Angular Front Exterior View - 2013 FIAT 500 2-door HB Abarth
The Fiat 500 minicar took a while to find its stride in the U.S. market when it returned in 2012 after a quarter-century hiatus. It landed on U.S. shores as a three-door hatchback or a two-door convertible--known as the Cabriolet--with a roll-back cloth roof. Following those came the hot-hatch 500 Abarth model, which gained attention through some truly memorable ads, the distinctive blaring rasp of its exhaust note, and the striking scorpion on its badge.
All Fiat 500 models are fun to drive, with good gas mileage as a bonus. But the little Fiat is rapidly turning into a family of different models designed to bring small-car style and panache to a variety of different budgets and tastes.
In 2014, there will be a much larger five-door hatchback version of the 500, deemed the 500L, that will form the basis for all-wheel drive 500X crossover that competes directly with the MINI Cooper Countryman. The 500L actually has little in common with the rest of the 500 range beyond its name, but it lets Fiat offer a model that competes with the most popular models in the growing MINI range.
Also for 2014, Fiat will offer a very limited-production, all-electric version called the 500e. The electric 500 will only be sold in California; it's a "compliance car" required for Chrysler-Fiat to meet zero-emission vehicle regulations. In all likelihood, only several hundred will be built and sold--and non-Californians will never see the 500e.
For a more detailed look at the 500, see the full review of the 2013 Fiat 500.
The basic Fiat 500 three-door hatchback is available in four trim levels: Pop, Sport, Lounge, and Gucci; Convertible models are only offered in Pop, Lounge, and Gucci trims. The base model is the three-door hatchback, and the 500c cabriolet is the same car fitted with a cloth roll-back roof and a tiny trunk lid, giving open-air driving without the loss of structural rigidity that comes from a top that folds down completely.
The Fiat 500 Abarth is the hot-hatch version, competing with the Mini Cooper S, courtesy of a turbocharged engine that puts out more than 130 horsepower, stiffer suspension, and 16-inch sport wheels. Given Fiat's hugely popular TV ads with model Catrinel Menghia that launched the little hot rod, the Abarth may be the best-known 500 right now. For buyers who want Abarth performance in a more subtle package--no dressy body add-ons or scorpion badges--the 500T model uses its turbocharged four-cylinder engine in an incognito body.
The core 500 models that went on sale in the U.S. for the 2012 model year was introduced in Europe as a 2008 model. It quickly won rave reviews for its interior and exterior style, high level of standard features, and solid, high-quality assembly. Highlighting the international nature of the auto business, while Fiat 500 models sold in Europe are built in Poland, for the U.S. market they’ll be built in Mexico—and sold at an increasing number of Chrysler dealers.
Like the MINI Cooper it competes with, almost model for model, the Fiat 500 harkens back to a beloved national automotive icon from the Sixties. In this case, it’s the Fiat 500 that was built from 1957 to 1975. And like the Mini Cooper, the new model is larger, faster, far better equipped, and immeasurably safer. The Fiat 500 is not, in other words, a competitor for econobox models like the Hyundai Accent or Toyota Yaris; it’s a lifestyle choice, a style accessory that also happens to be fun to drive and easy to park in tight urban areas.
All 500 models use a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that Fiat will also build in North America, to be shared later on with new models from Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep. Fuel economy figures land at 30 mpg city, 38 highway—similar, again, to those for the Mini Cooper. In early drives of the 500, we found the steering to be particularly enjoyable and lively, although straight-line performance was lackluster and a cramped interior plus big doses of engine and road noise rounded out the picture. Additionally, it's worth noting that the 500 has some of the most cramped front-seat quarters of any new production car.
You can get a few more features in the Fiat 500 than you'll find in most other small cars, like leather heated seats and rear parking sensors, and there are some 500,000 different build combinations thanks to plenty of possibilities for trims, colors, and accessories.
The high-performance Abarth model, introduced toward the end of the 2012 model year, boosts the base 101-hp, 1.4-liter engine with turbocharging, to instead make 160 hp. Special Koni Frequency Selective Dampers plus plenty of other dynamic and appearance upgrades make this one of the year's most enjoyable drives, for those who enjoy nimble minicars.
Look for the extended-length, five-door 2013 Fiat 500L model to offer a usable backseat, along with some added features.
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