Fiat Avventura Abarth long term review: After 22,900km and six months

"Aditya, the long term tenure for your Abarth has ended", said the Fiat guy and this actually made me sad. My experience with the Scorpion was not as smooth with the quality of plastics, inconvenient tailgate, etc but then I did have my share of fun in it. With a heavy heart, I agreed to bid adieu to my long term friend. But before handing over the car, I decided to spend a weekend with it to relive the good ol days.

A friend of mine had landed in India during that weekend, so I decided to take him along to Nasik. When I told him it is the Punto Abarth, he was mighty excited as this was his first time in one. While he was eager to experience the 145PS motor, he had his doubts about the boot accommodating his luggage. Thankfully, his doubts were cleared once all the bags were slotted neatly. We started for Nasik at late evening as my friend Arun wanted to experience the Abarth's potential. Though he did not find the Scorpion as comforting as his dad's Hyundai Elite i20, he was totally enjoying the sudden rush of power. Once we cleared the city traffic buzz, it was the calm highway that was ahead of us for the next three hours and it passed in no time.

This particular weekend was also special since it was my mother's birthday. She was extremely happy as I surprised her. And all of that late night driving proved to be worth the effort. Not that I am complaining as the highway to the Scorpion is what a playground is to a teenager. I took mom for a late night drive in the Scorpion. She insisted on going for a long drive the next day and that's what we did. Mom too had developed a liking for the Scorpion, especially for its looks. She too was not happy about it leaving.

On the flip side, the Abarth is a fuel guzzler. The best that I could squeeze out from her 1.4-litre motor is 9kmpl in city and 12 kmpl on highway. Now what is ideal for a practical daily hatch. Secondly, the spartan cabin is less equipped than a similar priced hatchback. If you can afford to look beyond these and want a real 'hot' hatch at a reasonable price, this one is a definite recommendation.