2017 Fiat 500 Abarth Review - For Your Inner Child

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey
Fast Facts

2017 Fiat 500 Abarth

1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (157 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm; 183 lb-ft @ 2,400-4,000 rpm)
Six-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
24 city / 32 highway / 27 combined (EPA Rating, MPG)
9.7 city, 7.4 highway, 8.7 combined. (NRCan Rating, L/100km)
Base Price
$19,995 (U.S) / $27,585 (Canada)
As Tested
$23,970 (U.S.) / $29,480 (Canada)
Prices include $995 destination charge in the United States and $1,895 for freight, PDI, and A/C tax in Canada and, because of cross-border equipment differences, can't be directly compared.

Fun, when it comes to cars, manifests itself in different ways. The Fiat 500 Abarth represents one of those ways, in theory – extra power in a small car, plus the right suspension tuning, should result in a quick, nimble hatchback.

Not content with that recipe, Fiat also made the Abarth version of its 500 city car into a brash, loud machine that doesn’t go anywhere in subtlety.

That last bit isn’t an exaggeration. Like or not, the Abarth’s exhaust is set at a volume that’s not normally seen (heard?) in this class.

The Abarth has been around a while, as has the 500 upon which it’s based – the big changes for this year involve available appearance packages. It’s been a minute (is that how the kids say it these days?) since I’ve spend time with one, but the experience came back just as I remembered it.

Fire it up, and the Abarth comes to life, rude and crude (Fiat wants it that way). Outfitted with the six-speed automatic transmission, the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder makes 157 horsepower and 183 lb-ft of torque.

My last Abarth experience involved three pedals, and I’ve got to say – the car is a lot less fun with the auto, even though it has an extra 13 lb-ft of torque. That’s because hot hatches just don’t feel right when paired to an automatic. This one especially.

The hopped-up Abarth suffers from many of the same flaws as the base 500 – almost no rear seat, cheap-looking plastic interior materials, small cargo area – and adds one: Not only is the exhaust loud, it’s not aurally pleasing in most situations. The car sounds, frankly, flatulent.

At least, at most RPMs. There is a sweet spot under power that, while still not pleasant, at least works in context of what kind of car this is.

The Abarth is supposed to be nimble, and it is, but the steering is more distant than I’d like in a car with sporting pretentions. It’s still fun to whip the little bugger around corners, but other small, sporty cars feel better tuned. Yes, the Sport mode does liven things up.

Acceleration has an odd feel to it – the engine doesn’t always feel as gutsy as the numbers indicate, yet because the car is so small and light, the Abarth still jumps forward briskly.

One expects a stiff ride from a short car with a sport suspension, and one gets that. If your daily commute involves long drives over America’s crumbling freeways, save a few hundred extra bucks and take a peek at a Honda Civic Si or Volkswagen GTI. Between the noise and the ride, I can see how one might get exhausted quickly.

Fiat has modernized the nav system, though – no more aftermarket-looking afterthought tack-on. Overall, the interior experience is simplicity, in a good way. Everything is easy to use, and thanks to the tiny cabin, easy to reach. Just be ready for your right knee to get familiar with center stack when you make a hard left.

Feature-wise, the 500 Abarth offers the basic goods. Fog lamps, USB, Bluetooth, UConnect infotainment – all among the standard features, along with dual exhaust, rear spoiler, rear park assist, and painted brake calipers. Options on this tester included nav, a grey roof, satellite radio, heated front seats, and automatic air conditioning.

Nothing earth-shattering or must-have, but you’re not being punished for driving a “city car,” either.

Fuel economy checks in at 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway – a bit low for such a small car, but not unreasonable when factoring the sport mods.

It’s hard to place this Fiat within the greater universe of vehicles. It’s probably too small to really be cross-shopped against the Volkswagen Golf GTI. It stands mostly as a value alternative to Mini and a sportier, more conventional option to Hyundai’s Veloster.

