Fiat 500 Abarth 2012-2014Change

Not the most practical, or reliable, or powerful. But that's not what this car is about. It's about being enjoyable, having a car that communicates with you.

The most affordable performance car I ever had! it corners like on rails and takes off like a BMW M3!! just amazing for the price!
Have fun!

The Abarth is a fun small car. makes a great noise and goes pretty good. Cheap to buy and maintain.

My car is a true joy to drive, and so much fun it should be illegal. I honestly can't speak to winter driving, as mine spends all winter safety parked in a garage, so it doesn't know what snow, ice or salt are.

In regular mode, the performance is good and it delivers really nice fuel economy. During a 13,000km road trip last summer, it was seeing around 1,000km per day or highway driving, and I was getting nearly 600km our of a 40 litre tank of fuel. The TomTom and Blue&Me system allowed me to plug in a USB fob full of audio books and that's what kept me entertained during my long driving days. It also has an XM radio, coupled with AMFM and a CD player.

I'm 6'-2" and fit just fine inside the vehicle. The ride is stiff as the suspension is tuned for performance, not the comfort of a sedan road boat.

I thoroughly enjoy the experience of driving stick and smoothly shifting up and down through the gears. But if you want a real kick in the pants, you press the "sport" button, and it turns into an aggressive little beast, and the sound of the Ferrari tuned exhaust tells you that this isn't your stock Fiat 500. Wicked fun to drive.

I have nothing but good things to say about this little car, and as you'll notice, the only negative reviews are two written by the same person... and in each one they tell a different story. I find the credibility factor of what they wrote suspect, If you see dozens of positive reviews and only two (written by one person) that are negative, then something fishy is going on.

Good Sound car for the fuel concious sport minded econmoist out to get a few stares as you cruise the city and highways.

If you are thinking of getting this car, BUY IT!!! You will not regret it!!! That's all I have to say :))) my favorite purchase of all time I don't recommend it for families with young children.
I don't recommend it for winter conditions, but I've seen it.

Surprisingly it handles well in snow for such a small car. No other car equals it's design, especially in the convertable

PROS:
- great fun to drive on city roads
- peppy engine
- charming character and styling
- garners attention from both males and females

CONS:
- gearbox/shifter made in a Rubbermaid factory
- gearbox/shifter as notchy as old manual tranny's from the early 90's
- cramped inside
- ergonomics leave much to be desired (i.e. far reach audio controls for taller drivers, dashboard menu buttons not easily accessible)
- choppy ride
- body twitches and crashes over bumps
- rattles apparent on a car with just over 11,000 kms
- quivery structure
- reliability questionable / non-confidence inspiring

I have always been into the "Hot Hatch" car scene that is all over Europe. Here in North America, our selection is quite limited when it comes to this department, and the cars that do get sold here really dont feel like true hot hatches should (with a couple exceptions). I am pleased to report that the Fiat 500 Abarth is a true hot hatch. No it's not the fastest thing out there, and it's true that the styling is love it or hate it, but this is one amazing car.I have owned it since the begining of June and I grow to like it more and more everyday I drive it. It's hard to put a finger on it, but the best way to describe this thing is that it has a personalilty! Really! If you are considering one of these against a Cooper S (which I have owned in the past), you will not be dissapointed. Just make sure you hit the Sport button before you start to drive, makes a night and day difference in steering feel and throttle response (and more torque to boot!).