Fiat Follow-Up: Dealer Leases Abarths Like They're Porsches

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For those of you that missed my previous write-up on the Fiat 500 Abarth, I am happy to say that I must've done something right in my automotive journalism career thus far, as I actually persuaded someone's opinion based on my own opinions (cool huh?). Not long ago I received a text message from my uncle, Matt, who is looking for a 2nd (reliable, new) car to add to their lineup. The text message was exactly this;

"What are your thoughts on the Fiat 500L?"

I try to be as honest as I can with everyone, so of course my response was,

"Well, you have seen what it looks like, right?"

Learning that they weren't necessarily looking for another crossover-SUV to coincide with their Honda CRV, I mentioned to them how much I loved the new Abarth, and they should read my latest post all about it. Shortly after, they left their house en route to Heritage Fiat in Owings Mills, to go test drive the 2015 Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio. I was really excited, because I realized that I had not only just saved someone from potentially buying what really is Chrysler's rendition of the Pontiac Aztek, but in addition convinced them to go look at one of the coolest hot hatches offered in America today. 

Questions followed such as, 

"Would we look good driving in it?"

"Would you have to hide from your friends if we pulled up in one?"

"Is it a 'mom' car?"

"Would an 'I heart my dog' sticker look good on the back?"

They don't have a dog, and it turns out they don't want one, so they were really getting tricky with the questions. But the Abarth managed to pass the test, the 500L did not.

 Pictures were included in the decision-making

Eszti, my aunt, loved the Abarth, and before going inside to talk numbers, they called me up to check everything out. Just to help them figure out the options they may want, the things they would want to stay away from, etc, etc. 

I didn't really do anything before they were sold on the car. They wanted a lease, so they had the sales representative go back to his manager to get them a monthly payment. Any guesses on the price? I don't think anyone could've predicted this... $0 down, $700/mo FOR A FIAT. No, they weren't looking at Porsche Caymans, this is a $26k Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio. The dealer was willing to sell the car to Matt and Eszti for $26.1k including all of their options. What would you end up paying at the end of a 3-year lease? $25.2k after 36 months. They must expect the Fiats to nearly obliterate themselves into a million, tiny, non-salvageable pieces by the time they receive the car back.

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More than likely stealing money from mermaids.

They were completely serious, blaming it on "Fiat having a poor lease program". At this point, the manager came over to likely prove to us he was sober, and offer us some explanation. I pointed out to him that Fiat USA advertises the Fiat Abarth 500 starting at $299/mo for 39 months, with $1,699 down. He pointed out that that wasn't for the Cabrio, and it didn't include all the fees to get you in the car on the road. He was correct. So here are my rough numbers after having some time to think about how that made no sense; 

$357/mo for 36 months

357x36= $12,852

$2,705 down payment

+2,705= $15,557

Well, unless there is $10k in taxes and other elements I'm missing, they are fairly far from reaching the numbers on Fiat's website. The manager's rebuttal landed "in the 5s", so likely $599 a month, not even on the same planet as what they were looking for. Needless to say, Matt and Eszti did not leave that day in a 2015 Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio.

So Heritage Fiat of Owings Mills, I would like to congratulate you in driving Matt and Eszti right into the arms of Scion and their fantastic 2014 FR-S. They are very pleased with it so far.

FRESH: 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE

When the 5th generation Camaros debuted in 2010, I don't feel like I would be going against the grain by saying I was not a fan. Following the trend of Ford and Dodge with the retro re-styling of the Mustang and Challenger, Chevrolet's Camaro was my least favorite, mostly because of the roughly 450lbs of weight added on from the previous generation, and the visual aesthetics. But after driving the 2014 Camaro SS 1LE 5 years later, it's starting to grow on me.

I often am asked what my thoughts are on the Camaros, because many kids my age that aren't dreaming of Ferrari Enzos and Lamborghini Aventadors are dreaming of the Camaro, any year from 1966 to 2015. And while I appreciate that it's at least a more realistic mindset to acquire a Camaro over a $400k supercar, I have never thought of a Camaro as a car I would like to own. It is likely because I (A): Do not have one my father spent years restoring in our garage, and (B): I have never seen any of the transformer movies. So I hadn't had any interest in one until a friend pulled up in his shiny new "Red Hot" 1LE.

 Before even getting into the driver's seat, The longer I looked at the car the more I liked it. First off, the face lift applied to the Camaros in 2014 was a step in the right direction. A little more aggressive in the nose, and a significant improvement in the taillights. Also, everything the 1LE Performance Pack adds on does the car a lot of justice. From the matte black hood, prominent splitter and spoiler, and 20" matte black wheels, it's definitely a car that'll make you look twice. And as a bonus, it's twinning perfectly with my lovely DD.

Looking at it is one thing, squeezing it through an Autocross course is another. It didn't help that the "brilliant" course designer (myself) erred towards favoring a 2000 lb Miata with 275/35/15 Hoosiers when in doubt. 

