From a horsepower-per-dollar standpoint, the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth will be a real bargain compared to the base car, as its turbocharged engine yields an additional 59 hp. And at $22,700, the Abarth won’t even be the dearest vehicle in the 500 line by far—the $28,000 500C Gucci special edition holds that title. The Fiat 500 Sport, which was until now the most engaging member of the fixed-roof 500 family available here, carries a base price of $18,000.
So what does the Abarth bring for an extra $4700 over the Sport? Chiefly, a 160-hp, turbocharged 1.4-liter four mated to a five-speed manual transmission; a stiffened and lowered suspension; a heaping pile of bad-assitude to augment the little Fiat’s innate cuteness; and a standard Bose audio system. Like on the 500 Sport, the Abarth can be had with Tom Tom navigation as well as a Safety & Convenience package that bundles automatic climate control, satellite radio, and a security alarm.
In a drive of the European 500 Abarth, we found the car to be very charming, even with a mere 133 hp on tap in that version. It’s worth noting that one could pull together an additional $2065 to nab a base version of Volkswagen’s 10Best-winning GTI; the larger, more practical, and more powerful VW starts at $24,765. A Mini JCW hardtop, by contrast, starts above $30K. Fiat is no doubt hoping the Abarth is the quick shot in the arm needed to get slow sales of the 500 moving.
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