Abarth Grande Punto

Currently reading:
Abarth Grande Punto

Abarth Grande Punto


  • Total voters
    55

blu73

The Force is strong with this one.
Staff member
Joined
Nov 5, 2004
Messages
19,032
Points
3,429
Location
Luke's Jedi Academy
Ladies and Gents, The AGP
 

Attachments

  • Abarth Grande Punto (9).jpg
    Abarth Grande Punto (9).jpg
    62.5 KB · Views: 1,357
  • Grande-Punto-Abarth-27.jpg
    Grande-Punto-Abarth-27.jpg
    500.2 KB · Views: 439
  • download (1).jpg
    download (1).jpg
    10.7 KB · Views: 326
this car commits a Fiat sin! its like the Seicento Abarth and Cinquecento Abarth. its not Mad enough, yet its not plain either, it just looks like its trying too hard.


Abarths should be like Abarths of old like the old 500 (I think) where it over heated so they just welded the bonnet open, that's an Abarth and anything wearing an Abarth badge and its not wheel spinning sideways into a car park on fire is just not an Abarth.
 
Last edited:
this car commits a Fiat sin! its like the Seicento Abarth and Cinquecento Abarth. its not Mad enough, yet its not plain either, it just looks like its trying too hard.


Abarths should be like Abarths of old like the old 500 (I think) where it over heated so they just welded the bonnet open, that's an Abarth and anything wearing an Abarth badge and its not wheel spinning sideways into a car park on fire is just not an Abarth.

this made me actually lol, like literally. i tend to agree but i think its cooler than the 500A and it has potential... I wouldn't want or get one now, but in 10 years i reckon we would all love a AGP - heavily breathed on one thats actually fast though.
 
I don't know, it's pretty mad in EsseEsse trim - 180bhp through the front wheels - it will try to throw you into the hedge if you hit the loud pedal too brutally. You can't really get into the back due to the seat thickness, and the rear seats don't fold more than 45 degrees for the same reason. Keeping a tradition of impracticality! (y)

 
The problem as I see it with the GPA is that it is cheap enough to attract the idiots, and that is never cool :nono: :bang:

They weren't cheap when I bought mine!

Just got to wait for all the idiots to wreck them and crash them now - it will take a few years, but will happen.

People don't always realise how rare the AGP is. 366 were registered, and there are 350 left. I think there were about 60 black ones registered in 2009 (most were red or white), and most won't be the EsseEsse version, as that cost an extra £4000.
 
They weren't cheap when I bought mine!

Just got to wait for all the idiots to wreck them and crash them now - it will take a few years, but will happen.

People don't always realise how rare the AGP is. 366 were registered, and there are 350 left. I think there were about 60 black ones registered in 2009 (most were red or white), and most won't be the EsseEsse version, as that cost an extra £4000.


Your EsseEsse is possibly the best AGP I've seen, No gaudy decals but still capable of ripping your head off, it is also posibly the lowest milage AGP on the road.
 
i been in a APE supersport and driven an AGP essesse and it just felt a bit boring to me.. I know its not slow or anything but crucially it didn't feel particularly fast. I embarrassed a lad in on with my old seicento turbo and pretty sure a mk1 GT would utterly destroy one.. The engine is good though, throw some tuning things at it and it can make really impressive numbers but out the box it feels lacklustre to me and lacking excitement. All this is of course just my opinion, i can see why people like them and stuff but for me they need to age another 10 to 15 years and then i suspect i will really want one lol.

The grande in general i have always thought feels flimsy and badly put together inside which is a big shame - defo the best looking hatch released recently (yes its not really recently anymore but i still consider them new cars).
 
i been in a APE supersport and driven an AGP essesse and it just felt a bit boring to me.. I know its not slow or anything but crucially it didn't feel particularly fast. I embarrassed a lad in on with my old seicento turbo and pretty sure a mk1 GT would utterly destroy one.. The engine is good though, throw some tuning things at it and it can make really impressive numbers but out the box it feels lacklustre to me and lacking excitement. All this is of course just my opinion, i can see why people like them and stuff but for me they need to age another 10 to 15 years and then i suspect i will really want one lol.

The grande in general i have always thought feels flimsy and badly put together inside which is a big shame - defo the best looking hatch released recently (yes its not really recently anymore but i still consider them new cars).

You weren't driving it right then!! The EsseEsse is quicker 0-62 and top speed than a mk1 GT.

It is extremely docile until prodded. A couple of people have tried mine & thought it wasn't that quick as a passenger - it nearly threw then into the hedge despite my warning!

