[Closed] Abarth 500 - anyone drive one?

Probably not. But you’ll always know it’s not ‘the one’

My neighbour has one - apparently it's great fun to drive but drinks petrol. It does look fun though, and sounds great.

Sadly, I’ve never had an opportunity to drive one for any significant distance, but we do get them come through work regularly, and whenever I get the chance to take one down to our off-site storage I take it via the ‘scenic route’ around the estate, and they’re an almost indecent amount of fun! Even the one with the fewer donkeys is a riot, I can’t imagine what the full-fat one’s like. 😁
The new Toyota Yaris GN is even more nuts - 256bhp and 4x4 with LSD! No launch control, though.

Mrs Fruitbat has an Abarth Punto Evo which has the same 165bhp engine. I can confirm that it's great fun to drive and has been very reliable in the 9 years we've had it (from new)

I can imagine they are a hoot to drive, at real world legal speeds. The Yaris is insane.

My mum had one. Every bit as quick as my mk7 golf GTI but sounded way better. My kids were scared of the Sport button. Unfortunately, someone hit her head on on an A-road with a closing speed of 85mph. Her knee was shattered, four months in a wheelchair age 70 (not much fun) and now she is driving something much bigger and more defensive.

I was given a lift in one. It's a noisy, joggly Fiat 500 that has to be crawled over speed bumps. The owner confirmed the drinks petrol thing and her driving I'd describe as sensible.

I heard the handling wasn't great over small bumps, pot holes etc and also it was very bouncy when playing down a B-road. Not first hand experience though. Fiesta ST for speed 500 Abarth for cool perhaps?

Was given free range to push both as hard as I wanted on a track demo. 180 noticeably faster but sparse interior and noisy if you want the light weight carbon door trimmed version.

Neither are as fast as they look but for fun short journeys I’d just take cheapest / best deal rather than worry about spec. Can think of better options at the £25k+ of the top spec options. For cheaper budget go kart like fun try one of the sport model Suzuki’s...

I've not driven an Abarth (maybe they have different seats?) but I find a normal 500 really uncomfortable. Make sure you test drive first!

They do look quite fun 🙂

Saying that I used to work with a 6'2" ish big guy that found his comfy, so it just depends doesn't it 🙂

My friend has an Arbath 500, we call it a fiat 500 to annoy him, he gets a lot of banter about, its also two tone... for a long time if you saw a 500 coming you would video it, shout the guys name and share it in our whatsapp, he gets asked where his next hair or beauty treatment is a lot too.

I've not been in, I do know he didnt like the noise of the exhaust, so got a stock quieter exhaust put on, he then didnt like this and went back to the stock exhaust.

I dont think its that quick, we all left somewhere not so long ago wacky races -le mans style and he was no where to be seen.

he gets asked where his next hair or beauty treatment is a lot too.

LADS LADS LADS

Sample size of one. Made my neighbour drive like a cock until he lost his license.

Going by the drone it seemed like he drove everywhere in second gear at speeds wholely unsuitable for the roads.

LADS LADS LADS

That's what I was thinking. Nothing like a bit of harmless bloke-banter to make you hate your 'mates'.

OP, you should definitely test drive one. I think the key thing is that you say you don't do a lot of miles. Cars like this which are a riot in small doses are exhausting on long journeys. I say that as someone who went to the Alps and back twice in a Panda 100hp. Both times it was the most fun ever on the twisty Alpine passes and both times I arrived home ready to set it on fire.

No direct experience of the Abarth but my Wife did have a special edition 500 with sporty seats, wheels and low profile tyres. It was great fun to drive round, it was only 1.2 and you could drive it in a spirited manner and have fun whilst firmly staying within the law, guessing the Abarth might take you to the other side quite quickly!

It was bumpy though, especially compared to my Golf, you could feel every bit of the terrible roads around us and it wasn't particularly refined in terms of comfort and sound deadening. I used to say my Golf felt like a comfy slipper compared to running in climbing shoes in hers. Long journeys weren't the most relaxing and I felt quite exposed on a busy motorway due to the size.

We got rid at 7 years old after a couple of very expensive MOTs.

On the other hand my old Director at work used to borrow his Wife's Abarth to travel from Newark to York occasionally, watching him get out was always amusing as he was 6'4". When we chatted to him about it he used to rave about it, he had a 7 series for motorway cruising and an M3 as his "fun" car, but chose to drive the Abarth when he could because he enjoyed it so much.

