General Abarth 695 Tributo Review in Evo

[brigguscoop]

New Evo Mag just dropped through the letterbox and there is a review of the 695. They really like it which is high praise from Evo Magazine. Four and a half stars!

 

[BLKC99]

New Evo Mag just dropped through the letterbox and there is a review of the 695. They really like it which is high praise from Evo Magazine. Four and a half stars!

Not only does it look mean, bright red and really cool...


but it also sounds like some flaming italian super car, what the hell have they done to the exhaust system in the little 500 LOL check it out

 

[loveshandbags]

Not only does it look mean, bright red and really cool...
but it also sounds like some flaming italian super car, what the hell have they done to the exhaust system in the little 500 LOL check it out

Has anyone broken down the extras on the 695 to see if the price justifies the cost over say the standard A500 aside from the Dualogic that's fitted and the Scuderia Ferrari red ?
Monza exhaust
Sabelts
Brembos
Bigger discs
180bhp - probably the turbo off the Punto & the ECU
Carbon fibre dash and mirror backs
Stripes
Badges
???
http://www.zercustoms.com/news/Abarth-Fiat-500-Tributo-Ferrari-Price.html

 

[jimbro1000]

I did guesstimate on the difference in cost and reckon that the badges on the side account for half the extra price tag.

I would still have one (given the opportunity) but not in red - blue or grey look best imho

 

[loveshandbags]

I did guesstimate on the difference in cost and reckon that the badges on the side account for half the extra price tag.

I would still have one (given the opportunity) but not in red - blue or grey look best imho

Even in dualogic ?

 

[jimbro1000]

I would want to try the dualogic on the car out for myself first but I don't believe it is too great a hurdle.

The old semi-auto system on Fiats was pretty hard to master but once you got the hang of it wasn't actually all that bad, it didn't feel like it was holding you back but then the manual on the standard Abarth is rather nice and allows for very quick changes - far quicker than was possible with the older boxes...

 

[loveshandbags]

I did guesstimate on the difference in cost and reckon that the badges on the side account for half the extra price tag.

I would still have one (given the opportunity) but not in red - blue or grey look best imho

You were correct about the Blue (!) not that I will be every buying this particular model unless I win the Lotto

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/751C926F66774729CA25789A000C6623

Trimmed in grey leather on versions with Abu Dhabi Blue exterior paint and in natural black leather on Titanium Grey versions (Scuderia Red and Modena Yellow cars will also be produced), the front sports buckets are lifted direct from the racetrack and feature a carbon-fibre shell and seat base.

 

[fiatdownunder]

having driven the 695, well two of them, I can safely say that the system is NOT dualogic
seriously huge difference between this system and the standard 500 D/L system.

695 is smooth, quicker, will crawl along in traffic smoothly etc

totally love the car, just a shame it would never get out of second gear due to the fantastic exhaust note

 

[grimwau]

As stated the competizione gearbox is different to the dualogic and I found that on the standard Abarth 500c it is quite sluggish in operation, but I believe the 695 has better software and the gearchanges and operation is more slick.

I think that when/if the DSG type gearbox is introduced that will make it far better and will hopefully be available on tin tops as well.

 

[ivantate]

Saw a grey one one the Bologna Tangenziale today.

 

[brigguscoop]

I didn't realise you could get the 695 in different colours. I had presumed it was red only.

 

[grimwau]

I didn't realise you could get the 695 in different colours. I had presumed it was red only.

Different price points as well IIRC. Red being cheapest and yellow and blue costing an extra £1000 and £2000 respectively, I think but not sure about the grey. Apparently the blue one is going to be delayed by about a month (now July) as the paint pigments are produced in Japan and we know how badly they are suffering at the moment.

None is this is confirmed ............ although I did see it on the internet a few weeks ago so it must be right, lol.

 

[J333EVO]

The bit written in EVO was very short, & although could be the cynic in me was written by Roger Green who happened to use Rockinghams Tributo example, & was given a drive last year in the Trofeo series, so he was very unlikely to give a completely impartial review especially after I think it was he who rolled one of the Trofeo's. This maybe explains the columns lack of inches, being stuck to a slither aside a larger piece on another car.

The Trofeo series has of course been cancelled in the UK, though I know one of the rolled Trofeo's that was beyond repair may be reshelled & possibly turned in to a rally car which could be very interesting which means it would get proper dampers instead of stuff made by a manufacturer more know for making mountain bike shocks!

Mardigras racing sold their spare engine on eBay recently, so it really is dead in the water as I know many personal purchasers of the race cars now have no series to race in after being promised 3 years.

But I digress.

CAR magazine last month had a full review on the car, I think a page, if not page & a half on it. The said the gearbox was no better than the 500C, being slow to change & clunky & that to make it work in anyway acceptable you had to very deliberately modulate the accelerator pedal which defeats the purpose of an auto. It was likened to the change in a Smart car.

