Driving Sports TV - Fiat 500 Abarth Reviewed 

I've owned my Abarth 500 for 3 and a half years! Even now i still enjoy starting it up every day, the exhaust backfires just make me grin, even on a dull day! You cant beat the soul and character of an Italian Hot hatch, and believe me, these little cars are suprisingly quick! Buy one or regret life!

I purchased my Abarth two months ago. What a fun machine to drive. I have owned many big bore muscle american cars thru the years and enjoyed all of them.At age 76 this lil car suits me fine.

I bought a red abarth with black accents. What a driver...responds, handles, accelerates, and stops, with the precision of a scalpel. All fer $22k

Nice job presenting this, natural tone, good writing. Editing and cinematography are good too, better than what Car and Driver and some other big names produce.

It doesn't matter whether it pronounced ABART or ABARTH, what matter is what this little monster can do ! Great car!!

its nice to see how the show has grown better and better, in editing and presentation :D

hell of fun car. happiest in the canyon or tearing up the city. also very easy to tune.

A few weeks ago I got my hands on one of these little beauties (dont ask how, just trust me on these one) and believe me, its been a long time since I have had so much fun in a car. I actually reminded me of that evo 9 I drove a few years ago, shure, it does not have the same grunt as the evo and handling is a notch under, but it is as much fun to drive, and is 12k under the price....and has a loooot more charisma! This is a no brainer buy for any hot hatch enthusiast

While not my favorite Hot Hatch, it's still a good driver and a great value to boot. I'd be interested in driving one.

We have another video posted a couple weeks ago that features just the car and track sounds.

Thanks!

Nice video on a sporty car! Thank you!

Thanks. Ryan was considered for that position when Top Gear was being developed for NBC. Never got the call for History, tho.

Dude on campus has one and complemented my first-gen Miata. This car is badass.

Haha I just bought that same exact trim package last week. This car has definitely earned the title of "Sleeper".

Hey, you pronounced Abarth correctly! :-) Cool vid. Keep them up!

Thanks for the great review! I enjoyed the information and the video on the track was super! This car is going to sell like hotcakes. All the folks hating on it don't really understand what car enthusiasm is about. You won't buy the Abarth because its the least expensive or because it has the most horse power. You'll buy it because it is the most fun car to drive and has for its weight, quite a kick in the pants. Its about fun. Go with it.

you'll never forget the time you see one.

damn 76! go on man i wanna be like you when i get there

Honda Civic Si; Fiat 500 Abarth.... Great fucking cars. Let's be happy there are vehicles out there for almost anyone's liking. I owned a Subaru WRX, Subaru Forrester XT and WRX STi...... The Forrester gave me the biggest smile. I will buy the Abarth next year because the 500 Pop model gave me a BIG :) Adding more HP can't hurt.

Hah! The slap alone makes this video a perfect 10! Thanks!

you mentioned driving a legacy gt that was tuned and asked myself, how come no one does a podcast with people`s tuned cars?

What a piece !

The comparison is only mentioned because it's $100 more than the Abarth and everyone knows what you get with a Civic Si. Just added perspective on the value of the Abarth.

If you agree we should have more viewers, get your friends to watch us!

Though you'll say "and that's so much better" gotta realize most of the work is all fiat, additional safety bracing made for the US. People wrap Ford f-150 around trees too. Single vehicle crashes are a big big problem. One could also make the case for avoiding an accident a truck would be in. With so many variables, if you desire it, why not get it? If it fits, go for it. Mack trucks hurt too ya know ;)

Abarth was a tuning garage in Milano in teh '60 and was entirely bought by FIAT in the '80s.

I have the ferrari Tributo version beefed up 200 HP, My word its fast

Funny how the car kept changing from a grey with red stripe to a grey with flat black stripe as the driver is taking around the track...someone in editing miss that I take it?

We're based in the US, so can't comment on the relative value to Euro models. We don't get the Type R, either.

Why does it say "P" instead of "R" as in Reverse? 2:09

Only the version with bigger cup holder.. I think.

