Anyone tow a Fiat Abarth?

J

jerry work

New member
Feb 3, 2003
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Hi all,

We are just back from a 1000+ jaunt to the SF Bay area and back to have Thanksgiving with all three of our sons and their families. Great time was had by all and somehow we managed to navigate past the political stuff with no noses getting bent out of joint. All of our sons live in the tiny sliver of Ecotopia along the west coast that has a specific political slant. While we also live in this region, our political slant is …. different from that so without careful navigation the sparks can fly, especially now. Thankfully, they didn’t.

The Clasco ran like a champ without a whimper as it roared up and over the many hills along the US101 (the route along the Pacific coast). As with most of our trips, we never needed to shift into second with our 3.67 effective gearing and never strained the engine either. As we were nearing home I decided to lean out the FiTech EFI a bit - adding 0.2 to the target air/fuel ratios across the board everywhere but under WOT which I left as it has tuned itself as we have driven in all kinds of terrain. Randy Van Winkle made this suggestion on the Facebook GMC FiTech page. I think the 455 likes it a bit leaner, but time will tell. I will report more when we get back from the winter jaunt into the SW and Mexico. Those are usually around 3,000 to 4,000 mile trips so I can compare operating temps and fuel consumption to see if it makes much difference. maybe Randy can chime in here and add his experience to explain the whys behind leaning out the FiTech a bit for our application.

Next week I will have the time to add the FiTech EFI the Royale along with converting its Onan to run on either propane or gasoline at the flip of one toggle switch. If any of you have not yet seen my presentation on that conversion, I urge you to download it off of GMCWS and several other GMC club web sites. It works like a charm and costs less than $300. Running on propane your existing Onan will likely out live you and the next several owners combined. Plus your Onan will start more easily and run much better to boot. The ~14 gallons of propane you have on board is plenty to run the Onan for nearly all your needs except, maybe, long stents running the roof air(s). When you need to do that, flip the toggle switch and run on gasoline.

As the subject notes, I am considering buying a Fiat 500 Abarth to use as a tow car. It is among the lightest and smallest modern cars at 2500 pounds and just under 12’ long. I would like to hear from any of you who have owned or towed this vehicle with a GMC - the good, the bad and the ugly. While the auto mags generally pan the car, our needs in terms of a tow car to pull behind a GMC are far more important to me that what some mag writer thinks about it when compared to other performance cars in this segment. The older Mini Cooper S is similarly light, but longer. The newer ones are considerably heavier and longer. I will appreciate your comments. Thanks.

Jerry
Jerry Work
The Dovetail Joint
Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907 former Masonic Temple building in historic Kerby, OR

glwork
http://jerrywork.com
 
Jerry,

The French philosopher Voltaire is credited with the following:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

However, it was actually written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall in her book "Friends of Voltaire." She felt that was his philosophy
regarding democracy.

Clearly you and your family members agree! :-)

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
USAussie - Downunder
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808

-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of Gerald Work
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2016 11:51 AM
To: GMC Motor Home Post
Subject: [GMCnet] Anyone tow a Fiat Abarth?

Hi all,

We are just back from a 1000+ jaunt to the SF Bay area and back to have Thanksgiving with all three of our sons and their families.
Great time was had by all and somehow we managed to navigate past the political stuff with no noses getting bent out of joint. All
of our sons live in the tiny sliver of Ecotopia along the west coast that has a specific political slant. While we also live in
this region, our political slant is .. different from that so without careful navigation the sparks can fly, especially now.
Thankfully, they didn't.

The Clasco ran like a champ without a whimper as it roared up and over the many hills along the US101 (the route along the Pacific
coast). As with most of our trips, we never needed to shift into second with our 3.67 effective gearing and never strained the
engine either. As we were nearing home I decided to lean out the FiTech EFI a bit - adding 0.2 to the target air/fuel ratios across
the board everywhere but under WOT which I left as it has tuned itself as we have driven in all kinds of terrain. Randy Van Winkle
made this suggestion on the Facebook GMC FiTech page. I think the 455 likes it a bit leaner, but time will tell. I will report
more when we get back from the winter jaunt into the SW and Mexico. Those are usually around 3,000 to 4,000 mile trips so I can
compare operating temps and fuel consumption to see if it makes much difference. maybe Randy can chime in here and add his
experience to explain the whys behind leaning out the FiTech a bit for our application.