It’s also probably the only “standard” (as in, non-X or non-L) 500 I’d throw money down on. Not because I love this little oddball, but because adding power is a good way to compensate for the flaws of the 500 – which exist mostly for reasons of novelty or ease of parking. Not to say the 500 is bad – it’s just too small to be useful for many.

I’m of two minds when it comes to the Abarth. It’s quick and fun enough to be amusing, and I can live with the verbose exhaust and stiff ride. But it’s still just as small as the 500, and not much less basic. I can also see its charms wearing off over time.

The price is right, at under $25K. The problem is that the Abarth remains a novelty. You can have fun and utility for a just a few grand more.

If novelty works for you, by all means, give Fiat a shout. If they can hear you over the Abarth’s pipes.

[Images © 2018 Tim Healey/TTAC]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Stevelovescars Stevelovescars on Jan 16, 2018

    I think the "flatulence" of the exhaust in this test is a byproduct of the transmission. Mine was a manual and I loved the way it sounded. I drove an Alfa 4C and it sounded horrible at normal driving speeds. Every time the transmission upshifted it sounded like a whoopee cushion behind my head. I really wanted to love the car, and in some ways I did, but the sound it made was horrible. With a real manual, it likely would have driven and sounded like heaven.

  • Djazz Djazz on Mar 15, 2019

    Wife's daily driver is a 2012 Abarth 5sp we bought used and she loves it. BUT... we also have a z28, an M5 6sp, an 8.1l pick-up, a geo Tracker 5sp, and a Buick Rendevous. No bragging, they're all old. The fiat fits right in. It is loud and reasonably fast and it fits in the compact spaces at work. It is comfortable for maybe two hours before we start feeling cramped. (Both over 6ft) The shifter feels weird to me but otherwise it's fun to drive. We enjoy cars with personality and this one is all personality.

  • Dave Holzman A design award for the Prius?!!! Yes, the Prius is a great looking car, but the visibility is terrible from what I've read, notably Consumer Reports. Bad visibility is a dangerous, and very annoying design flaw.
  • Wjtinfwb I've owned multiple Mustang's, none perfect, all an absolute riot. My '85 GT with a big Holley 4 barrel and factory tube header manifolds was a screaming deal in its day and loved to rev. I replaced it with an '88 5.0 Convertible and added a Supercharger. Speed for days, handling... present. Brakes, ummm. But I couldn't kill it and it embarrassed a lot of much more expensive machinery. A '13 Boss 302 in Gotta Have It Green was a subtle as a sledgehammer, open up the exhaust cut outs and every day was Days of Thunder. I miss them all. They've gotten too expensive and too plush, I think, wish they'd go back to a LX version, ditch all the digital crap, cloth interior and just the Handling package as an add on. Keep it under 40k and give todays kids an alternative to a Civic or WRX.
  • Jpolicke In a communist dictatorship, there isn't much export activity that the government isn't aware of. That being the case, if the PRC wanted to, they could cut the flow of fentanyl down to a trickle. Since that isn't happening, I therefore assume Xi Jinping doesn't want it cut. China needs to feel the consequences for knowingly poisoning other countries' citizens.
  • El scotto Oh, ye nattering nabobs of negativism! Think of countries like restaurants. Our neighbors to the north and south are almost as good and the service is fantastic. They're awfully close to being as good as the US. Oh the Europeans are interesting and quaint but you really only go there a few times a year. Gents, the US is simply the hottest restaurant in town. Have to stand in line to get in? Of course. Can you hand out bribes to get in quicker? Of course. Suppliers and employees? Only the best on a constant basis.Did I mention there is a dress code? We strictly enforce it. Don't like it? Suck it.
  • 1995 SC At least you can still get one. There isn't much for Ford folks to be happy about nowadays, but the existence of the Mustang and the fact that the lessons from back in the 90s when Ford tried to kill it and replace it with the then flavor of the day seem to have been learned (the only lessons they seem to remember) are a win not only for Ford folks but for car people in general. One day my Super Coupe will pop its headgaskets (I know it will...I read it on the Internet). I hope I will still be physically up to dropping the supercharged Terminator Cobra motor into it. in all seriousness, The Mustang is a.win for car guys.
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