Fiat 500 Abarth

Our verdict

Briliant, brilliant, brilliant. The tiny terror is back, and it’s wearing a scorpion badge!

Comfort

The 500 is small, so the back seats are also in the tiny way. But up front you'll be fine, although a bit bounced to death thanks to tightened up suspension - possibly not the car for a transcontinental jaunt. You can get away with the Abarth most of the time though - especially in town where you can scoot about like a maniac. Did we mention the scorpions? Scorpions are good.

Performance

It's a relatively tiny 1.4-litre turbo but with a decently frothy 135bhp and 133lb ft of torque. A ‘Sport' button gently raises the torque available, but not by a huge amount; it goes up to 152lb ft for overtaking purposes. It means that the little 500 isn't blistering, but an exceptional joy to thrash. This is not a car to win drag races in, but through the twisties it's great fun.  

Cool

If big cars make people think you have sub-standard nethers, the Abarth should be the opposite. It might not be as wilfully mental as the 60s cars (it'll start when you want it to, and it has an engine that'll last more than 2000miles), but there's that cutesy-with-teeth thing going on that makes it. If it doesn't make you smile by the way it looks, it'll make you laugh in the way it drives.  

Quality

S'OK. The 500 generally has some nice touches that punt it up above average (we like fake Bakelite), but the quality has been shaved in parts. Not to say that it's actively bad, but start poking around and you'll find some marginally ropey finishes.  

Handling

It's lower, tighter and harder than the stock version and has a tendency to bounce a little on the average British B. Find some smooth tarmac and you'll be pleasantly surprised though - this thing is a laugh. The ‘Sport' button also drops out some of the steering's power-assistance, so there's more feel when you go fast - not quite a Mini Cooper, but pretty good.

Practicality

Don't be daft. The new sports seats (both front and back) take up more room in the car than the standard ones, so that cuts space even further. The boot's small and you'd have to tow a dinky trailer to transport anything big.  

Running costs

You should still get 40mpg from an Abarth. It's a touch on the pricey side, but you're paying for smiles-per-mile. Insurance is OK, too - it's ‘only' a 1.4-litre don't forget. The way forward for performance motoring.