Next week I will have the time to add the FiTech EFI the Royale along with converting its Onan to run on either propane or gasoline
at the flip of one toggle switch. If any of you have not yet seen my presentation on that conversion, I urge you to download it off
of GMCWS and several other GMC club web sites. It works like a charm and costs less than $300. Running on propane your existing
Onan will likely out live you and the next several owners combined. Plus your Onan will start more easily and run much better to
boot. The ~14 gallons of propane you have on board is plenty to run the Onan for nearly all your needs except, maybe, long stents
running the roof air(s). When you need to do that, flip the toggle switch and run on gasoline.

As the subject notes, I am considering buying a Fiat 500 Abarth to use as a tow car. It is among the lightest and smallest modern
cars at 2500 pounds and just under 12' long. I would like to hear from any of you who have owned or towed this vehicle with a GMC -
the good, the bad and the ugly. While the auto mags generally pan the car, our needs in terms of a tow car to pull behind a GMC are
far more important to me that what some mag writer thinks about it when compared to other performance cars in this segment. The
older Mini Cooper S is similarly light, but longer. The newer ones are considerably heavier and longer. I will appreciate your
comments. Thanks.

Jerry
Jerry Work
The Dovetail Joint
Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907 former Masonic Temple building in historic Kerby, OR

glwork
http://jerrywork.com

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No idea about towing, someone on another list I was on had one, the fancy
shocks are great. Could not find a shop manual, I think even online, if you
want to do your own work, you might want to see if that has changed. Nice
little cars.

> Jerry,
>
> The French philosopher Voltaire is credited with the following:
>
> "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right
> to say it."
>
> However, it was actually written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall in her book
> "Friends of Voltaire." She felt that was his philosophy
> regarding democracy.
>
> Clearly you and your family members agree! :-)
>
> Regards,
> Rob M.
> The Pedantic Mechanic
> USAussie - Downunder
> AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
> USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
> USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of
> Gerald Work
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2016 11:51 AM
> To: GMC Motor Home Post
> Subject: [GMCnet] Anyone tow a Fiat Abarth?
>
> Hi all,
>
> We are just back from a 1000+ jaunt to the SF Bay area and back to have
> Thanksgiving with all three of our sons and their families.
> Great time was had by all and somehow we managed to navigate past the
> political stuff with no noses getting bent out of joint. All
> of our sons live in the tiny sliver of Ecotopia along the west coast that
> has a specific political slant. While we also live in
> this region, our political slant is .. different from that so without
> careful navigation the sparks can fly, especially now.
> Thankfully, they didn't.
>
> The Clasco ran like a champ without a whimper as it roared up and over the
> many hills along the US101 (the route along the Pacific
> coast). As with most of our trips, we never needed to shift into second
> with our 3.67 effective gearing and never strained the
> engine either. As we were nearing home I decided to lean out the FiTech
> EFI a bit - adding 0.2 to the target air/fuel ratios across
> the board everywhere but under WOT which I left as it has tuned itself as
> we have driven in all kinds of terrain. Randy Van Winkle
> made this suggestion on the Facebook GMC FiTech page. I think the 455
> likes it a bit leaner, but time will tell. I will report
> more when we get back from the winter jaunt into the SW and Mexico. Those
> are usually around 3,000 to 4,000 mile trips so I can
> compare operating temps and fuel consumption to see if it makes much
> difference. maybe Randy can chime in here and add his
> experience to explain the whys behind leaning out the FiTech a bit for our
> application.
>
> Next week I will have the time to add the FiTech EFI the Royale along with
> converting its Onan to run on either propane or gasoline
> at the flip of one toggle switch. If any of you have not yet seen my
> presentation on that conversion, I urge you to download it off
> of GMCWS and several other GMC club web sites. It works like a charm and
> costs less than $300. Running on propane your existing
> Onan will likely out live you and the next several owners combined. Plus
> your Onan will start more easily and run much better to
> boot. The ~14 gallons of propane you have on board is plenty to run the
> Onan for nearly all your needs except, maybe, long stents
> running the roof air(s). When you need to do that, flip the toggle switch
> and run on gasoline.
>
> As the subject notes, I am considering buying a Fiat 500 Abarth to use as
> a tow car. It is among the lightest and smallest modern
> cars at 2500 pounds and just under 12' long. I would like to hear from
> any of you who have owned or towed this vehicle with a GMC -
> the good, the bad and the ugly. While the auto mags generally pan the
> car, our needs in terms of a tow car to pull behind a GMC are
> far more important to me that what some mag writer thinks about it when
> compared to other performance cars in this segment. The
> older Mini Cooper S is similarly light, but longer. The newer ones are
> considerably heavier and longer. I will appreciate your
> comments. Thanks.
>
> Jerry
> Jerry Work
> The Dovetail Joint
> Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907 former Masonic Temple
> building in historic Kerby, OR
>
> glwork
> http://jerrywork.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
No experience with the Fiat, except long ago when it was a "Fix It Again Tony" car. I am sure they have gotten better since then. You might consider
a Honda Fit, also at slightly over 2500 pounds (I think they are listed at 2559). If you were to get a pre 2014 model without the CVT transmission,
the auto transmission model (as well as the standard) can be towed 4 wheels down up to 60 mph for 8 hours without running the engine again to re-lube
the transmission. We have towed a 2013 auto transmission Fit for about 5000 miles and are very happy with it. You might finally have to use 2nd gear
on highway 101 though!
--
John Shutzbaugh, Vacaville, CA;
77 Eleganza, bought it new, can't blame PO, and
78 Buskirk stretch, "What were we thinking?"
 