If you do a comparison with the Civic SI also include a Mazda MX-5 against the Fiat.

I think it's every man's dream to get slapped by Catrinel Menghia after the Fiat 500 commercial. It's her version of branding like Michael Buffer's "Let's get ready to rumble" pre fight moment. I might even pay her to swat me ? :-)

Civic is 2 litre engine while Abarth 500 is 1.4 Abarth Grande Punto (200HP) has same engine Lack of HP is due to its tiny dimensions.Powerful engine would be dangerous (they said) So that's why in my country (Italy where Abarth are made) people considering 500 (because it is lighter than Civic) usually get the Abarth SS kit that will give you a 185hp engine with full warranty. If you want to go faster Abarth is selling the R kit too (210-250hp) i don't know if Abarth is selling them in US

I like, its a nice !

This will be my first car!

Did you get it? Did you get it? Did you get... it?

The car is juist damn fun!

Thanks for the review, looks like a nice car, too bad no auto trans and cabrio in that trim level.

Spotted a white Abarth 500 the other day.

2012 Civic Si: 85hp/l; 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth: 117hp/l. For its size, the Civic is pretty soft.

I bought mine for under 10K used, 2012 40k miles. Thing is just blast! Even if your just going to the hardware store. Best bargain out there. Save your money and let someone else take the hit on depreciation. Not much difference between new model and older model here in the USA unless you want a slush box. If you do then your missing the point of this car!

the most beautifull

I want this car. =D

Me too

Sounds like a shootout is in order.

Civic weighs 300 lbs more than the Abarth. And, truth be told, the Abarth is more fun on the track - it's a more precise instrument than the Si. I've driven both. As for tuning, yes, Honda engines are great for tuning - however, most people do not modify their engines so for most people that point is moot.

love the guys around here that can't even fit lumber in their trucks. Almost got hit by a flying board out of one when they hit a pothole. I keep my lumber, tools, and a mower dry in a minivan. Won't win style points I assume, but I won't be charged when a piece of lumber goes through a windshield.

Or maybe there are actual fiat enthusiast whom are interested in fiat performance because maybe fiat used to sell fiat chassi to a little man called enzo ferrari. Wild hypothisis, isn't it?

have fun driving it in traffic and big highways

That said Id rather have the 500 then the star trek shuttle craft looking appliances that Civics have become.

What makes your think that a Honda civic Si is automatically a ricer? How can it be rice if it's only stock and nothing more.

Part due to Top Gear and part due to the rise of "lowest common denominator" programming that replaces information with face plants. (Not that we don't enjoy both of those - together preferably.) That said, we average about 8,000,000 views a month across the Interwebs (not just RU-vid, but also including iTunes, Blinkx, Mevio, Blip, etc.) Not too shabby.

Never thought I would see so many people attacking a car using a civic that got nothing but luke warm reviews. This car has personality. The new civic is just some econo clone with SI badges

dat sound....

Everyone knows how rust proof the old civics were too ;)

If I wanted a quirky fuel-efficient compact car, I'd get a mini

Personally, I don't get all the vitriol towards this car. Haven't seen this much dislike for something since Subaru switched to plastic intake manifolds (oh, the horror!)

This car has to be an auto-x god

These cars really are fun to drive after the suspension, and brakes are modified, and the ECU is remapped to remove speed governors and improve horse power, and the air intake system is modified. It's a shame the factory versions are so mundane. Its a wonder the factory is producing the biposto, another underwhelming low performing version at a crazy price. So much tuning potential, once again missed.

you're forgetting that the Honda Civic SI is a full liter larger in engine displacement, and has the same torque but only 41 more hp. Not to mention that it weighs roughly 400 more lbs than the 500 Abarth. To say that the SI would "eat up this little pos" is stupid. It's going to be a great competitor against the SI and Im looking forward to seeing it. Not to mention, the Abarth gets much better gas mileage than the SI. In a race, my money is still on the SI, but it will be a good comparison.