One thing that was an ultimate struggle with this car was visibility. The windshield pillar slopes back at such a low angle, and in combination with it's long, wide snout, it would take more time than I had to learn the edges of the car. This can be seen in action below, where after I magically made it through the first run clean, I got a little too comfortable for round 2. 

(Working on a way for my video quality to not suck)

The Camaro pounded all 426 horses to the pavement extremely well. With a good set of street tires underneath of it, you could come much closer than I would have expected to fully applying the throttle exiting corners. The turn-in was very quick, contrary to what would be expected from a car weighing in at 3875lbs according to Chevrolet. Standard in all the Camaro SS models is a variable ratio, variable effort electric power steering rack. While it is very helpful for differentiating in force between pulling out of a parking space and racing on the track, the steering felt numb (as a lot of new cars do) when trying to get a feel for the car. 

To sum things up, I was genuinely surprised (in a good way) by the overall performance of the fifth generation Camaro fresh from the factory. Big thanks to Daisy Import Auto Care (http://daisyimportauto.com/) for bringing the car out, I'm anxious to drive the car again with a few improvements that are planned for it over the off-season!

AUTOXY: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

I will be starting a category for all the cars prepped for SCCA Solo or Autocross classification, and will be calling it the Autoxy, or Autocross autopsy (see what I did there?). First on the list, the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth. 

Photo Cred: Alejandro Aviles

With the popularity of the hot hatch on the rise nowadays, such as the Focus and Fiesta ST, the Fiat 500 Abarth, and all the cool Peugots and Renaults that Europe decides to deprive us of, they are popping up everywhere. And I'm excited about it, because these are the cars that will turn people into car enthusiasts. They're cheap, they're quick, they're fun, and they are all that one step above the car that the general person may have been considering buying anyways. The perfect temptation. 

So the Fiat 500 Abarth fits in the market perfectly. With an MSRP of $22k, you get yourself a turbocharged 1.4l four-cylinder ball of fun. For those of you wondering how the Fiat does straight off the showroom floor, unfortunately, I have no idea. But I can tell you that this one in particular was extremely fun to drive. Here are the goods, straight from car-owner Mr. Setherley himself:

Suspension:

25mm front sway bar Neuspeed

28mm rear torsion bar Neuspeed

Road Race Motorsports front chassis braces

Road Race Motorsports front upper chassis brace

Bilsteins RSS coil overs

Stoptech Cryo slotted rotors front and rear

EBC red stuff pads

Team Dynamics 16"X7" pro race 1.2 forged wheels 13.6 lbs

Toyo R1R 205/50/16 (junk) lol

Road Race Motorsports stainless braided brake lines

Motor:

Road Race Motorsports cold air intake

Road Race Motorsports upper motor heat shield

Road Race Motorsports cat-less down pipe

Road Race Motorsports dual exhaust 2.5" straight

PTP Lava turbo blanket

PTP down pipe blanket

Road Race Motorsports ultimate ECU

Forge Motorsports recirculating BOV

Craven Speed short throw shifter

SS Designs Fabricated front brake cooling ducts.

Misc:

Abarth 695 Ferrari Tributo shift knob

Color matched chrome accents

PIAA bulb upgrades

Tint

Blacked out lighting

Blah blah blah.

So it's had a little work done. I was Shawn's first SCCA Solo instructor at the beginning of the season when the car had little work done, and clearly he's been hooked. The car that was originally bought for a girlfriend has been turned into the weekend warrior, and I was fortunate enough to jump in for a co-drive at a Washington DC Region SCCA Solo night event.

First off, the car sounds absolutely menacing. The closest description to the tone of the exhaust would have to be a cross between a diesel truck, and flatulence, but in the absolute coolest way possible. The Abarth did great out on course, and once you pushed it through the turbo lag, the car is shockingly quick in a straight line. The car from the factory makes 160hp and weighs in at just around 2500lbs, and in ST trim Shawn has adjusted both of those specs in the more exciting direction. I definitely underestimated the tug of the Fiat when it hits its sweet spot.

Unfortunately, I felt that with the setup the way it was, it didn't have the rear-end dependability of its pioneering competitor the Mini Cooper S, which currently holds the title of my favorite FWD car. Possibly linked to the twist-beam axle rear suspension of the Fiat vs. the IRS of the Mini, the Fiat wasn't dancing for me like I find the Minis capable of doing a little more naturally. And in it's current trim, it is outclassed in "STC", competing against the '89 to '91 Civics that have roughly a 600lb weight advantage over the Fiat that is required to meet the modern safety standards, which tends to cause cars to really pack on the pounds.

Photo Cred: Alejandro Aviles

Overall, I personally would rate the new Fiat 500 Abarth quite highly. It would make a very cool daily driver that doubles as a fun regional Autocross/Track Day car. The Fiat is a great value on the new car market today, especially for someone looking to take their "Point A to B" car-stable to the next level.