Gerald,
> As the subject notes, I am considering buying a Fiat 500 Abarth to use as a tow car. It is among the lightest and smallest modern cars at 2500 pounds and just under 12’ long. I would like to hear from any of you who have owned or towed this vehicle with a GMC - the good, the bad and the ugly. While the auto mags generally pan the car, our needs in terms of a tow car to pull behind a GMC are far more important to me that what some mag writer thinks about it when compared to other performance cars in this segment. The older Mini Cooper S is similarly light, but longer. The newer ones are considerably heavier and longer. I will appreciate your comments. Thanks.

No personal experience, but something funny to read:

http://www.theladbible.com/funny/cars-womans-ebay-ad-for-fiat-500-that-needs-a-little-tlc-is-comedy-gold-20160524

--
Best regards

Peer Oliver Schmidt
the internet company
PGP Key ID: 0x83E1C2EA
 
Hello Jerry,

As for the Fiat 500, my wife had for some time a Fiat 500S, 4 cylinder 100 HP, and since towing a car on its own wheels is not allowed in several
countries, here in Europe, we did not tow it behind our RV.

She used the car mostly for home-work, shopping and short drives.
The times I drove it, I always was excited about its go-cart handling and speed.
But be aware what was already a very stiff ride with the 500 Sport, the Abarth is still much more stiffer in its suspention and shocks, it is almost
to the level of "bouncing" on the road. I driven one at the Fiat dealership were we always come.

Pffffff ... My back and neck hurted afterwards. For me it was far to much.
And even in our 500S, long drives was not so much comfort as with my car.
But for the shorter drives we loved it.
Not trying to say you what to do, but take that into consideration.
And thinking of the more bad roads I can imagin that, the Abarth as a towd, will be bouncing down the road, behind your GMC.

It is a very nice little car, but for more comfort I would advice you the more "normal ones"
Don't even take the bigger rims, stick to the standard, so you have the most "rubber". Under it, that smoothens out much more and makes driving this
nice car even more enjoyable.

And it is always possible pimping it by switching some emblems from Fiat to Abarth ... :)

PS we now switched back from two cars to one, and it is a 500X automatic and I must say it is a nice drive.

Succes and many nice drives, Daniel
--
Daniel Jacobs, No GMC, but an admirer of them .... We'll see what the future brings ....

Always remember, the world is full of nice people!
So, if you can't find one, be one!
 
