2012 Fiat 500 Pros and Cons: Why (Not) This Car?

	Compared to the Cooper
Exterior styling	Better Worse

It might be much more powerful than the regular FIAT 500, but people are still going to buy (or not buy) the Abarth due to its styling above all else. The exterior pays homage to the classic 500, which was essentially Italy's VW Bug, while also being attractive to contemporary eyes that like a lot of cute in their cars. The Abarth adds various red details and fancy scorpion badges on the fenders to convey that it's the high-performance variant. Among other small cars, only the MINI includes so much "design," making it the obvious comparison.

Powertrain performance

Better Worse

I was initially underwhelmed by the Abarth's performance. Then I recalled the "Sport" button largely obscured by the right side of the steering wheel rim. Hit it, and throttle response quickens while another 25 or so horsepower are unleashed, for a total of 160. The difference is dramatic. This is essentially the same engine as in the new Dodge Dart, but with about 800 fewer pounds to tote around (at 2,500) and a much louder exhaust full of unusually raw boom and crackle. This said, even in "Sport" performance remains short of mind-blowing. A MINI Cooper S, with another 21 horsepower up top and considerably more shove down below to handle its additional 140 pounds, gets by with fewer revs in daily driving and also proves a little quicker when both are wound out.

Handling

Better Worse

No car with a viable rear seat is smaller than the 500. Even the MINI Hardtop, which has a tighter rear seat, is a half-foot longer. For this reason alone, the Abarth is fun to drive in a way the vast majority of cars can't be. Yet I expected better. The Abarth doesn't parlay its diminutive dimensions into thoroughly engaging handling. The car's moderately firm steering lacks the tactile nuances of the best. Instead of tingling your fingertips with a direct connection to the road, it seems numb, even in "Sport" (which injects a little more edge). You sit much higher than in a MINI, and the FIAT initially feels tippy. After the initial bit of lean the car does take a set, and the chassis is generally secure, but confidence is not inspired. A MINI, with its lower seating position and superior control over body motions, handles better despite steering that could also be less heavy and more communicative.

Interior styling

Better Worse

The materials aren't the best and many of the controls confuse, but the styling inside the car, like that on the outside, entertains and effectively signifies that you're not in a mass market compact hatchback. This said, a MINI interior can be optioned to pack even more visual interest.

Price or payments

Better Worse

The FIAT 500 Abarth starts at $22,700. Add $1,000 to upsize the wheels from 16s to 17s, and another grand for leather. Does $24,700 seem steep for such a small car with good but not great performance and a limited number of amenities? Well, a MINI Cooper S runs between one and four grand higher, depending on how closely you care to equip it (some MINI option prices border on outrageous). The much-better-in-just-about-every-way Ford Focus ST is also within a grand of the Abarth once feature differences are accounted for. But the FIAT is cheaper than the others, and this counts for something.

	Compared to the Cooper
Driving position & visibility	Better Worse

Visibility through the large windows is great, and better than in the MINI (which has a smaller, more distant windshield). The driving position is the problem. As mentioned earlier, the FIAT's driver seat feels unnaturally high. Fit a rear seat large enough for adults (in a pinch) into a 140-inch-long car, and there will be trade-offs. The non-telescoping steering wheel is too far away when you adjust the seat based on the pedals, which include a clutch that grabs too near the top of its travel. The dash-mounted, ropy shifter combines both shortcomings. I'd prefer it lower and closer.

Controls and instruments

Better Worse

The concentric tach and speedometer look neat, but aren't easy to read. The audio controls might be intuitive to Italians, but their logic eluded this American. Perhaps most irritating of all, the seat belt chime starts the moment the car begins moving, and won't quit even if you come to a complete stop and set the brake. (I use my seat belt whenever I'm on the road, so it wouldn't seem that this would matter, but it really did.)

Front seat support & comfort

Better Worse

Few seats fit everyone well. For me, the "sport seats" in the Abarth were short on both lateral and lower back support. The seatback reclines in steps, and none of the detents was quite right. Try to relax, and you'll find that the headrests are hard and uncomfortably shaped.

Quietness

Better Worse

The exhaust noise so welcome when thrashing the car could become far from welcome on the morning commute. Even when cruising at a steady speed it doesn't go away. This won't be a problem for everyone. I personally enjoyed it most of the time, and rarely found it a bother. Critical for me: in casual to moderately aggressive driving the exhaust isn't obnoxious enough to attract attention for blocks around. (This was an issue with the Dodge Neon SRT4, which was tuned by some of the same engineers. Every time you lifted off its throttle, if only to stop for a light, its unusually open exhaust barked a very loud pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.)

Materials & workmanship

Better Worse

The 500's interior materials are okay for a price in the mid-to-high teens. But they come up a little short when the sticker is turbocharged into the mid-twenties. Not that the MINI's are much better, and it's even more expensive.