It was bumpy though, especially compared to my Golf, you could feel every bit of the terrible roads around us and it wasn’t particularly refined in terms of comfort and sound deadening. I used to say my Golf felt like a comfy slipper compared to running in climbing shoes in hers. Long journeys weren’t the most relaxing and I felt quite exposed on a busy motorway due to the size.

That's what sickened us on the Panda and I think the 500 chassis is very similar (might be the same, I'm no Fiat expert)

It had the suspension travel of a skateboard. It had thin, uncomfortable seats and was very loud on the motorway. It was just exhausting for any journey over a couple of hours. Even driving from Sheffield home to Newcastle left you with a numb behind.

Much happier now in the Fiesta.

I just wanted to post my review relative to some of the others.   I've never owned, been in or experienced an Abarth but do have a BMW Touring and thats great on motorways.

I have however seen an Abarth on TV and in magazines.   I'd agree its not very macho and based on that you should either get one and delete your whatsapp account, or don't get one.

I imagine if you have Italian roots its a simple decision TBH.

I had one for about 8 months before writing it off. Owned many hot hatches over the years and this was one of the best until I crashed it. Not great on long journey's though as the suspension is pretty stiff. Great play car, especially if you live in a place with lots of country roads.

Great play car, especially if you live in a place with lots of country roads.

That's what my.neighbour thought apparently, always going massively too fast for said country roads children jumping out of his way over a blind crest and ultimately police removing his right to drive.

Strangely he never found it necessary to "have fun" on the same.roads in his astra.

Had a test drive in one a few years back - found that the lack of adjustment on the position of the steering wheel made it very difficult to get into a comfortable driving position - I'm clearly not shaped like your typical Italian . . . .

As soon as they came out I fell in love with the styling and like you thought they looked like a ton of fun.

I've driven both the 160 and 180 in a few different trims over the years.

The 180 is impressively quick in a straight line, but that's about all I personally liked about the car. 2 of the ones I drove were pretty quiet, one had a slightly louder exhaust which sounded ok, but it's a small engine turbod so it never sounds incredible.

I'd assumed that to drive they'd be "go-karty in nature" as well but they just aren't. The seating position is really high, and the car overall is quite tall so feels rolly and not that planted, somehow it equally seems crashy over potholes, which is quite an achievement. Steering is pretty vague, brakes were decent.

Love the seats but the rest of the interior is very much "standard 500 with some metal trim stuck on".

Had a Punto Evo Esseesse for a few days (same 180 engine) and whilst flawed in other ways, makes much more sense as it's more practical than the 500.

If you want go karty fun an MX5 is much better choice in my opinion.

@trail_rat sheep are the issue where I live. 50mph into a sheep is a great way of ruining your day.

Don't want to go far. i3 ?

Me!

Absolute hoot but wouldn't want to have to spend too long in it as harsh and loud.

Also, anyone putting one in sport mode +/or not being very careful with their right foot when its wet needs their head looking at.

Still get people wanting to know what it is as the sound it makes just burbling in tick over does not seem right for something that size.

Great fun, but my back much prefers the Disco

Edit - without tyres, you can also get two 29 wheels in the 'boot'!

There was recently a thread about someone with a fiesta st and I couldn't believe how expensive they were. I was assured however that it was actually a decent value car. Looking at the abarth, it looks pretty much the same price.

Surely if you are after a super mini and have 25k to spend the fiesta is the go to option. Everything ive read on the fiesta says it's amazing, whilst I've read mixed reviews of the abarth.

Plus, like it or not the 500 does have the image of a bit of a girls car..

I’ve not driven an Abarth (maybe they have different seats?) but I find a normal 500 really uncomfortable. Make sure you test drive first!

Me too, I did 500+ non motorway miles in one over 3 days as a hire car and it was hard going.

LOL - Done a complete about turn! 🙂

Decided rather than putting 3.5k into a new car on PCP I'd set that as my spending limit.

Was trawling through Autotrader and saw this locally, had a test drive on Saturday and picked it up last night. Oooohh - when that VTEC kicks in it all goes a bit bonkers! 😳😳

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I remember someone overtaking me when their VTEC kicked in, the engine blew. Made me smile.

Nice car those Civics....

I nearly bought the boring Grandad estate version recently, but went for a Leon estate instead.