A friend bought the convertable model a year and a half ago to pull behind his Sprinter chassis MH. His wife thinks it's "cute" he likes the low
weight for towing. We went to the Fiat dealership and drove one of the basic models and weren't too impressed. They are a little easier to enter and
exit than our VW wagon but the road holding and feel fall far short of the VW's IMO. We put a lot of miles on the towd so road manners are important
and weight isn't the only consideration. Not much out there new in the Fiat's weight class for sure and they do appeal to a lot of folks. It's always
a compromise.
Hal
--
1977 Royale 101348,

1977 Royale 101586, Diesel powered,

1974 Eagle Bus 45',w/slideout
 
The Abarth is a nice little 'hotrod in a paper sack.' I drove it and the 1600cc manual shift Kia Soul, and bought the Soul both for price and
utility. I haven't put them head to head off a light, but I expect they'd run about the same. The Soul will eat a stock 500 in that circumstance.
Curb weight (my 2012) is 2615. Demco has a baseplate for towing it. The base 1600 with the manual 6 speed steams along nicely when you keep the revs
up. Base equipment is nice, it has everything but a cruise control. The cruise control is ~~300 bux from Rostra, and installs without opening the
hood. You need only remove the fascia around the steering wheel and punch a hole in it to mount the control stalk.
Kia hung the tech out on this engine, direct injection and dual overhead cams, both phased and a dual length intake. You can feel all of it open up,
the little car jumps at about 3K on the tach and pulls happily out to the redline. I have yet to see under 30MPG, it's usually north of 35 on the
freeway with the cruise set at 3K RPM. 5th and 6th are both overdrives, hills of any length or steepness want to see downshifts. I just rolled over
95K, it runs the same as when I got it. One set of tires, original pads, hoses and belt. It gets 5W20 synthetic and a new filter and tire rotation
every 5K miles. At 100K, I propose to do all the hoses, and the belt and antifreeze, and keep going.
I found out by skinning both doors against a gas pump bollard, body work can run to money. Replacing the doors with new requires a LOT of labor to
move all the components. Consequently, I'm looking for a set of white doors on a salvage yard and driving the dents in the meantime.

--johnny

--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends" --Robert Earl Keen
 
OH, and the women in my life are politically not aligned with me. Consequently, the rule its, Politics and religion not spoken here. Samesame for
rallies. It works well.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends" --Robert Earl Keen
 
The person I'd heard from said the adaptive shocks in the Abarth gave it a
better ride than the sport, perhaps that is a difference between the EU and
USA versions?

--
Plato seems wrong to me today.
 
I have a 1990 Ford Bronco II 2 wheel drive 5 speed manual Trans equipped
for towing behind my GMC with Blue Ox tow equipment. I have towed it short
distances to verify that all is well, but never have done an extended
distance with it. It weighs less than 3000 pounds. I think it reminds me of
tin cans tied to the bumper. A constant annoyance that detracts from the
pleasure of driving the GMC without the toad.
I have worked on coaches that tow Smart cars, Mini Coopers, Rav 4s,
and Suzuki Samurai's but no Fiat's. The universal comments from the owners
seems to be centered around fuel use and "I can't back up with it
connected." The Smart car seems to be the most Fiat-like of the bunch. I
like Fiat's advertising campaigns, but, their early (60s) cars were not
very good in the durability department. Perhaps they have improved in the
ensuing years. That's all I got.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC ROYALE 403

> A friend bought the convertable model a year and a half ago to pull behind
> his Sprinter chassis MH. His wife thinks it's "cute" he likes the low
> weight for towing. We went to the Fiat dealership and drove one of the
> basic models and weren't too impressed. They are a little easier to enter
> and
> exit than our VW wagon but the road holding and feel fall far short of the
> VW's IMO. We put a lot of miles on the towd so road manners are important
> and weight isn't the only consideration. Not much out there new in the
> Fiat's weight class for sure and they do appeal to a lot of folks. It's
> always
> a compromise.
> Hal
> --
> 1977 Royale 101348,
>
> 1977 Royale 101586, Diesel powered,
>
> 1974 Eagle Bus 45',w/slideout
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
After doing a fair bit of work on a 1976 Ford Pinto, which seemed to have
been designed by cost accountants (well, nice 4 speed manual, but that was
it), my 1971 FIAT Spider seemed to have been designed by people who
expected to own one, and work on it themselves. I expect that has changed.

