First Drive Review
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Top back, foot down, hold on for a good time.
Fiat’s 500C Abarth reminds us of the old chewing-gum ad line, “Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun,” in that it matches two of the factors that make these little Italian (via Mexico) cars so much fun.
The first factor is the Abarth make over, starting with the turbocharged and twin-intercooled 1.4-liter Multiair four with 160 horsepower and 170 lb-ft that will light up the front tires through the five-speed manual box. (No word yet on availability of an automatic.) Presentation points accrue for the red, look-what-I-have engine cover complete with scorpion logo. Adding some sassiness to the regular 500C’s chassis are stiffer springs, Koni front shocks, a ride height lower by 0.6 inch, bigger brakes with red-coated calipers, and wider Pirelli tires. No one will doubt you are piloting something beyond a standard 500: There are Abarth scorpion badges on the front, sides, and rear; more-aggressive fascias at both ends; Abarth side stripes; and dual exhausts. The best visuals and dynamics come with the optional 17-inch wheels.
The other factor is the cloth roof, which we know from the 500C. The steel roof rails stay in place while the cloth roof and its glass rear window accordion back like a sardine-can lid. There are two folding positions. The first push of the convertible-top button slides the top back, creating a giant sunroof-like opening to the rear rooftop spoiler. Push the button again and the roof slides still farther back until it nestles just above the trunklid. You can open the roof to that first position at speeds up to 60 mph, but need to throttle back to 50 to slide it all the way back. Very convenient.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Where the workaday 500 cabrio is your basic lighthearted Fiat, the Abarth is for the heavy-footed. Push the Sport button to get the full 170 lb-ft of torque (150 lb-ft is the max in normal mode) and to put the steering in its weightiest mode, and canyon runs become pseudo attacks, if one can use such a word with a car this pugnaciously cute. The interior is actually a bit quieter with the top all the way back, so that’s where it lived for most of our drive, rearward vision be damned.
The unique top arrangement, for some reason, appealed even to some that shun full convertibles or sunroofs. We like it because you get to hear more of that Abarth exhaust note—which is less frantic and more putt-putt than you’d expect from an Italian car, and quite possibly its most charming attribute. And the aural assault sounded extra glorious bouncing off the rock-faced walls that lined our route.
Time to Get Rorty
The 500C Abarth is not a rock-hard-suspended performance car—Italians usually aren’t—but the southern California roads we drove were free of the broken pavement found in many parts of the U.S., so most can expect some jostling in this short-wheelbase, relatively stiffly sprung runabout. Also, the electrically assisted steering isn’t very feelsome, but if you assume the right mindset, that doesn’t matter much. The Abarths are made for quick, characterful blasts through a canyon or around town, not precision hot-lapping. Cutting a hole in the roof for the canvas top doesn’t hurt the Cinquecento’s structure as much as you might think, because most of the door frame is preserved. Is the 500C Abarth as razer-edged as some small performance cars? No. But it can be a lot of rorty fun. Fiat lists almost the same curb weight for both coupe and cabrio Abarths, so figure 0 to 60 mph in about 6.9 seconds. The EPA numbers come in at 28 mpg city/34 mpg highway.
Where a normal 500C has a base price of $20,200 and a fixed-roof Abarth would set you back $22,700, combine the pair and the tab starts at $26,700. Out of curiosity, we went to Fiat’s consumer site and built the Abarth cabrio of our dreams. The options on our Rosso car included the Dr. Dre Beats audio system, black 17-inch wheels, TomTom navigation, and the Comfort/Convenience Group (hey, need those heated seats) and it came in at $29,750. Fully loaded, the car nears $32K, which is a lot for this little metal. Regardless, all Abarths come with a one-day Abarth Driving Experience school. We don’t think you need a class to enjoy the Abarth experience, but you’ll probably want to go anyway.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door targa
BASE PRICE: $26,700
ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged SOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 83 cu in, 1368 cc
Power: 160 hp @ 5500 rpm
Torque: 170 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 90.6 in
Length: 144.4 in
Width: 64.1 in Height: 59.2 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 2600 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 6.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.3 sec
Top speed: 129 mph
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway: 28/34 mpg
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