Oh I guess I went to far saying the new Si is soft lol...you can't argue with the numbers.

i sort of feel bad for this channel. they produce pretty decent reviews, but they just dont get any views!

its an amazing little car, i really want one, but everytime i think what i could buy second hand with that amount of money, it seems a waste.

I personally have test drove both because im looking at getting a new car and the fiat hands down has better performance

You must be so cool, seriously the only reason I watch car reviews is so I can hear people say "why would I pay x money when y car is only x more/less!" no one gives a shit

And you can get a mazdaspeed3 for 23k at dealers which is about 400 more than what you can get a civic si for. and the ms3 has 263 hp 280 something pounds of torque, a nice interior, and leather trimmed seats. Btw, ill take the abarth over a civic si , because a civic si, is simply a civic si.

I have a 2012 mustang v6 with the performance package and I have to disagree, along with all of the people I work with that are telling me it sounds amazing for a v6...I got the a plan on my mustang also so I only paid about 800 dollars more for it than the abarth and I would never pick this car over my mustang

Which would you rather have, a japanese ricer or an Italian work of art sports car? The Fiat has a better tradition and longer line of racing than honda. Id drive something with tradition, reputation, and the ability to just perform.

I'm American, and I only want it if it come in a convertible

Wonder what would happen to one of those little abarths if some soccer mom in her big ole ford suv or some construction worker in his 3/4 ton truck hit someone's son or daughter side impact in one of those . You see you don't have many ford trucks or suv on the road in Europe. Here they are no.1 seller. I'd hate to be in an abarth or mini or smart for2 :-/

I'll trade in my pocket bike for this Fiat : D

Sucks to be hit in anything. Could be mutual destruction as their axle clips the roof and they roll over, get ejected, and get snapped between their door and the rest of the suv/truck rolling over. Life is risky, Mack trucks kill F-150's, Nuclear arms kill Mack Trucks. Maybe drive an Abram's tank if that worried? Engine may not be "bullet proof" by the exterior is.

Want

I've never heard fiat or abarth said that way, must be an American thing

because

Another guy with the camera on him? Focus on the car on the driving experience.

Forget civic si and abarth. you guys [ americans ] need a renaultsport clio and megane. then you can put things into perpective of what a good affordable track car can do.

how can u compare it to an si quarter mile is 88mph apexing is almpst non existent

POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO

this has more TQ than civic

y in the world would you need a turbo at 18 psi on a 1.4liter to make what honda made in the 90's (160hp) with a 1.6?

yea, i understand. But since when did it become a necessity to add humor to car reviews? I think as long as it is informative, it should be alright. I think the main problem is the amount of competition out there.

the si eats fiat for breakfast

As someone who's driven both the Abarth and the Civic Si I can tell you the Si isn't that good. The Abarth is alot more fun to drive.

This is false, I have the 500 twinair 0.9 turbo and is more powerful that my old 2005 focus.You dont need more power. Unless you want to spend your salary paying speed tickets.

It sounds like an srt4 lol

That model is actually Romanian...

Good job, now go back to the Alex Jones channel from which you came

anything with a v6 sounds terrible... lol its all about them v8's!!

to the people here who are saying that you can use reg gasoline in Abarth- you are the reason why i don't want to even look at used cars anymore, because they are most likely ruined by the people like you. most any mass production vehicles with engines specifying the use of premium can and will accept reg by timing retardation, but it is a vile practice.

Abarth is not really a 'trim level'. And thank what ever deity you like that it has no auto or conv. option...it's a car for driving. There is a turbo 500 coming, surely it will have your compliaints dealt with.

Not like in the commercial !!!!

nice reporting, but when you're on the track and talking about the car's abilities (any car report, really), please lose the music. It interferes with hearing the aural nature of the car on the track, and is a distraction when I'm trying to concentrate on what you're saying. thank you.

Rice Burner,,,

Plz don't compare this to SI, its slower smaller and girly

NVM

good review but you spend the first minute and a half repeating the same thing over and over

lol sorry bro I call bull shit the fialt is a good 1200 lbs lighter than a civic and there reliability isn't what it used to be if anything its gone down hill they can barly manage 150k miles anymore