Fiat 500 Abarth hatchback 2014 review - Carbuyer

[@rare6499]

I loved my Abarth 500. Such a great car. Spent thousands on it, had circa 200bhp in the end. The ride was horrendous but it never failed to make me smile. Still did 40mpg and sounded like a (broken) Ferrari. Great great little car with real character!!

[@drguffey]

I get tired of hearing about 'turbo lag'! It's nonsense ! Use your gears, keep the revs up and the turbo lag is nonexistent !!!

[@oddities-whatnot]

drguffey correct. I had no turbo lag on my abarth

[@fatwalletboy2]

Exactly if you are pressing on you dont do what Matt did which was labour it in the wrong gear waiting for the motor to spool up......youd be nailing it it in the right gear so lag is only a problem exacerbated by driving the car incorrectly.

[@joecostner1246]

So true man, rev it!

[@winzfeld1]

Turbo lag is for people that don’t know how to use a gearbox

[@Milnoc]

I agree entirely. Gotta push it well above 3000 revs to get the engine in the proper sport/turbo band. In the city however, I leave sport mode off (drops the BHP to 135) and casually maintain the revs at 2000-3500 because I rarely need any power at all. I might as well spare the engine and save on petrol since I'm not going anywhere fast anyway.

[@tylerhanley1409]

I have an Abarth 595 and im absolutely enamoured with it, the beautiful growl from the exhausts and pull from the engine never fails to make me grin and its cute but agro face always seems happy to see me. I have a 2017 model and they seemed to have fixed a lot of the issues. great car with a huge personality. Also if you're that fragile to not get a car cause its "girly" y'all seriously need to man the f up

[@ping-pong--king-kong5621]

Iam intrested in bying one but iam not sure if it is reliable

[@EddieFly00]

@@ping-pong--king-kong5621 These are very reliable cars infact.

[@EddieFly00]

To me, the regular 500 is a bit feminine but the Abarth is a man's car.

[@peterlewis3540]

Only two Ford vehicles have left me almost speechless when i saw them, one was a 1977 RS 1800 Escort with a broken fuel line outside Bettws Y Coed, in North Wales. The owner was off to the 2016 Mid Wales RS owners club annual gathering. The second car, was a RS200, for sale in Evan Halshaw dealers in Cardiiff. Fords are so plentyfull that it takes a very rare model to turn my head. Any Abarth is a fairly rare sight, and their sound and presence on the road, turns into excitement for a true car fanatic.

[@ScottZ370]

Heard one of these on full throttle and made a amazing noise literally like a old group b rally car

[@marquesdean5075]

I have a 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth that I bought in May 2012(ordered in March of that year,2 days before Chrysler started the official order taking). Almost 2 years and 36K miles later the car still brings a smile to my face. Fuel economy is great,I've gotten between 33 in the city and up to 39 miles per gallon on the highway in the summertime. And the pricing is competitive with a Mini Cooper S and a Ford Fiesta ST(at least here in the U.S.). The Abarth isn't for everyone(and Fiat will admit that)but for those who own one like me,we enjoy them. Even if you don't buy one I would recommend at least test driving one just to say you did.

[@garycampbell9036]

Officially the worst car buyer review. Abarth has no competition, you don't buy it because it's good value and mass produced by ford, it's hand made by lunatics in Italy. Abarth has SOUL

[@sbr7018]

Gary Campbell yes

[@peterlewis3540]

I fully agree, an Abarth is a rare sight on any road, and most people have no idea about the history of the Scorpion badge. All they see, is a heavily modified Fiat 500, and the sporting pedigree of Karl Abarth is totally lost on them. I love my 595 to bits, and its one of the most exciting cars ive ever driven and owned. JUST BRILLIANT FUN

[@Dutcharmytent]

Just brought the twin air and it’s 85 hp.

[@carloszenteno7039]

Agree this gay its a cooper lover

[@tmr_media6927]

Peter Lewis not true I see like ten everyday

[@crimblycrimbo6332]

I test drove one of these and this video doesn't do it justice. They sound really great and makes a really nice burbling noise when you change gear, the interior is a much nicer place to be than a mini cooper S. It just depends what you want in a car, the 500 abarth sounds nicer and is a nicer place to sit in than say a mini cooper S or fiesta ST, but the Fiesta ST is a more solid, reliable (apparently) car in general.

[@MartinHannett_]

The sound with the Monza is incredible and the competitors I'm sorry...they just don't have it sound wise. You will never match the head-turns you get from the flame spits the Monza can do so easily!

[@umarluxat7174]

Ryan Patrick Do you know or remember Alfa Romeo 33 Monza 1.7 boxer engine ? ...listening it's uzina-fanfara metalic borberling vibration sound (at any revs) ...your knee melt, your spine crole and your brain gose in coma mode . ...don't mention... driving it ... it's pistons are placed in your spine, and you don't have to be a profesionist balerin because you just prouve your artistic talent by driving that red carpet. ...)

