The folks’s efficiency automotive of Italy has gone electrical.
No, it’s not a Ferrari or Lamborghini, it’s an Abarth – itself an extension of the massively common Fiat 500 household.
The 2024 Abarth 500e is an electrifying tackle the confirmed Abarth method, taking the Fiat 500, giving it extra energy and extra targeted working gear, and making it make lots of noise.
Noise in an EV? Sure, Abarth’s engineers have spent hundreds of hours engaged on a system known as Exhaust 2.0, which performs engine sounds inside and outdoors the automotive primarily based on recordings of the Abarth 595/695’s Report Monza exhaust.
If that’s not in your face sufficient, our take a look at automotive’s Acid Inexperienced exterior paint absolutely needs to be. It’s someplace between rolling tennis ball and highlighter, and little doubt can be trigger for folks to cease and stare on the road.
Can this fulfill the Italian scorching hatch diehards?
How does the Abarth 500e evaluate?
View an in depth breakdown of the Abarth 500e towards equally sized automobiles.
Abarth
500e
How a lot does the Abarth 500e price?
On take a look at now we have the ‘common’ 2024 Abarth 500e Turismo – priced from $58,900 plus on-road prices. There’s additionally restricted inventory of the Scorpionissima launch version remaining, which is restricted to 219 models nationally.
2024 Abarth 500e pricing:
2024 Abarth 500e Turismo: $58,9002024 Abarth 500e Scorpionissima: $60,500
Costs exclude on-road prices
To see how the Abarth 500e traces up towards its rivals, try our comparability device.
What’s the Abarth 500e like on the within?
Abarth has principally taken the Fiat 500e’s inside and suede-ified it.
The general design and structure of the cabin is all acquainted from the Fiat model, however there’s varied Abarth Scorpion badging and highlights in all places in addition to Acid Inexperienced and Poison Blue highlights all through.
Forward of the driving force is a rejigged model of the Fiat 500e’s 7.0-inch TFT cluster, which will get Abarth-specific graphics and presents plenty of layouts to fit your tastes.
I stored the central speedo and tacho dial up for my time with the automotive, and the theme and adjustments relying on drive mode, progressively getting brighter and extra aggressive as you cycle via Turismo, Scorpion Road and Scorpion Observe modes.
Whereas the extra energy meter readout had extra fluid animations, the speedo dial virtually ticked via the varied factors on the rim like a clock. It’s not essentially a optimistic or unfavourable, however a normal remark.
Sitting proudly atop the sprint is a ten.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system working the Stellantis Uconnect 5 interface. It’s the most recent and best software program from the group, and is a marked enchancment over earlier Abarths.
It presents embedded navigation, DAB+ radio, in addition to wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – the latter working reliably with my iPhone 15 Professional Max excluding one event. The six-speaker JBL audio system goes fairly laborious, although in case you dial it up the home windows and rearview mirror may shake a bit.
Fiat and Abarth have additionally included good cupboard space for such a bit of automotive, with a grippy wi-fi cellphone charger which additionally has a Torino skyline graphic. There’s additionally a deep centre cubby with sliding lid, respectable door pockets, and a few cupholders.
I desire the brand new “Premium Sporty Seats” over the previous automotive’s pews, trimmed in leather-based and Alcantara to match the steering wheel, dashboard, and doorways. There’s a Scorpion graphic on the headrests of each entrance seats, Acid Inexperienced double stitching, and respectable ranges of adjustment in each the seats and steering wheel – large tick.
As you’d count on of a light-class automotive, the again seat is finest left for infrequent use and smaller passengers. Consider it as a 2+2, if you’ll.
You may match common sized adults again there for brief journeys if you actually need, and the entrance seats simply fold out of the best way through the brilliant blue straps on the seat backs.
The entrance passenger seat will even slide again and recline right into a extra accommodating place routinely after utilizing the discharge operate, which was helpful when a taller pal sat behind a shorter pal throughout a brief journey.
You may put little one seats again there courtesy of the ISOFIX anchor and high tether factors on each rear seats too.
