Fiat 500 Abarth: Hands-on Review – Part 2

Although there has been a Fiat 500 Abarth in Europe for several years, the U.S. version is significantly different. The U.S. tuners used a different turbocharger on the base engine, with subsequently different tuning. Matt Davis, Fiat’s U.S. head of Product Marketing, says the U.S. version is louder than the European version.

Inside the car, the turbo made itself known in two ways. One was an extra gauge, mounted just about so the driver cannot easily see it around the steering wheel rim. This gauge shows the turbo pressure, the needle of which bounced up and down delightfully during my short spin in the car.

The second way was in how the car thrusts forward with each gear shift. After having previously reviewed the Fiat 500c, this was not behavior I was expecting. The standard 500 only produces 101 horsepower, and the extra 59 hp in the Abarth can certainly be felt.

Another thing that makes a huge difference in the performance of the car is its Sport button. Last year’s model had the same button but it being 500c, there was not much difference noticed except the stiffened steering wheel.

However, the 2012 Abarth makes a strong statement when pressed the Sport button. The turbo charger kicks in and provide extra power to the wheels. The accelerator pedal gets increased attention from the engine and like the last model the steering wheel hardens for less play. Although this sounds less attractive but a ride in the Sport mode makes a huge difference in your thinking.

The 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth is available now, with a base price of $22,000.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=16490

Posted by Usman Khalid on Mar 20 2012. Filed under Automobiles, Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.