Fiat 500 Abarth Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Fiat 500 Abarth
Prices: £13,605 - on the road
Insurance Group: 13
Emissions: 155g/km
Performance: 0-62mph 7.9s / Max Speed 128mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 52.3mpg
Safety: Driver and passenger airbags
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 3657/1627/1485mm

SCORPION RISING

Our Rating: 8.0 / 10

Fiat’s fastest 500 is the Abarth. Steve Walker takes a look.

Unmistakably a Fiat 500 but, at the same time, thoroughly modified to give a harder, faster edge, the 500 Abarth will appeal to a different market than its lovable standard sibling. With 133bhp from a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, sharper steering and upgraded suspension, it’s a properly quick hatchback that retains the retro style of the original.

Karl Abarth was already a five-time European motorcycle racing champion, something of an expert in the field of car modification and married to the secretary of Ferdinand Porsche’s son-in-law when he established Abarth & C in 1949. This car tuning business began its association with Fiat in the early 1950s, specialising in making racing and performance modifications to the Turin manufacturer’s products. Then, in 1971 Fiat brought the firm in house and began using Abarth’s expertise and scorpion badge on its quickest cars. Today, Fiat is busy forcing the Abarth brand back into the limelight riding on the bodywork of fast Fiats like the 500 Abarth.

The Fiat bit could almost be dropped from the title of the Fiat 500 Abarth. It’s certainly been made scarce elsewhere on the car. There’s not a single Fiat insignia visible on the exterior or in the cabin and instead, the 500 Abarth is littered with the red and yellow crest and lone scorpion of Abarth. This is clearly a Fiat 500 but the Italian manufacturer is telling us it’s a very special one, worthy of its own sub-brand. The question is, can it live up to this billing?

The conventional Fiat 500 is not a car that instantly strikes you as being ripe for conversion into a rip-roaring hot hatchback. It’s a little bit soft and bouncy in its suspension and although this helps it ride well over surface imperfections and makes it an amiable companion for scooting about town, it doesn’t exactly encourage you to hurl it into corners. As befits its target market, the 500 Abarth is a very different prospect with far-reaching modifications designed to transform the driving experience. First is the 1.4-litre turbocharged powerplant that produces 133bhp and a smooth flow of power from 2,000rpm. It’s capable of firing the 500 to 60mph in under eight seconds and on to a 128mph top speed, which is plenty quick. The suspension has also been firmed up significantly to increase composure through the bends and the brakes have been upgraded

The 500 Abarth might be small but it’s equipped with some interesting technological trickery. Fiat’s TTC torque transfer system can detect wheelspin and by braking the wheel that has lost traction, divert the engine’s torque to the other wheel where it can be effectively deployed. It adds up to scrabble-free acceleration out of junctions and away from tight corners, increasing the 500’s poise and making it easier to utilise the car’s power.

Fiat’s famous ‘city button’ as featured in the standard 500 models is changed to a sport button in the 500 Abarth. Instead of making the steering lighter, it weights the helm up for more feel and a sportier driving experience but that’s not all. A press of the clear plastic domed button on the dash also frees an extra slug of torque from the engine. With the Sport mode engaged, the 500 Abarth has 206Nm of torque at 3,000rpm instead of 187Nm at 2,500rpm which equates to more muscle to make the most of the car’s handling.

The Fiat 500 is a car that trades on its looks at least as much as any other single part of its make up. In creating the Abarth version, however, the designers were faced with the problem of making one of the market’s cutest cars look aggressive and purposeful. The effect is something of a mix and match between the 500’s trademark features and the kinds of racy extras you find on today’s leading fast hatchbacks. Abarth badging is everywhere from pride of place on the grille to the rear wings, the 16" alloys wheels, the steering wheel hub and the tailgate. Even the engine gets an Abarth scorpion crawling across it. At the front, below the 500’s double headlights, a pair of fog lights is set into the air-intake and these jewel-like additions are mirrored by the chromed exhausts that protrude from the rear diffuser. Side skirts and flared wheelarches dominate the flanks along with the distinctive Abarth racing stripe decals.

Inside, much of the standard 500’s interior design is retained but there wasn’t a lot wr