The early Grande looked a bit flimsy inside, but the Abarth always gets compliments about the quality of the fit & finish. Are you sure it was an Abarth? ;)
 
Last edited:
Yes i'm sure haha.. Like I said though, its not that its not fast more that it didn't feel fast. Actual numbers are different to feel is what i am getting at, I don't like the feel. Had the same with a few cars, prime example would be when i almost bought a Alfa GTV V6 - Pretty car, and on paper well specced with a great engine. 220+bhp, loads of torque, scrambles to 60 in under 7 seconds blah blah but if you actually sit in one and poke it with a sharp stick it really doesn't feel like its going as fast as it is - and i had the same thing with the AGP, to me it just didn't feel quick and exciting.

Not convinced its faster than a GT either, yep its got 50ish bhp on a GT but on paper they both have almost exactly the same 0-60, top speeds mean nothing in real life. And the GT just feels like its trying to headbutt the horizon by comparison to me.

I'm really not trying to knock the AGP at all, I don't mind it as a car and it looks immense - just i walked away disappointed by it whereas when i first got in a GT i was properly shocked and impressed by it. But its all this is my personal preference on cars and how they should be and feel.
 
Last edited:
You weren't driving it right then!! The EsseEsse is quicker 0-62 and top speed than a mk1 GT.

It is extremely docile until prodded. A couple of people have tried mine & thought it wasn't that quick as a passenger - it nearly threw then into the hedge despite my warning!

The early Grande looked a bit flimsy inside, but the Abarth always gets compliments about the quality of the fit & finish. Are you sure it was an Abarth? ;)

They really aren't that quick, even the essesse is something like 7.7 seconds to 60? it should have been in the mid 6's standard, where the focus st's are.

The fact the Abarth 500's are quicker than the AGP just compounds it.

Fiat made a massive mistake there.

But they do have a certain coolness to them all the same, fast enough for what it should be or not.
 
see its not even the speed though, its the sense of urgency or lack thereof i don't like. Each to their own though

I agree, my point is more that it doesn't feel quick and on paper, it isn't as quick as it's rivals, so it's really a double whammy.

If it was the speed it is, but had a rawness to it, it'd feel more "alive" and faster, or it could be faster and not feel fast but at least on paper it was, as it is, it's neither.
 
The grande in general i have always thought feels flimsy and badly put together inside which is a big shame - defo the best looking hatch released recently (yes its not really recently anymore but i still consider them new cars).

It pains me to say it, but as much I absolutely loved my old mk2 Punto, the build quality on my Grande is far better. It defo doesn't feel flimsy or badly put together.
 
For reference it's 7.5 secs 0-62 officially, so quicker than a mk1 GT.

If everyone substitutes excitement for character then I'll agree! It's indecently quick overtaking, and is more capable than I am on the bends - not really interested in traffic light grand prix's (unless I'm in a 127, or maybe a Panda!!) these days so 0-62 is largely academic.

Personally I prefer a mk1 Punto Sporting (notice I didn't say GT ;) ) because of the feel & feedback you get (amongst other things). Doesn't mean it's better though - and I would choose the AGP to drive a few 100 miles at high motorway speeds.

It's good everyone doesn't like the same thing, and good that people believe the 500 Abarth is better. I'll see what everyone says when it's 15/20 years old, I think. (y)
 
They weren't cheap when I bought mine!

Just got to wait for all the idiots to wreck them and crash them now - it will take a few years, but will happen.

People don't always realise how rare the AGP is. 366 were registered, and there are 350 left. I think there were about 60 black ones registered in 2009 (most were red or white), and most won't be the EsseEsse version, as that cost an extra £4000.

The rarity makes it cool for me :cool:

Mine is the only one in Northampton so far, haven't seen any others yet :D
 
Last edited:
For reference it's 7.5 secs 0-62 officially, so quicker than a mk1 GT.

If everyone substitutes excitement for character then I'll agree! It's indecently quick overtaking, and is more capable than I am on the bends - not really interested in traffic light grand prix's (unless I'm in a 127, or maybe a Panda!!) these days so 0-62 is largely academic.

Personally I prefer a mk1 Punto Sporting (notice I didn't say GT ;) ) because of the feel & feedback you get (amongst other things). Doesn't mean it's better though - and I would choose the AGP to drive a few 100 miles at high motorway speeds.

It's good everyone doesn't like the same thing, and good that people believe the 500 Abarth is better. I'll see what everyone says when it's 15/20 years old, I think. (y)

Yep i agree with this, as an everyday car i would pick the AGP too probably, particularly if i was doing quite a lot of miles. For something to make me grin i would take the GT.

But still, 7.8 secs vs 7.5 secs - they are basically same on acceleration, its close enough for a race to be decided by driver skill/error anyway which makes them the same in my book :p
 
I embarrassed a lad in on with my old seicento turbo and pretty sure a mk1 GT would utterly destroy one..

But still, 7.8 secs vs 7.5 secs - they are basically same on acceleration, its close enough for a race to be decided by driver skill/error anyway which makes them the same in my book :p

It's you said a mk1 would utterly destroy one - make up your mind! :nerner:
 
Back
Top