Fiat 500 Abarth, any good?

[Dr Who]

One thing I would say from personal experience is if it comes with P Zeros on the front change them to PS4 and it'll change how the car drives. Gain much more confidence throwing it into corners with those on, I've still got P Zeros on the back but they'll get changed to PS4 when they are due.

Had P Zero Nero's on my ZS180, total carbage, had to change the fronts as they were constantly spinning up, in the dry! They also tramlined badly, had poor grip on uneven roads, and as for the wet..... I won't say what I changed them to, the tyre snobs will all jump on me, but suffice as to say, they performed well in Autobild tests beating Nexens, Dunlops, Bridgestones and Hankooks.

Cannot justify 500 quids worth of tyres on a 550 quid car

 

[oweneades]

Had our 595 Trofeo for a little over a month now and can't stop smiling every time I drive it.

It is in no way perfect (seating position is very high) but stick it on a nice B road and I couldn't give a damn. Get the Monza exhaust warmed up and it pops and bangs at every opportunity.

From a pure performance perspective it is more than quick enough for its intended purpose.

 

[Dav4]

You would have to be very confident as a straight male over the age of 21 to drive around in a Fiat 500 regardless if it’s an Abarth or not they just look ridiculous especially with 4 exhausts. I had a guy in a bright yellow one driving aggressively tailgating me a while back and I couldn’t help but laugh as he went screaming past me on the overtake it just looked odd seeing an angry Middle aged man in a yellow roller skate.

 

[Glanza]

You would have to be very confident as a straight male over the age of 21 to drive around in a Fiat 500 regardless if it’s an Abarth or not they just look ridiculous especially with 4 exhausts. I had a guy in a bright yellow one driving aggressively tailgating me a while back and I couldn’t help but laugh as he went screaming past me on the overtake it just looked odd seeing an angry Middle aged man in a yellow roller skate.

I for one don't define masculinity by the vehicle I drive, it's a fun car to pot around in, the noise it makes is great without being over the top or beancan and not as common as other vehicles in that price bracket. It's the little car that could

Always wanted one of these But a bit too girly perhaps?

The Abarth version really isn't when you park next to a standard 500 you can see the difference straight away, most of the ones I pass on my travels are driven by males.

 

[rare]

You would have to be very confident as a straight male over the age of 21 to drive around in a Fiat 500 regardless if it’s an Abarth or not they just look ridiculous especially with 4 exhausts. I had a guy in a bright yellow one driving aggressively tailgating me a while back and I couldn’t help but laugh as he went screaming past me on the overtake it just looked odd seeing an angry Middle aged man in a yellow roller skate.

Rubbish! I had 2, the first was a 2010 500 Abarth the second a 15 plate 180bhp 595.

They are excellent cars, a real sense of theatre and occasion. Huge fun. Biggest drawback is the stiff ride IMO. But never did I once feel daft or anything like that. I constantly had people talking to me about them wanting to know more, especially back in 2010 when they were still rare.

They are brilliant.

 

[Diddums]

These cars fall in to the "stupid" category. They're too small to be useful as a family car, too unsettled to be motorway munchers, too loud to be owned by anyone over 40, too expensive to insure for anyone under 25, and yet when you drop a cog and floor it, the theatre and drama it unleashes is enough to rival any Lambo. Granted it's at 1/3rd of the speed but when you're cocooned in a car so small it could double as a coffin if you bin it, it still feels special.

I might buy one actually, they're immense fun to drive.


(still remember the £35k Tributo Ferrari, complete ASBO wagon, mental little thing)

You would have to be very confident as a straight male over the age of 21 to drive around in a Fiat 500 regardless if it’s an Abarth or not they just look ridiculous especially with 4 exhausts. I had a guy in a bright yellow one driving aggressively tailgating me a while back and I couldn’t help but laugh as he went screaming past me on the overtake it just looked odd seeing an angry Middle aged man in a yellow roller skate.

I can guarantee you he was having more fun than you though.

 

[Drollic]

You would have to be very confident as a straight male over the age of 21 to drive around in a Fiat 500 regardless if it’s an Abarth or not they just look ridiculous especially with 4 exhausts. I had a guy in a bright yellow one driving aggressively tailgating me a while back and I couldn’t help but laugh as he went screaming past me on the overtake it just looked odd seeing an angry Middle aged man in a yellow roller skate.

I actually agree in certain colors, although not due to the exhaust setup.

 

[Dr Who]

You would have to be very confident as a straight male over the age of 21 to drive around in a Fiat 500 regardless if it’s an Abarth or not they just look ridiculous especially with 4 exhausts. I had a guy in a bright yellow one driving aggressively tailgating me a while back and I couldn’t help but laugh as he went screaming past me on the overtake it just looked odd seeing an angry Middle aged man in a yellow roller skate.

