Fiat is more fun in ‘Sport’ mode
Abarth
to tune that exhaust note just so. Thank goodness the Abarth comes with a five-speed manual transmission because an automatic would strip half the fun out of driving it.
Pete: No lawnmower I’ve driven had the Abarth’s delightful Sport driving mode. Dial up “Sport,” and the steering gets tighter and throttle response quicker. I’d never take it out of Sport if I owned an Abarth.
Pam: And why bother? This isn’t a car you buy for hauling the boat or carting the kids to soccer practice. It’s all about the driving experience, which far surpasses what you get with Fiat’s more mundane models.
Pete: No kidding. It’d be a waste to spend the extra dough without wringing every bit of pleasure out of the 500. The Abarth ranges from just less than $23,000 to more than $27,000, lots more than the basic 500 Sport, which starts a bit below $18,000. Our Abarth unit was $27,050 and had nearly every optional goodie.
Pam: I have a few quibbles, though. Poor visibility, for one. And in a car this size, you need to know if a Chevy Suburban’s bearing down on you. I didn’t like the dash design, either. The tachometer is inset inside the speedometer, and all those simultaneously whirling needles made me twitchy.
Pete: The sound system would be way easier to use with knobs instead of buttons for volume and tuning, but that makes too much sense for a European car. The Abarth’s subcompact size, a prime attribute to most buyers, is also its undoing as anything but a weekend car. Rear legroom in the 500 is so tight, the seat is almost unusable. And the trunk, the area open for cargo with the rear hatchback raised, is useful for groceries but little else.
Pam: You might not believe this, Pete, but we stuffed our neighbors in the back, and sweet Angela, who barely tops 5 feet on a good day, told me it had more legroom than her daddy’s BMW. I swear she hadn’t had anything to drink, but she does giggle a lot.
Pete: God bless Angela and her sunny disposition. I’d scream and cuss if forced to use the 500’s back seat.
Pam: I’m pretty sure her husband did, under his breath. You just couldn’t hear it beneath the engine noise. at the Volkswagen line of diesels — Golf, Jetta, Passat. They’ll get you something in the low 40s on the highway, but the diesel fuel will cost you more per gallon.
Ray: So the good news is, at least you have more options now. Every year, we’re seeing more and more credible highmileage cars. So if you don’t like the way the seat fabric chafes your butt in the Prius, now you can buy something else that’s comparable. But if you’re happy with the Prius, we don’t have any reason to recommend against it.