The Fiat 500 is a cute little iconic car that gets a lot of love from enthusiasts. The Fiat 500 Abarth is a performance-oriented version of the Fiat 500 and the automaker recently showcased the vehicle at the 2014 Auto Expo. While the Fiat 500 looks simple, the Abarth manages to look slightly aggressive. The front bumper comes with a honeycomb grille which adds a nice sporty touch along with the white-yellow lights which look unusual in a good way. The Abarth logo is flanked by a chrome strip on both the sides and the overall front looks of the Fiat 500 Abarth are simple yet not-so-boring.
The side profile looks pleasing to the eye with the sporty Abarth stripes at the bottom part. The alloy wheels also have an appealing design and yet the wheels don’t shout for attention. The alloys are available in two colours – Hyper Black or Bianco (White). The ORVMs can be had in a colour that contrasts with the body colour, i.e. black + red, white + red, black + white, etc. The sporty and simple theme is carried forward to the rear too. There are dual exhaust tips on the 500 Abarth along with a rear bumper diffuser.
Moving to the interiors, we have to say that we just love the way the insides have been designed for the Fiat 500 Abarth. The dashboard is dynamic with all the controls neatly placed and the centre console comes in a rich glossy finish. The seats can be had with three combinations like Nero Leather, Rosso Leather and Nero Cloth trims. The sports seats provide a good amount of support to your back and the under-thigh support is also good. The seats come with integrated headrests which have a small opening in them. The steering wheel comes mounted with audio and phone controls and the automaker has added a flat bottom to the wheel to increase the sportiness.
For in-car entertainment, you get a Blue&Me audio system that comes with six speakers, 8-inch subwoofer and an eight-channel amplifier with the BeatsAudio Digital Sound Processing (DSP) algorithm to provide the ultimate music experience. The Electronic Vehicle Information Centre (EVIC) let’s you know all the important stats about your car such as oil and coolant levels, tripmeter, odometer, RPM, fuel level, etc. The 500 Abarth also comes with a LED-powered gearshift indicator.
The Fiat 500 Abarth is powered by a 1.4-litre MultiAir turbocharged petrol engine. This powerplant produces a maximum power of 160 PS and a peak torque of 230 Nm. The 500 comes with two intercoolers and the intake system comes with a high-flow air filter. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and the gearbox is tuned in a way that it provides quick acceleration without compromising on fuel efficiency. The Abarth 500 comes with 16-inch Pirelli tyres and you can opt for 17-inchers as an option.
Fiat has loaded the Abarth 500 with a whole lot of safety features. The steel body comes with a number of crumple zones and there are a total of 7 airbags to protect the driver and passenger. The 500 also comes with Electronic Stability Control (ESC). This system allows the wheels to respond to any quick or sudden steering movements and helps in keeping the vehicle stable. This ESC system also comes with a ‘Full Off’ mode where you can switch it off for driving under certain conditions.
The Fiat 500 Abarth is available in four colours – Nero Puro (Black), Bianco (White), Granito Lucente (Grey) and Rosso (Red). The vehicle provides great performance, good comfort and is loaded with a decent amount of entertainment and safety features. When launched in India, it will be priced in the whereabouts of Rs. 25 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai) and its major competitor is the MINI Cooper 1.6 S. Initially Fiat will be completely importing the car and has plans to locally assemble it in the foreseeable future.