The article concluded that the car felt quite special with some great touches like the Tricolore TDC marker on the steering wheel & genuinely pretty quick, but dynamically it was no improvement over a standard Abarth 500, in fact poorly resolved suspension that like the SS model, was too stiffly sprung with not enough suspension travel & that on normal A B UK roads would not see where a Citreon DS Racing went, never mind a Clio 200.

It stated the only people likely to buy it are the sane type of people who will buy Aston Martin Cygnets, those who have a special car at home for weekends, & a comfortable car for the town trips.

 

[loveshandbags]

As stated the competizione gearbox is different to the dualogic and I found that on the standard Abarth 500c it is quite sluggish in operation, but I believe the 695 has better software and the gearchanges and operation is more slick.

I think that when/if the DSG type gearbox is introduced that will make it far better and will hopefully be available on tin tops as well.

On a review that I read it mentioned that the A500c in Sport mode had an improved gearchange. I wonder if a TMCed A500c with a more aggressive map has the same effect as the 695. The DSG gearbox does sound like the way to go but it's bound to add a few ££££ but probably will make a hell of a difference.

On a seperate note (I have posted this twice on the standard 500 forum !) - the paddle setup on the A500c - is that the same on the standard 500c if you opt for 'Steering wheel controls for dualogic' or is it just 'buttons' on the steering wheel as one poster put it .

 

[306maxi]

The bit written in EVO was very short, & although could be the cynic in me was written by Roger Green who happened to use Rockinghams Tributo example, & was given a drive last year in the Trofeo series, so he was very unlikely to give a completely impartial review especially after I think it was he who rolled one of the Trofeo's. This maybe explains the columns lack of inches, being stuck to a slither aside a larger piece on another car.

The Trofeo series has of course been cancelled in the UK, though I know one of the rolled Trofeo's that was beyond repair may be reshelled & possibly turned in to a rally car which could be very interesting which means it would get proper dampers instead of stuff made by a manufacturer more know for making mountain bike shocks!

Mardigras racing sold their spare engine on eBay recently, so it really is dead in the water as I know many personal purchasers of the race cars now have no series to race in after being promised 3 years.

But I digress.

CAR magazine last month had a full review on the car, I think a page, if not page & a half on it. The said the gearbox was no better than the 500C, being slow to change & clunky & that to make it work in anyway acceptable you had to very deliberately modulate the accelerator pedal which defeats the purpose of an auto. It was likened to the change in a Smart car.

The article concluded that the car felt quite special with some great touches like the Tricolore TDC marker on the steering wheel & genuinely pretty quick, but dynamically it was no improvement over a standard Abarth 500, in fact poorly resolved suspension that like the SS model, was too stiffly sprung with not enough suspension travel & that on normal A B UK roads would not see where a Citreon DS Racing went, never mind a Clio 200.

It stated the only people likely to buy it are the sane type of people who will buy Aston Martin Cygnets, those who have a special car at home for weekends, & a comfortable car for the town trips.

Don't be such a cynic! Perhaps like with all the cars they lend out to the media, they were informed of the test route and customised the car for that route



http://ca.jalopnik.com/5760248/how-ferrari-spins

Tbh I have little or no respect for Ferrari as a brand anymore.

 

[loveshandbags]

Don't be such a cynic! Perhaps like with all the cars they lend out to the media, they were informed of the test route and customised the car for that route



http://ca.jalopnik.com/5760248/how-ferrari-spins

Tbh I have little or no respect for Ferrari as a brand anymore.

This youtube might be a bit borderline so if the moderators want to remove it - I would have no objection - but I thought that I might get away with it here on the Abarth section .

I apologise in advance if it is anyway offensive.

Maxi's 'how ferrari spins' reminded me of something I saw when grajo put up a picture of 'his' Ferrari - I was 'saving' it for his 'to be girlfriend'. .

The 'character' in this clip is probably the reason why some guys drive Lambos and I thought - rough justice (gearbox) and sweet revenge (exit strategy).

I hope this was filmed on a 'closed' road

P.S. Tony - I think you going to regret saying what's coming up next.

 

[loveivs]

I did guesstimate on the difference in cost and reckon that the badges on the side account for half the extra price tag.

Ferrari 695 Tributo, the name says it all.

Bear in mind, there s something call "cygnet". The 185HP 500 is whole lot better than the AM IQ.

 

[fiatdownunder]

well we have had two in the showroom a few weeks back, awaiting delivery of our yellow one next week hopefully!
Here is a pic or two of the expensive showroom! haha
oh also added in one of the pretty trick exhaust system, naff photo but gives you a little insight

 

[306maxi]

Is that picture of the exhaust taken with the wheels off the ground? If they don't sell I'll have the Brembo's off one of them thanks

 

[fiatdownunder]

sure was, it would be bloody hard to get that pick while it was on the floor wouldnt it

I have another photo from behind but it is even worse than that one.
We opened and locked the bypass valve for the clients so that they had the roar from start up instead of just at 3k rpm