reply #35 on: January 27, 2009, 07:03:34 PM » |
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Test drove one from Westover today. It was white with the 17" 4AY alloys. Ride / handling / steering were fine on the dual carriageways and country lanes that I drove it on. I think that it has enough performace for the price and overall the car was fun to drive. I would say that it didn't seem as focused as the GPA, but I have driven 6K miles in that now and I am pretty used to what it is capable of. I only drove the 500A for about 20 minutes. One thing that I did find very strange with the 500A though, was how high you sat in it, (I felt like Noddy  ). It is the first 500 that I have been in and the car seems to have quite a high roof line and you sit very high in the seat. In traffic I felt as high up as some people carriers / smaller 4x4's that were around me and the guy in a Passat looked much lower. I don't think that I could get used to this, as I like to sit lower within a car. I think it is quite a cute type of car that people will buy for its exterior / interior looks and greater degree of personnalisation over what you can do with the GPA. From the interest that has been showed on here and from speaking to the guys at Westover, I think that it will also outsell the GPA by quite a lot. |
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GPA in velocity red with leather, climate & skydome.
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kradcliffe
Esseesse Member
Posts: 225
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« Reply #36 on: January 27, 2009, 10:00:54 PM » |
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AC Glasgow told me today that I can't get a test drive until 7th Feb per Abarth as that's the launch date.
Question is .... are they full of c**p or are other dealerships breaking the rules?
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Joe
S2000 Member
S2000 Member
Posts: 5909
Abarth 500 SuperSport
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« Reply #37 on: January 27, 2009, 10:07:27 PM » |
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OPC: You're right, you do sit tall and the roofline is quite high. I don't think the Abarth 500 will be to eveyone's tastes with regard to seating positions. I do like to sit low in a car, but I'm used to the 500 I have currently. I think it's down to your own height. If you're a midget like me (5' 7") and you pump the 500's seat right to the bottom then you'll find the seating height pretty damn good, plus the intrusion of the skydome shouldn't be a problem either. The lack of lateral adjustment in the steering doesn't pose too much of a problem either, although I do sometimes find myself sitting further forward than I would normally, because the wheel can't shift a little closer... Basically I dunno if i'd like to drive one if I was over 6 foot, but for me it's just about right... I did however sit in Magicmole's GPA and although I didn't drive the beast, I did feel more "in-control". The 500 is a bit lofty  Then again I can only speak with expereince of my 1.4 Sport. I shall give a proper verdict after test driving the Abarth. 
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ORANGE & LIME™ Track Days
in association with...
CHICKEN & MEAT™ r a c i n g
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OPC
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« Reply #38 on: January 27, 2009, 10:10:06 PM » |
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AC Glasgow told me today that I can't get a test drive until 7th Feb per Abarth as that's the launch date.
Question is .... are they full of c**p or are other dealerships breaking the rules?
Talking c**p as far as I am concerned. Isn't the 7th and 8th just a launch weekend for the car where some / all of the dealers are just going to put a bit of an extra effort in, with local press advertisements, etc. to pull in extra punters. Surely if the dealers have the cars ready, then they can use them. |
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GPA in velocity red with leather, climate & skydome.
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OPC
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« Reply #39 on: January 27, 2009, 10:15:50 PM » |
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The lack of lateral adjustment in the steering doesn't pose too much of a problem either, although I do sometimes find myself sitting further forward than I would normally, because the wheel can't shift a little closer...
I forgot about that. Yes, this was one of the first things that I tried to do. Made it feel strange at first, as I like the steering wheel a bit closer, but once I got going, it felt okay. |
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GPA in velocity red with leather, climate & skydome.
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Salvos_White_Abarth
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« Reply #42 on: March 09, 2010, 03:59:28 PM » |
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I had a test drive with tony at platts. Was really generose of him to tell me i could go on a test drive on my own. that made me feel at ease,however i did ask him to tag along as i didnt know the area. Love the noise how it purs when driving along, really made me smile.Lots of head room being high.i got used to it preety quickly as the last 2 cars have been fiat uno's and punto which are both high cars. The pod guage..not overly keen on that but i got used to it quite quickly and id rather chop it off, it does look abit after market but i think it adds abit of querkyness to the inside that will make passengers ask "whats that?" and then you can tell them its turbo guage. Ride was abit bouncy but that actualy made me laugh and il get used to it i think. Love the interior especialy the steering wheel. The car shifted and i actualy felt comfortable driving it.I felt i could control it, i was abit worried jumping from a 60bhp punto to 135bhp turbo in such a light car. The passengers was Tony, my dad and my brother in the back seats and me driving.Even with a full house of passengers i loved how the car pulled with ease. SUMMARY = 1 on order  Im going to really enjoy it when the car arrives and its my own.i wanted to be abit careful on the test drive. |
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Glyn Hopkin Abarth, proud supporters of Abarthisti