> I have a 1990 Ford Bronco II 2 wheel drive 5 speed manual Trans equipped
> for towing behind my GMC with Blue Ox tow equipment. I have towed it short
> distances to verify that all is well, but never have done an extended
> distance with it. It weighs less than 3000 pounds. I think it reminds me of
> tin cans tied to the bumper. A constant annoyance that detracts from the
> pleasure of driving the GMC without the toad.
> I have worked on coaches that tow Smart cars, Mini Coopers, Rav 4s,
> and Suzuki Samurai's but no Fiat's. The universal comments from the owners
> seems to be centered around fuel use and "I can't back up with it
> connected." The Smart car seems to be the most Fiat-like of the bunch. I
> like Fiat's advertising campaigns, but, their early (60s) cars were not
> very good in the durability department. Perhaps they have improved in the
> ensuing years. That's all I got.
> Jim Hupy
> Salem, Or
> 78 GMC ROYALE 403
>
> On Nov 29, 2016 7:56 AM, "Hal StClair"

>
> > A friend bought the convertable model a year and a half ago to pull
> behind
> > his Sprinter chassis MH. His wife thinks it's "cute" he likes the low
> > weight for towing. We went to the Fiat dealership and drove one of the
> > basic models and weren't too impressed. They are a little easier to enter
> > and
> > exit than our VW wagon but the road holding and feel fall far short of
> the
> > VW's IMO. We put a lot of miles on the towd so road manners are important
> > and weight isn't the only consideration. Not much out there new in the
> > Fiat's weight class for sure and they do appeal to a lot of folks. It's
> > always
> > a compromise.
> > Hal
> > --
> > 1977 Royale 101348,
> >
> > 1977 Royale 101586, Diesel powered,
> >
> > 1974 Eagle Bus 45',w/slideout
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
> >
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Plato seems wrong to me today.
 
Thanks for the good feedback, all. Keep it coming. The choices get a bit =
scarce when SHE demands a modern car (read crumple zones other than your kn=
ees, lots of air bags, capable of being driven in dense city traffic, etc.)=
and I want to keep it light, physically small, have room for an occasional=
third or fourth person, and a bit fun to drive. The Minis Cooper Ss we ha=
ve seen all seem to be full of rattles, rode hard and put away wet. The Fi=
ats with the base engine seem overly anemic. The turbo engined ones have p=
lenty of pep and fun to drive and with the very rapid depreciation (half of=
f for a couple of year old ones with less than 15,000 miles) could work as =
a tow car. We are no where near a Fiat dealer so service if needed would b=
e probematic both at home and on the road. We don=E2=80=99t care about it =
for other uses. SHE wants an automatic which would render the Mini or the =
Fiat to tow dolly service (ugh - anyone found one of those that is not a pa=
in in the butt to live with?). The Ford Fiesta and pre-2014 Honda Fit are =
only a bit heavier and both can be towed four down with an automatic trans =
but they duplicate function otherwise for cars we already have. So far it =
is a head vs heart issue. That is why I am looking for feedback from those=
of you who do tow something newer. Jerry Jerry Work The Dovetail =
Joint Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907 former Masonic=
Temple building in historic Kerby, OR glwork http://jerryw=
ork.com
 
I guess the key issue is towing (wheels down or otherwise); Like others, I can't offer.

Two experiences with the Fiat 500 (neither Abarths): one disappointing - one quite enjoyable.

Picked up rental unit at Newark Airport for 90 mile HiWay drive to Connecticut late winter - couple years ago. I had been WANTING to drive one of
these but it did not handle the crappy Rt# 95 road conditions at all well;. Short wheelbase caused harsh reflexive front/back bounce over the
slightest bumps (and there were many not so slight). I did TEST the handling too and found the rear had a tendency to "come-around" surprisingly easy
and quick (roads were cold but....) I was soooo disappointed.