Never any on the roads during a Love Island Broadcast, Coincidence? I think not

 

[Hyburnate]

These cars fall in to the "stupid" category. They're too small to be useful as a family car, too unsettled to be motorway munchers, too loud to be owned by anyone over 40, too expensive to insure for anyone under 25, and yet when you drop a cog and floor it, the theatre and drama it unleashes is enough to rival any Lambo. Granted it's at 1/3rd of the speed but when you're cocooned in a car so small it could double as a coffin if you bin it, it still feels special.

I might buy one actually, they're immense fun to drive.


(still remember the £35k Tributo Ferrari, complete ASBO wagon, mental little thing)

They're suprisingly cheap on the insurance, especially the 500s and not the 595/695. The Abarth 500 was like 135bhp and therefore wasn't too bad on the insurance.

The Monza exhaust just sounds epic, I love mine. I love driving round Newport Pagnell with the windows down, enough sound to rival Astons

 

[SC0TTRS]

I for one don't define masculinity by the vehicle I drive, it's a fun car to pot around in, the noise it makes is great without being over the top or beancan and not as common as other vehicles in that price bracket. It's the little car that could

The Abarth version really isn't when you park next to a standard 500 you can see the difference straight away, most of the ones I pass on my travels are driven by males.

Yup I agree, I think they look great and Abarth does stand out from a standard, but the missus drives the below and for me to park next to her in my little 500, i'd never hear the last of it! lol

 

[Glanza]

Yup I agree, I think they look great and Abarth does stand out from a standard, but the missus drives the below and for me to park next to her in my little 500, i'd never hear the last of it! lol

Not Type R nothing to worry about

 

[SC0TTRS]

Not Type R nothing to worry about

haha!, yea, she's lethal in a Sport mind. 10k more for an R lol

 

[Glanza]

haha!, yea, she's lethal in a Sport mind. 10k more for an R lol

TBF getting the most out of the Abarth you drive it like a vtec Type R, when I first gave mine a proper blast I thought the inbuilt shift counter was broken in sport mode as it's not till your at the top of the rev range and holding it there before it tells you to shift, take it out of sport and it's like most modern cars wanting you to shift into 4th doing 20 etc.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

the fiat 500 just looks like a car that won't corner well and possibly even tip over to me under real speed.

it's also not that small but small enough that if you are carrying more than 1 person it's a pain. as in the back seats are just additional bootspace or for 3 year olds. we managed to fit 5 full grown men into one but it was for a 5 minute journey. any longer and i reckon people would have needed hip replacements.

i'd rather go for a polo gti or the likes. or if you want something really fun a cooper s or john cooper works.

moving up to the golf gti and above is moving into a much bigger and therefore better car if there is more than 2 of you.

 

[Hyburnate]

the fiat 500 just looks like a car that won't corner well and possibly even tip over to me under real speed.

it's also not that small but small enough that if you are carrying more than 1 person it's a pain. as in the back seats are just additional bootspace or for 3 year olds. we managed to fit 5 full grown men into one but it was for a 5 minute journey. any longer and i reckon people would have needed hip replacements.

i'd rather go for a polo gti or the likes. or if you want something really fun a cooper s or john cooper works.

moving up to the golf gti and above is moving into a much bigger and therefore better car if there is more than 2 of you.

Firstly, the back really isn't all that bad considering. It's only got two seats in the back and wasn't designed for five people...

The Abarth is so much more than the Polo GTI, it's just a Polo. The Abarth screams attention, it sounds epic, to most the Polo is just a Polo. I'd much rather the Abarth it's a load more fun.

One thing I would say, turbo lag on the Abarth is sooo annoying.

 

[Zeebedy]

Thanks for all the input guys!

I really am not a fast, fast driver, im just considering as its quirky and has a bit of poke when needed. And it seems to fit the bill considering what "most" of you guys are saying

 

[disfunktion]

Thanks for all the input guys!

I really am not a fast, fast driver, im just considering as its quirky and has a bit of poke when needed. And it seems to fit the bill considering what "most" of you guys are saying

I would suggest having a test drive in different models from the range - the standard 145 may well be more than enough. If you want details of decent main dealers let me know - and the facebook groups I mentioned above are very helpful.

 

[Zeebedy]

I would suggest having a test drive in different models from the range - the standard 145 may well be more than enough. If you want details of decent main dealers let me know - and the facebook groups I mentioned above are very helpful.

Cheers mate, appreciated. Looking at a 595 Abarth Competizione in red, it looks real sweet with those bucket seats tbh.

 

[Diddums]

Thanks for all the input guys!

I really am not a fast, fast driver, im just considering as its quirky and has a bit of poke when needed. And it seems to fit the bill considering what "most" of you guys are saying

At the end of the day you gotta buy what you enjoy and screw what others think. Nobody here has mentioned any reliability issues and they've sold billions of the things so they can't be too bad. If you like them, buy one and giggle in every corner.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

how reliable are these things though engine wise and any other major parts? fiat has always been iffy has it not when it comes to long term reliability. okay when new and up to a few years. i know back at school my mate bought a second hand punto and soon after the axles were gone