This may look like a Fiat 500, but this is an Abarth 500, and as you can see from the
badge, it has a sting in its tail.
Now what happens is Abarth takes a standard Fiat 500 off the production line and takes
it to its own factory and turns it into something a little bit mental.
Abarth is to Fiat what AMG is to Mercedes -- effectively it's the Italian firm's performance
arm.
And as well as turning normal cars into nutty cars by tuning their engines and chassis -- they
also give them a serious makeover so they look
the part too.
...it sounds pretty good too.
Inside, the Abarth gets more scorpion badges and a leather sports steering wheel as standard,
while standard kit includes USB for the stereo, parking sensors and Bluetooth.
Move to the top of the range and you also get Xenon headlamps, Sabelt bucklet seats
plus metal pedals and gearshifter.
Nice.
Let me explain the range....
In the standard Abarth 500 You get a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 135bhp
and is a strong performer, accelerating from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds, with a top speed of
129mph.
The basic car's power can be boosted to 160bhp, which takes the 0-60mph time down to 7.4 seconds
and raises the top speed to 131mph.
There are even some top of the range 695 models, but they cost £30,000!
So what is it like to drive....
You don't need to pay extra for the 180hp version...
Thankfully with so much performance in such a little car -- there's plenty of safety kit.
You get seven airbags -- including one for the drivers knee -- electronic anti skid control
and a system which brakes the inside wheel slightly in fast corners to help pull you
round, which brings us onto the handling...
Now the Abarth....
On a twisty road like this it's a good experience.
However, on other roads the Abarth can often be a bad experience because, unlike with the
well rounded Peugeot 208 GTI, the very things which make it such fun also make massively
frustrating.
As
for space in the
back --
well it's way more
cramped
than a Renaultsport Clio that passengers should
take care not to break their knees on the hard back of the bucket seats or bang their
head on the low roof.
And being small also means that regardless of the body kit to some poeple the Abarth
500 still looks a little bit girly compared to the more manly Ford Fiesta ST.
Speaking of which there's not much room in the boot for more than some moderate clothes
shopping and your favourite bag.
However, if your head is in conflict with your heart, make sure you check out our reviews
of the Peugeot 208 GTI and Ford Fiesta ST and don't forget to subscribe to our Carbuyer
channel by clicking here - and we'll send you a new video every week.