Last spring, we spent over a week driving a 500 Cabriolet on mostly back roads in Italy. Even though our car was an automatic, the experience
couldn't have been any more enjoyable - We did do some highway driving too: No problems keeping up or with crosswinds. Quite a solid - enjoyable
experience.
So, I suppose the condition of the roads make the difference.

PS: I also wanted to let you know that, some years ago, we came VERY CLOSE to buying a former Odd Fellows Hall (much like your place)to live in -
Coulda' - Woulda' - Shoulda but, I'm enjoying yours' vicariously.
--
Jim Gunther
www.LotusV6.com

now former owner - ;(

73 GMC-II 2600
by Explorer
 
The Fiat 500 L is available with a Euro Twin Clutch Transmission which is a=
n automatic. The Internet sites say it is 10% more fuel efficient than the=
manual transmission. This one can be towed 4 wheels down. The L version=
is a four door so it is a little heavier but not that much. The Euro Twin=
Clutch is about $1300 more than the manual transmission. It is only availa=
ble in the L model. I am considering purchasing one of these this next=
year. My current toad is a Geo Tracker 4 door hardtop and I like the four=
doors. I have driven both the Mini and the Fiat 500 and I like the dr=
ive of the Fiat better. Emery Stora 77 Kingsley Frederick, CO =
> On Nov 29, 2016, at 9:40 AM, Gerald Work wrote: > =
> Thanks for the good feedback, all. Keep it coming. The choices get a=
bit scarce when SHE demands a modern car (read crumple zones other than yo=
ur knees, lots of air bags, capable of being driven in dense city traffic, =
etc.) and I want to keep it light, physically small, have room for an occas=
ional third or fourth person, and a bit fun to drive. The Minis Cooper Ss =
we have seen all seem to be full of rattles, rode hard and put away wet. T=
he Fiats with the base engine seem overly anemic. The turbo engined ones h=
ave plenty of pep and fun to drive and with the very rapid depreciation (ha=
lf off for a couple of year old ones with less than 15,000 miles) could wor=
k as a tow car. We are no where near a Fiat dealer so service if needed wo=
uld be probematic both at home and on the road. We don=E2=80=99t care abou=
t it for other uses. SHE wants an automatic which would render the Mini or=
the Fiat to tow dolly service (ugh - anyone found one of those that is not=
a pain in the butt to live with?). The Ford Fiesta and pre-2014 Honda Fit=
are only a bit heavier and both can be towed four down with an automatic t=
rans but they duplicate function otherwise for cars we already have. So fa=
r it is a head vs heart issue. That is why I am looking for feedback from =
those of you who do tow something newer. > > Jerry > Jerry Work > =
The Dovetail Joint > Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907=
former Masonic Temple building in historic Kerby, OR >
 
Hello Ronald,

A better ride, sure ... Not a smoother ... The Abarth is like a go-cart.
Minimal suspention, adaptive shocks and that makes it stick to the road like a F1-racecar.
I drove both, although the Abarth runs almost 125 miles/h it is too expensive for daily use, its a nice toy.

Even de 500Sport (we had the 4 cylinder with 100 HP) is not that comfortable, I did not like drive it for more then 10-20 miles.
To stiff suspension. But for short, quick drives, on good roads it beats almost every bigger car, since its weight is low and it sticks to the road
like nothing.

Someone wanting a 500, I would advice a long, long testdrive, and take those bad roads to test.

Daniel
--
Daniel Jacobs, No GMC, but an admirer of them .... We'll see what the future brings ....

Always remember, the world is full of nice people!
So, if you can't find one, be one!
 
