2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

Fantastic fun to drive like new Fiat 500 Abarth, xisting Factory Warrantee.
This 500Abarthhas a fresh oil change, keys, inted windows, osepremium sound, nd Pirelli tiresallaround

Let's be straight here. The Fiat 500 is a "cute" car. It has trim levels named "Gucci" and "Pop." Everything about the standard 500 is fashionable and trendy, nd Fiat's marketing reflects this. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a normal Fiat that was not marketed towards the fairer sex?

But the Abarth is a different breed of 500, nd the exterior shows this. It's lower. It's got bigger brakes with red calipers. The Abarth scorpions replace the standard Fiat badges. It has alloy wheels that match the door mirrors. The front fascia has additional vents that provide additional cooling, nd the rear has vents in the bumper, ifferent pipes, nd a more aggressive diffuser. The spoiler looks great, nd definitely adds visually to the car, s do the side skirts. The Abarth decal on the side conveys speed and forward movement. All of this combines to make this car significantly less "cute" and more importantly, uch more appealing to people who want a performance car.

Performance and Handling

This car is fun, lain and simple.

For a tiny city car, he Abarth performs fantastically. It accelerates pretty well, nd 60 mph comes in 7.2 seconds. The Turbo provides 150 ft-lbs of torque in Normal mode, nd 170 in Sport. Most importantly, ou start to get that torque around 2600 RPM, hich is absolutely perfect for driving around the traffic congested streets. This car was designed to put a smile on your face during your commute through the city, nd it does this job well.

The Abarth handles much better than the standard 500, s is to be expected. The suspension has been stiffened, ut surprisingly, t's not uncomfortable. This does mean that there is a bit more body roll than you would expect, ut it's manageable. The manual transmission has pretty long throws, ut it's not bad at all. The steering wheel has a great feel, ell weighted and precise. The traction control is able to be turned partially or fully off, nd it has a cool torque transfer system that distributes the torque between the wheels to minimize understeer and torque steer (which in my drive did not rear its ugly head).

Practicality

Practicality is an interesting concept when it comes to the Abarth. It's highly practical when it comes to driving around town, s it takes up so little space. Parking is very easy in this car. The turn radius is miniscule. Driving in traffic is a breeze. It gets a combined gas mileage of 31 mpg, ith 28 in the city and 34 on the highway, hich is pretty good.

The trunk has a lot more space than I expected. As you can see above, y laptop bag easily fits in it. The rear seats also fold down, hich means you can carry some Swedish build-it-yourself furniture. However, f you need to move an apartment's worth of stuff, ou'll want to rent a van.

Comfort and Interior

This car is perfectly comfortable for driving around town. The heated front buckets are well bolstered and comfortable, nd have a pass through for racing harnesses.

The interior is quite a nice place to be. The leather steering wheel looks and feels great, ith a flat bottom and hand positions at ten and two. Controls and displays seem very driver oriented. The materials of the car do not feel cheap, ut rather quite classy. Nothing really seems flimsy. I particularly like the white dashboard, hich is finished in a high metallic gloss. It is quite loud, ut the engine note is very nice, nd it sounds like few other things on the road. I'd much rather hear the engine than road or wind noise. One thing I did notice was the handbrake is big and beefy. "Perfect for sweet handbrake turns," I thought.

As for toys, ou don't get a ton. There is a boost gauge that tells you when to shift, nd it was pretty easy to ignore. There's an upgraded audio system that provides premium sound, nd you can get Bluetooth. There's a USB plug for your phone or mp3 player, nd the radio will tell you what's playing on the radio.

Character

This is where the Abarth really excels. This car has character in bounds. It's so eager in everything it does, nd tries its best to be like its Italian big brothers. The engine note is unlike any other city car out there, nd I know it's been beat to death, ut it sounds fantastic. It burbles at idle, nd it really defines the car. Jeremy Clarkson described it as a small terrier, nd I think that is right on. Furthermore the car is just funky. It doesn't look or feel like accountants played a part in its design. It feels like a passion for cars went into the Abarth's creation, nd that's a very good thing. This is the most important category for a car to excel in, nd Abarth hit a home run here.

Closing Notes

The Fiat 500 Abarth is a great car. It's the perfect city car for enthusiasts, nd it will absolutely put a smile on your face every day.