Fiat Sceicento Sporting

Why the heck not? Plenty of people like a certain style, plenty of people might not, but the car still gets bought. Universal Styling Corporation makes a mint every time a manufacturer produces a new model in the line up.

Fantastic? No it's not fantastic, it's just noisy...

...from a certain perspective.

Actually Alfa donks do sound great, but modern ones have lost most of their character compared to proper induction notes, don't you think?

I disagree. It's part and parcel. But if the styling says, "woah there, look at me" but the drive is, well, mediocre - what's the point? Those people "in the know" will appreciate that you're a vain git who bought the car because it looked good.

Another example would be the mark three and four Golf GTI with either the

2.0 or 1.8 atmo / 2.0 donk respectively. Has the GTI badge, hasn't got anything like the poke it needs.

But only if you like the styling, which is a very personal thing.

Pointing and laughing isn't what I had in mind though. :)

People stop and look at Kermit when he rumbles past...

It's a part of the car, yes, but it's not the _most_ important. A weany little engine that sounds great at first can start to grate on a long run.

Hats off to Alfa, who still produce cars that don't have "annoying generic engine noise" under the bonnet. This is another reason why I like turbodiesels, they sound like an engine, not like a distant sewing machine

I guess not in this part of the world, then. Seeing the 3.2 V6 in an Alfa Romeo is a bit of an event.

It's not as nice as the 75, but that's because there's a f*ck-off lump of ceramic s**te half way down the exhaust system.

Oh the other hand, you buy a 156 because it's just about top of the tree in the handling stakes for a FWD car, and also looks and sounds fantastic. OK, the ride isn't great and some fuckwits have an issue with reliability, but the rest of the package more than compensates for that.

Well, yes, if you're buying a MkIV GTI it has to be the 1.8T.

Pointing and laughing.....

There's a 147 *and* 156 GTA in our village. Vastly outnumbered by 2.6 V6s of course, and strangely, our TSpark is in the minority. High levels of disposable income in these parts, see.

*cough* Induction?

Because you believe it is, and because you're too stupid to try anything else?

Not all sound fantastic. Those that sound the best don't handle as well.

Nah I don't think it does. It would absolutely break my heart to have a car that I want to drive but I'm unable to, because it's knackered.

Correct. Or the higher powered TDI models. The 1.8i-20 and 2.0 are lame. Good enough cars, _not_ GTIs.

Maybe, maybe not, but it gets their attention.

Maybe. Or people are prudent with their cash in Yorkshire?

Unless you want a return to twin carb setups, then you need to compromise over induction noise.

Mind, the best induction noise of them all is that of a Honda V4 on full-chat.

Does checking count at looking at what the little digital readout tells me?

'Cos if not, i've never checked mine :-D

Heh the comment about "you" when referring to the 156's handling wasn't directed at you but at the "Royal We."

Can a 1.4 Focus even get over 100mph?

And let's be honest - as standard thats pretty limp.

Pah - you can do the same thing by going to the dark side, saving a fair bit on fuel too:

's the cheapest - a few around the £4k mark, just make sure you don't have to bear the £1k cambelt change cost!) Though with a Stilo Abarth you could pay similar dosh and get something about 3 years newer, like this: Peter

I think i can probly count on my fingers the number of 3.2 GTA's i've seen :)

Which is the Stilo 2.4 with the manual gearbox?

Aye, I wouldn't spend that much, though. Any fuel saving is offset by the purchase cost.

Heh. That's the ugly 5 door version, but absolutely stupendous value for money.

Not really, no.

Sixty comes up in under 8 secs and they have bags of mid-range. Shame the chassis isn't a bit sharper - although my mate has sorted his with a chip, free-flow exhaust and lowered suspension. 180bhp and handling to match now. Lovely.

Just noticed that, I'm sure the proper Abarth (ie. the model, not the kit, IYSWIM) has a manual box, as it's the cut-down verison of the HGT.

Sir, I refer you to your comment above :-)

VAG TDIs are good - they have a sort of rounded, smoothed-off, diesel clatter type noise, rather than just your average coarse diesel clatter. Distant sewing machine sounds were reserved for ancient pushrod petrol engine designs :-)

Peter

Do they both think they've got the only GTA in the village?

Peter

That's what confused me :) I thought the HGT was the gay-o-box and the Abarth was a seperate model, with a manual box.

Heh. Yes, Nuvola 166s are lovely. I'm definitely going to be in the market for a 166 within 12 months, maybe even sooner.

Not that the Passat is a *bad* car, it's a long, long way from it. I love it for what it is - a very big, very comfy and fairly rapid mile-muncher. It's just not as involving to drive as a 156.

However, I refuse to buy a nice car and run it into the ground on my commute.

(Not saying that an Alfa wouldn't cope with it, as it would, it's just that my 'work' car gets massively abused - I don't service them properly, don't wash them often and the interior looks like a skip..... I really wouldn't want to abuse a 156 in such a way)

Yes.