Credit: Abarth
Last year The Driven published two reviews of the Fiat 500e (one by Tim Eden and another from myself). For me it was a breath of fresh air to be driving a small, fun city car with enough range to venture out on a pleasant day trip, a delightful change from the almost constant diet of mid to large SUVs that the manufacturers seem to think the Australian public is solely interested in.
So when the opportunity to spend 10 days with the ‘Abarth’ performance version of the 500e came up – I jumped at it to find out just how much of a difference ‘Abarthing’ the 500e could make.
For those who have not heard of Abarth – it began as an Italian racing and road car maker back in the late 1940s. Taken over by Fiat in the 1970s, the Abarth badge is now used to denote performance versions of Fiat models that Abarth have tweaked to improve their performance and handling.
The company philosophy by the way is to be “… high-performing and powerful, but first and foremost small and agile just like the Scorpion”.
From the outside, the Abarth version is certainly no shrinking violet. With scorpion badges on the side and ‘Abarth’ emblazoned on the front, under the doors plus scorpions on the centre hubcaps, it shouts ‘look at me’ from every angle.
(This was especially so for the one I had: in ‘acid green’ – a vibrant cross between lime green and lemon yellow – I found when walking away from it in a carpark, all the cars around seemed very drab).
The interior differs from the standard 500e in a more muted fashion. Seats, roof lining and door trims are all black. The dash is trimmed in Alcantara, as are the seats.
The front seats are sports style with leather and Alcantara trims and the steering wheel is a three spoke sports-style, also with leather and Alcantara trims. A feature of the Abarth is a half-length panoramic glass roof. This was a nice touch and (for the passenger at least) added to the opportunity to view trees and scenery on winding country roads.
Tyres and rims also differ to the standard 500e: the Abarth rides 205/40 rubber on 18 inch rims with Bridgestone Potenza performance tyres. (Versus 205/45 R17 Continental rubber on the standard version). Suspension and handling tweaks for the Abarth include rear-wheel disc brakes, different shock absorbers, and revised electric power steering control.
Whilst the battery size and charging rates are the same as the standard version, maximum power is up (113 kW versus 87) as is torque (253 Nm versus 220). The additional power does have a downside though: the WLTP driving range for the Abarth is 253 km (as compared to 311 km for the 500e).
Driver’s controls, switches and steering wheel buttons are also the same as the 500e. As I noted in that report, this makes them very easy to access and use as a ‘driver’s car’ without the need to look away from the road through the need to search through menus or locate the right spot on a featureless touchscreen. Also new for the Abarth are some additional infotainment screens to monitor performance, plus different driver’s display options to denote which driving mode has been selected.
The ride is, surprisingly, not as harsh as you would expect from 40 profile tyres – however that is likely due to the suspension, braking and steering tweaks that have been made to the Abarth version. All up, it made for an engaging drive that cornered perfectly flat at any sensible speed on a twisting, hilly road.
It also implements a full i-pedal well*– although it did take a few days for me to get used to its design. The Abarth’s i-pedal is adaptive, meaning it slows down more aggressively the harder you lift off the accelerator pedal.
This meant the car and I were occasionally at odds as I altered my foot … and it responded with more or less regen than expected! You quickly get used to it, but those used to the implementation of i-pedal in other EVs might find it a bit odd to begin with.
For the Abarth 500e, the driving modes have been tweaked and renamed. Gone are Normal, Range and Sherpa. Instead you have Turissmo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track.
Unlike the 500e though (where in Normal mode the i-pedal is off and you have light regen/need to use the brake to come to a full stop) in the Abarth the i-pedal is implemented in both the normal driving modes of Turissmo and Scorpion Street and it is only off in Scorpian Track (along with the de-tuning of a lot of the car’s ADAS features).
This means you need to use Scorpion Track to not have full i-pedal in reverse – along with the changes in ESC and other driver aids that this mode implements. This was perhaps my only annoyance with the Abarth version over the 500e.
For the road, I would have preferred an option where all the ADAS systems were operating, but allow me to rest my foot on the brake pedal to enable an instant stop as one creeps backwards.
To me that is a safer option in reverse than be enabling an accidental reverse acceleration through jumping on the nearest pedal should a dog or child run out behind you. (Most other EVs either disable i-pedal in reverse or have ‘creep’ as a selectable option in the menu system).
The only other odd feature was the simulated internal combustion engine noise pumped out through a waterproof speaker mounted under the car. Yes, it did sound life-like and changed with the motor speed. It even made a good effort of making a suitable revving noise when in neutral and blipping the accelerator.
However: on a long drive all it did was provide an annoying background drone and took away from the experience of a smooth, quiet electric drive in the countryside. (This by the way is in stark contrast to the simulated noise and feel implemented in the Ioniq 5N). Whilst it did provide a good party trick/laugh to introduce the car to friends, it was invariably turned off immediately afterwards.
The 500e Abarth is currently offered in two versions: Turismo and a limited edition ‘Scorpionisma’. The latter comes with additional side ‘Abarth’ decals and a certificate of authenticity as part of a limited run of 1,949 units. (To denote Abarth’s beginnings in 1949). Only 219 Scorpionismas are available in Australia – so if do you want one of those, you may have to be quick.
In Victoria (i.e. without any rebates and minimal subsidies), the Turismo is $64,844 on-the-road. The Scorpionisma version is available only in Acid Green or Poison Blue and retails for $66,512. (For comparison, a Turismo in Acid Green would cost $65,876).
Warranty is 8 years/160,000 km for the battery and 3 years/150,000 km for the rest of the vehicle. 3 years roadside assist is also included.
With a zero to 100 time of 7.0 seconds it is only 2 seconds faster than the standard 500e. As such, it is in no way a competitor to something like the track-oriented Hyundai Ioniq 5N.
What it does provide is additional driving fun over the standard 500e, as well a very noticeable ‘look at me’ presence on the road. For those wanting a bit of street presence and a capable, fun driving and sporty looking small EV – the 500e Abarth is a worthy contender for your dollar.
As for the price: Abarth versions have never been a cheap vehicle and the 500e Abarth is no exception, so intending Abarth buyers are probably not going to baulk at that price tag.
So back to the metric of did it feel like it was “…high-performing and powerful, but first and foremost small and agile just like the Scorpion”. Well, I think it hit the mark well.
On the other hand, if you really feel the need to have the simulated engine noise turned on more often that as a party trick to elicit a laugh from your friends or attract looks from bystanders – I would suggest you buy the (still available) petrol version of the 500 Abarth and be done with it. Perhaps you’re not quite ready to move into the vibration free, instantly accelerating and silent world of an EV just yet!
* i-pedal. Where lifting off the accelerator produces a significant braking effect right up to and including stopping the vehicle altogether without the need to touch the brake pedal. With i-pedal implemented, the brake pedal is only used when significantly heavy braking is needed.
Electric Motor: Permanent Magnet, 113kW 235Nm
Transmission: Single Speed Reduction Gear
Drive: Front Wheel Drive
Performance:
Seating: 4
Boot volumes in litres (1 litre = 10 x 10 x 10 cm)
Dimensions:
Battery:
Energy consumption: (WLTP)
Kerb weight:
Charging:
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Drive configuration:
Towing:
Not rated for towing
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Bryce Gaton is an expert on electric vehicles and contributor for The Driven and Renew Economy. He has been working in the EV sector since 2008 and is currently working as EV electrical safety trainer/supervisor for the University of Melbourne. He also provides support for the EV Transition to business, government and the public through his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.
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