General What is a 500 Abarth like?

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General What is a 500 Abarth like?

Actually the ride height is one of the reasons I bought mine, as I don't bend as well as I used to!

I'm actually quite pleased to hear this, as I put my seat as high as it can go on my 500 and like the high ride. I was worried those bucket seats would be too low.
 
I have had a 1.2 500 and an Abarth. I do 3-4000 miles per month at the moment in my Abarth, but also drive my mum's 1.2 lounge pretty regularly.

They might as well be different cars as they feel so different. The Abarth is obviously quicker, but it's the in gear acceleration that's the real stand out. It's louder, it stops better and steers very differently. On the move it's real point and and go, with plenty of opportunity to control your line on the throttle. In a car park it's a pig, with plenty of opportunity to miss your space. Seriously, our CLK turns much tighter than the Abarth! It gets positive comments all the time. I have people asking me about it in motorway traffic jams, at toll booths, all kinds. It is superb fun and I love it.

But, what it does lose is the Fiat 500's coolness and cheekiness... Its chic and style. It is trying much harder, and it expects you too as well.

Despite how much I love the Abarth, and I really do, I struggle with some of the newer models being up around £30k. It's not a £30k car. But, at the £15.5k mine cost with a few extras it's a laugh a mile! Just don't even consider taking it out of sport mode, ever.
 
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Having driven the 1.2 Sport model (as a hire car) and subsequently going to have a look/buying an Abarth, they're completely different cars. The Abarth is fun and exciting to drive and mine is permanently in Sport mode (not because I'm a boy racer, the responsiveness is much better than in regular mode, although personally i don't see the point in the sport button, it should be in that mode by default!) Actually the only time I've used the Sport button is to show a friend the difference in performance when I let him have a little test drive.

Basically, get an Abarth.
 
I have had a 1.2 500 and an Abarth. I do 3-4000 miles per month at the moment in my Abarth, but also drive my mum's 1.2 lounge pretty regularly.

They might as well be different cars as they feel so different. The Abarth is obviously quicker, but it's the in gear acceleration that's the real stand out. It's louder, it stops better and steers very differently. On the move it's real point and and go, with plenty of opportunity to control your line on the throttle. In a car park it's a pig, with plenty of opportunity to miss your space. Seriously, our CLK turns much tighter than the Abarth! It gets positive comments all the time. I have people asking me about it in motorway traffic jams, at toll booths, all kinds. It is superb fun and I love it.

But, what it does lose is the Fiat 500's coolness and cheekiness... Its chic and style. It is trying much harder, and it expects you too as well.

Despite how much I love the Abarth, and I really do, I struggle with some of the newer models being up around £30k. It's not a £30k car. But, at the £15.5k mine cost with a few extras it's a laugh a mile! Just don't even consider taking it out of sport mode, ever.

That's a crazy mileage a month, I cover roughly 2000 per month, do you feel the car hopes with the mileage well?

I've not test drove an Abarth yet but I'm 99% sure I want one for my next car. How often are you having to service the car and what mileage are you getting from the tyres?

Thanks Donna ?
 
what mileage are you getting from the tyres


When I had mine I had to replace the front tyres at 8,000 miles with my annual mileage being around the 9,000 mark. Saying that I used to 'drive' the car.:devil:
 
That's a crazy mileage a month, I cover roughly 2000 per month, do you feel the car hopes with the mileage well?

I've not test drove an Abarth yet but I'm 99% sure I want one for my next car. How often are you having to service the car and what mileage are you getting from the tyres?

Thanks Donna ?

Yeah, I spend a lot of time in it...

It's holding up well, really well. Better than I expected. I've had a couple of the usual weak spots sorted under warranty; door hand and front suspension as well as central locking. Other than that all good except for usual consumables like bulbs and tyres. I rotate tyres to keep the wear even. Lost track, but I think I've bought two pairs in that time (putting the new pair on the front each time), but it might be three.

Servicing is every 9000 miles so I wouldn't have necessarily chosen the car for this mileage for that mileage. It's not enough of a pain to make it worth changing the car though. It's done 33k in the last 9 months. It has also got more economical in that time (over 50mpg is not unusual on a run) and has been through (I think) one set of pads.

Hope that helps.
 
My wife has the 1.2 lounge nice car but i think the steering is too light even with city mode off.Mine is the abarth 595 competizione 180 hp model very quick stops like throwing a anchor out but at £22000 its a car you buy with your heart and not your head.
 
I get 36 mpg mixed driving, if i used the sport button all the time i would be lucky to get 30 mpg i have always used supermarket super unleaded not tried BP etc. Platts fiat/abarth have quoted me £495 for a three year service plan which would give me 2 intrim 1 major service on my mileage.7000-8000 a year.
 
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