I just saw where Kia has introduced a Turbo Soul! Wife and I test drove on=
e a couple of years ago. Turbo version might actually get me into the Soul=
stable! You can't tow ANY Soul four wheels down. Front wheel d=
rive versions need a tow dolly. I think GMCer Bridges has a Soul an=
d at last word, he really enjoys it. I think he had a rented one at the Br=
anson rally a couple of years back. Mac Macdonald in OKC =
________________________________ From: Gmclist on behalf of Gerald Work Sent: Tuesday, Novem=
ber 29, 2016 10:40 To: GMC Motor Home Post Subject: [GMCnet] Anyone tow=
a Fiat Abarth? Thanks for the good feedback, all. Keep it coming. T=
he choices get a bit scarce when SHE demands a modern car (read crumple zon=
es other than your knees, lots of air bags, capable of being driven in dens=
e city traffic, etc.) and I want to keep it light, physically small, have r=
oom for an occasional third or fourth person, and a bit fun to drive. The =
Minis Cooper Ss we have seen all seem to be full of rattles, rode hard and =
put away wet. The Fiats with the base engine seem overly anemic. The turb=
o engined ones have plenty of pep and fun to drive and with the very rapid =
depreciation (half off for a couple of year old ones with less than 15,000 =
miles) could work as a tow car. We are no where near a Fiat dealer so serv=
ice if needed would be probematic both at home and on the road. We don't c=
are about it for other uses. SHE wants an automatic which would render the=
Mini or the Fiat to tow dolly service (ugh - anyone found one of those tha=
t is not a pain in the butt to live with?). The Ford Fiesta and pre-2014 H=
onda Fit are only a bit heavier and both can be towed four down with an aut=
omatic trans but they duplicate function otherwise for cars we already have=
. So far it is a head vs heart issue. That is why I am looking for feedba=
ck from those of you who do tow something newer. Jerry Jerry Work =
The Dovetail Joint Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907 f=
ormer Masonic Temple building in historic Kerby, OR glwork h=
ttp://jerrywork.com Jerry Work - The Dovetail Joint jerrywork.com Fine furniture designed hand crafted by Jerry Work in t=
he 1907 Masonic Temple building in historic Kerby, OR woodwork, burl, walnu=
t, oak, maple, figured, highly ... __=
_____________________________________________ GMCnet mailing list Unsub=
scribe or Change List Options: http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gm=
clist_list.gmcnet.org Gmclist Info Page - list.gmcnet.org list.gmcnet.org To se=
e the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the Gmclist Archives.=
Using Gmclist: To post a message to all the list members, send email ...=
 
My daughter has a 500L. Nice car. I am about 5'10" and I can sit in the back seat with my feet flat on the floor and thighs touching the seat. Lots of leg room, handles well and is turbo'ed.

> The Fiat 500 L is available with a Euro Twin Clutch Transmission which is an automatic. The Internet sites say it is 10% more fuel efficient than the manual transmission. This one can be towed 4 wheels down.
> The L version is a four door so it is a little heavier but not that much. The Euro Twin Clutch is about $1300 more than the manual transmission. It is only available in the L model.
>
> I am considering purchasing one of these this next year. My current toad is a Geo Tracker 4 door hardtop and I like the four doors.
>
> I have driven both the Mini and the Fiat 500 and I like the drive of the Fiat better.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Frederick, CO
>
>
 
I guess the key issue is towing (wheels down or otherwise); Like others, I can't offer.

Two experiences with the Fiat 500 (neither Abarths): one disappointing - one quite enjoyable.

Picked up rental unit at Newark Airport for 90 mile HiWay drive to Connecticut late winter - couple years ago. I had been WANTING to drive one of
these but it did not handle the crappy Rt# 95 road conditions at all well;. Short wheelbase caused harsh reflexive front/back bounce over the
slightest bumps (and there were many not so slight). I did TEST the handling too and found the rear had a tendency to "come-around" surprisingly easy
and quick (roads were cold but....) I was soooo disappointed.

Last spring, we spent over a week driving a 500 Cabriolet on mostly back roads in Italy. Even though our car was an automatic, the experience
couldn't have been any more enjoyable - We did do some highway driving too: No problems keeping up or with crosswinds. Quite a solid - enjoyable
experience.
So, I suppose the condition of the roads make the difference.

PS: I also wanted to let you know that, some years ago, we came VERY CLOSE to buying a former Odd Fellows Hall (much like your place)to live in -
Coulda' - Woulda' - Shoulda but, I'm enjoying yours' vicariously.
--
Jim Gunther
www.LotusV6.com

now former owner - ;(

73 GMC-II 2600
by Explorer
===============
 
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