Abarth 500 review

The normal 500’s cabin is a strong point: clear, fun and functional, and the Abarth takes it on a little with a meaty sports steering wheel, resplendent in leather and finished off with that evocative scorpion badge. But you do still sit way too high for a car with such sporting focus, and the driving position is resolutely city-car rather than focused turbo hot hatch. Needless to say, the back is hopelessly cramped and the boot is wee as well. See it as a mini sportscar rather than a genuinely practical high-performance city car.

There are plenty of options available to customise your Abarth’s interior, but leather is probably the only one to worry about. You get sports seats front and rear and it’s a shame not to make a virtue of these