Direct Shift

Vehicle: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth with leather sports seats
Price as tested: CDN$26570

Performance: When the little 500 first came to the market about a year ago, we loved the car but found missing “something…something”. The Abarth has promised the return of that important ingredient of being a hot hatch.

Come to the rescue of that missing ingredient in the form of forced induction. In Abarth’s tradition, it a form of turbocharger on top of Fiat’s Mulitijet 1.4 liter DOHC 16-valve mill as in the mainstream 500. Come along with electronic throttle, revised ECU mapping and exhaust system; the Abarth comes in at 160 ponies and 170 lb/ft of torque. That are 59 more horses and 72 lb/ft more torque than standard 500. While the improvements on the paper might not sound significant, the seat-of-the-pants feedback are much more dramatic. The most amusing thing about the whole Abarth equation is the entertaining engine note. You won’t mistaken it as any of those boring German engine note, instead, its the other side of Italian passion which usually find in Ferrari costing couple of times more than the little Abarth. Push the Abarth through the mix, it doesn’t exhibit any turbo lag one associates with small turbo engine. The turbo rush combined with the healthy middle and upper range make for one heck of a ride. While I love the way its clutch feel, its also downright progressive. The 5-speed manual’s throw has something to be desired. It lacks the crisp and precise feel of some of its rivals. So does the power doesn’t come alive until reaching sweetspot at 3500rpm. As for the gearlever, however, there will definitely be an aftermarket short shifter to the rescue because its an Abarth. In the meantime, its gear ratios are well proportioned and gates well-defined. At 2587 lb, 500 Abarth has come it alive as one of the lightest hatches we have ever put through the paces.

Handling: While the base 500′s dynamic equation is certainly not shabby, Abarth has taken of what’s the meaning of a proper hot hatch to a new height. The recalibrated Abarth sports suspension is not only able to ride firmly yet comfortably, its able to deliver the level of suppleness and rebound damping which are capable enough to put Abarth through its paces on the track. Combined with its relatively lightweight, tendicous grip and ideal balance when driven the Abarth through the black top twisties and racetrack alike; it will definitely go down the road as one of the most fun cars we have ever tested in Directshift. The steering is sharp and precise, without feeling twitches. There are minimal body rolls while understeer is close to non-existence. The amount of balance of Abarth’s chassis engineering is nothing than astounishing. Push the Abarth through its paces, it would keep beckoning for more. While the standard 500 exhibits similar amount of driving pleasure, it feels rather underengined due to its capable chassis. The extra oomph and a recalibrated suspension really have done marvelously to 500′s potential. Press the “Sport” button on the dashboard, the steering firms up without feeling unnecessarily heavily, while providing more of those feedback one seeks for when dancing on the track or just plain weekend fun.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs, standard ABS and Abarth’s relatively lightweight; it makes for a combination of a near perfect braking feel. The stopping distance is short while pedal feels firm and well-modulated. The whole stopping distance is short while pedal never felt spongy after hard stops. Bringing along the ride come an ABS which only acts necessarily.

Interior: An extra turbo boost gauge, an annoying shift light and a superb sports bucket seats have basically wrapped up the difference of Abarth’s cabin. The Italian flair continues inside the Abarth with sporty instrumentation gauges, leather stitched gearlever and a flat-bottom sports steering wheel. The annoying trait of a thick A-pillars, which block overhead traffic signal and an useless backseat basically tell your passengers: This is a 2-seater Abarth. While the leather front buckets are exquistely made as those in expensive Ferrari cousin, it needs more lateral support for craving corners on a racetrack.

Conclusion: The 500 Abarth has brought along plenty of Italian character with the fun of a proper hot hatch. While it has some compromises but its amount of driving fun certainly justifies those shortcomings. Most of all, it has the kind of docile lightweight character which have been missing in many of today’s hatches.

To sum it up perfectly. Abarth will be another welcome addition to Directshift’s most desirable garage pieces. And that’s along the lines of a R8 V10, 911 GT3 RS, Cayman R and Golf R.

Competitions:
Ford Focus ST
Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Mini Cooper S
VW Beetle 2.0T

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5