The boot is tiny, as you’d count on – with 185L quoted with the rear seats in place. Abarth doesn’t quote a seats-down determine, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly extra accommodating as a two seater because of the 500e’s taller proportions.
There’s additionally no spare wheel, quite a “Repair and Go Tyre Restore Equipment”.
What’s below the bonnet?
The Abarth 500e will get a extra highly effective electrical motor than its Fiat equal, and stays front-wheel drive.
To see how the Abarth 500e traces up towards its rivals, try our comparability device.
How does the Abarth 500e drive?
Beginning up the electrical Abarth is… fascinating.
When you have the sound generator off, you’ll get a humorous electrical guitar sound enjoying while you hit the starter button to show it on or off.
When you have the sound generator on, the guitar nonetheless performs nevertheless it’s rapidly overpowered by a really distinguished burble harking back to the combustion powered Abarth 595/695 with the Report Monza exhaust. It’s arguably louder on the surface than inside.
As you set off there’s even a sound that simulates you disengaging the clutch, however from there it traces up its pretend revs to throttle inputs and velocity. On the freeway there’s a reasonably loud drone which for some may get tiresome, however I loved the fixed soundtrack as a result of it’s identical to the petrol one.
It’ll even rev you probably have it at a standstill. Press the throttle in P or N and the 500e will play a revving sound and react very similar to the previous 1.4-litre engine below the bonnet.
The outputs could appear meek on paper, however having 235Nm on faucet from the second you hit the accelerator in a reasonably mild (~1300kg) hatchback makes for fairly brisk progress off the road.
It pulls strongly from relaxation and proper via to about 60 or 80km/h, really fizzling out a bit as you get to freeway speeds. There’s higher response than the petrol-powered Abarth at low speeds, however the previous one pulled more durable at velocity.
Take into accout the Abarth 500e is extra aligned with the base-level 123kW Abarth 595 quite than the 132kW Abarth 695 we nonetheless get in Australia. Even so, Abarth’s representatives declare the 500e is 50 per cent faster from 20-40km/h than its petrol predecessor.
Abarth’s 7.0-second declare from 0-100 feels correct by the seat of the pants, and it feels extra responsive on a roll too – the model quotes a 20 per cent enchancment in acceleration from 60-100km/h.
Value noting are the completely different outputs relying on drive mode. The usual Turismo mode limits the drivetrain to 100kW/220Nm and engages most regen (one-pedal mode) for finest effectivity; Scorpion Road offers you the complete 113kW/235Nm with one-pedal driving; and Scorpion Observe is max assault with no regen.
I typically cycled between Turismo and Scorpion Road in regular driving, and the additional response of the latter is notable in case you actually gun it. You’ll discover the journey laptop will add a number of kilometres to the remaining vary in case you change from one of many Scorpion modes to Turismo, and there’s additionally a Turtle mode in case you’re working actually low on cost and limits high velocity to 80km/h.
It doesn’t come undone at freeway speeds both, partly because of the 60mm wider monitor and 24mm longer wheelbase over the previous 695. There’s a extra assured stance because the velocity climbs and the 500e feels extra substantial.
I’d argue that whereas nonetheless agency, the electrical Abarth rides higher than its ageing predecessor, and the bigger footprint means it’s a extra assured handler. There are 18-inch alloys (big on a automotive like this) shod in 205/40 rubber entrance and rear, which is just about the identical tyre specification because the previous one, bar the additional inch in wheel diameter.
The 500e corners with gusto, albeit with a top-heavy really feel like its forebears. However this simply provides to the enjoyable. The heavier steering tune is responsive and correct, and whereas there’s no fancy limited-slip diff or torque vectoring operate you may have numerous enjoyable with out issues getting too lairy.
For me, there was the easy pleasure of blasting out of roundabouts, making fast overtakes on fundamental roads, and carving up the ramps of procuring centre carparks. It appears like a giant child’s toy – if a reasonably costly one.
Driving like this implies you’ll possible by no means obtain the marketed driving vary of 253km. On supply and after charging it our take a look at automotive confirmed roughly 225km of vary, although our real-world consumption determine of 16.3kWh/100km bettered the declare in blended driving and would get near the marketed vary.
A significant growth over the previous 695 is the inclusion of contemporary driver help methods, even when the Abarth misses out on among the performance within the cheaper Fiat model.
AEB with susceptible street person detection is commonplace, as is lane-keep help and blind-spot monitoring. These alone convey the Abarth 500 into the trendy period, and align the teeny hatch with different Stellantis merchandise.
There’s additionally a reversing digicam with entrance and rear parking sensors, although the Abarth 500e lacks the Stage 2 autonomous driving help (adaptive cruise and lane centring) supplied within the Fiat which might make prolonged freeway stints that little bit extra enjoyable – although the 200km-ish vary means prolonged stints wouldn’t be that prolonged.
I’m certain the Italians would say, nevertheless: “ma questa è un’auto da guida, perché ne hai bisogno?” Or put merely, this can be a driver’s automotive, so Abarth homeowners usually tend to wish to have full management.
What do you get?
Abarth 500e Turismo highlights:
18-inch alloy wheelsFull LED exterior lightingLED headlightsLED daytime working lightsLED tail lightsAutomatic headlightsAutomatic high-beamRain-sensing wipersPanoramic mounted glass roofPrivacy glassTitanium gray mirror capsHeated exterior mirrorsAlcantara upholsteryLeather, Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment systemSatellite navigationWireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto7.0-inch digital instrument clusterKeyless entry, startClimate controlDAB+ digital radio6-speaker JBL sound systemHeated entrance seatsHeight-adjustable driver seatMetal pedals and sill plates50:50 split-fold rear seatsUSB-A and USB-C outletsAuto-dimming rear-view mirrorWireless cellphone chargerMode 3 charging cable
Abarth 500e Scorpionissima provides:
Digital certificates of authenticityAbarth decals
Is the Abarth 500e protected?
The Abarth 500e is presently isn’t rated by ANCAP, although the associated Fiat 500e acquired a four-star ANCAP score primarily based on testing carried out by Euro NCAP in 2021.
Commonplace security gear contains:
6 airbagsAEB incl. Weak Street Person detectionBlind-spot monitoringDriver consideration monitoringIntelligent velocity restrict assistLane preserve helpParking sensors entrance, facet, rearReversing cameraTraffic signal recognitionTyre stress monitoring
How a lot does the Abarth 500e price to run?
The Abarth 500e is roofed by a three-year, 150,00km new car guarantee, which is nicely behind the pack today.
The battery is roofed for eight years or 160,000km; and there’s roadside help thrown in for 3 years. Most rivals provide not less than 5 years of assist for brand new car and roadside today.
Abarth is providing capped value servicing at $300 per go to for as much as 10 years. Intervals are 12 months or 15,000km.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Abarth 500e
It’s enjoyable, quick, however flawed – which is quintessentially Abarth, actually.
In opposition to extra goal metrics like our scoring system or relative to the market, the Abarth 500e doesn’t make an entire lot of sense.
It’s very costly, doesn’t provide lots of vary, and actually is outgunned by rival EV hatches just like the MG 4 XPower and Cupra Born within the efficiency stakes. Then there’s the shortage of practicality, the in your face seems and the sub-par guarantee protection.
However that’s not likely the purpose, is it? The previous Abarth 695 suffers comparable drawbacks, if not worse, and this new electrical one makes big strides in tech, security, consolation and refinement.
What Abarth has executed right here is rebirth its iconic child scorching hatch for the electrical age. It seems, feels and drives like an Abarth-fettled Fiat 500 ought to, and anybody who has loved a petroleum one up to now ought to love this.
I genuinely couldn’t wipe the smile off my face each time I noticed it, not to mention each stint behind the wheel. It’s so foolish, in probably the most charming and enjoyable approach.
Actual discuss; if the vary wasn’t so quick, I’d have critically thought-about placing an order in.
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