[@Youhavenopowerherelucas]

Is that JC from Deus Ex in your profile pic? Nice bit of nostalgia right there :D

[@crimblycrimbo6332]

You have no power here Certainly is :D. My 4th favourite game.

[@badboyblu12]

I own a 595 Turismo and I love it!!

[@aratyal]

Lucky

[@danielesalvigni]

MTA?

[@HexaSquirrel]

Considering buying this as my first car!

[@o0julek0o]

Dude. It's Abarth. Not ARbarth. There's one R in there.

[@noelledeplus8349]

il

[@adamheskett6245]

First day on planet earth? British always add r where none exists.

[@MedEighty]

A few years ago, I went to hire a small car for a day and the only one they had was an Abarth 500. Yes, it was uncomfortable and, in sport mode, the steering wheel knackered my arms out. But it was loads of fun nonetheless.

[@hansakrok4085]

i got the u.s. version so it's slightly different. got 24k miles on it. had no problems at all. i just tuned it. added 40hp, and got 200hp. my buddy had 225hp on his, at the dyno. it's a hell of fun car. makes you smile every time.

[@adamjones4951]

the major selling point for me is insurance the abarth is a 1.4 litre engine and at 20yrs old and 1 years no claims i love the 1.4 135hp 500

[@Milnoc]

I paid £6,800 for a North American 2015 Abarth 500. Same specs, but different engine (the multi-air) and I believe KSB shocks instead of Koni. You get around the reliability issues by buying one used out of warranty that's still working at a third of the cost! Best of all, you can mod it without worrying about voiding the warranty since it's already expired.

[@gratigo1]

How do you prefer the NA version vs the euro version? They made some big changes to the rear suspension for the NA models, curious how it compares

[@Milnoc]

@@gratigo1 Unfortunately, I have no point of comparison. I've never driven a Euro spec'd 595. If I could, I would try a 595 Turismo since it's the closest match in performance to the North American version.

[@gratigo1]

@@Milnoc ahhh I assumed you bought an imported NA Abarth in Europe

[@Milnoc]

@@gratigo1 Nope! Just converted the price for the benefit of UK viewers. The North American models are so mechanically different from their European counterparts that they're an entirely different car.

[@gratigo1]

@@Milnoc yeah I’m in the USA and own a 2013 Abarth. I was just curious what people thought of the NA vs Euro versions haha

[@tanner87]

You slated this car but it is so much better than your review, even buyer reviews on your website tell a different story

[@s2korpionic]

I like this car. Love the looks, and the scorpion badges is a definite plus.

[@DucAlexx]

nothing is like an abarth

[@MartinHannett_]

When he taps the badge it moves around...true Italian quality there! In all seriousness though my dad had one with the Magnetti Morelli exhaust and it is a screamer and sounds brilliant...minus wind noise on the motorway and a weird whirring from the rear right wheel...

[@Ziz_jj]

I think its more Alpina to bmw rather than amg

[@selaudinagolli4638]

True

[@Lucas-jl3ic]

Fax

[@michaela2315]

@4:30 or so. That is Incorrect, Sport Mode does more than make the steering stiffer, it transfers a lot more torque to the transmission giving it the biggest boost of deperity between standard and sport mode of any sport button and it also as a nice exhaust note and other features if you watch other reviews and own 1 yourself.

[@buca9696]

I don't get why not all sporty versions of normal cars have exhausts on either side. It looks so much better.

[@Candisa]

It's unnecessary, costs more, and takes up space that can be used for a toolbox/battery/bigger fuel tank... or even make the difference between being able to fit a spare tyre or not... I agree the symmetric look is better, but I much prefer 1 side over having fake exhaust tips or not having a spare tyre...

[@mortyst290]

It wasn’t taken off the production line the ABARTH was built with the rest of the fiat 500 range, the Chrysler ipsalon and Ford KA range where also built on the same line in Poland and Mexico.

[@toolshedjunky]

17,000 miles in 6 months and my 500t still makes me grin from ear to ear. However, it does need a telescopic steering wheel.

[@TheGard3nGn0me]

I found that gay boot close a lot more funnier than I should have.

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

COR_96_ he would probably get sacked nowadays for for doing that, if he still worked there.🙄🙄

[@DedicationBlog]

Funny you mentioned the scorpions, one of my friends has got one and the first thing we noticed was just how many scorpion badges there are on it. I think we counted something like 16 in total outside and inside

[@nadeemm429]

Fiat is to abarth as Mercedes is to brabus as BMW is to alpina

[@mikerhinos]

I love Fiat 500 Abarth, old and "remake", but man, when the guy pressed on the logo in the beginning of the vid, I was like "Hell ! If I hit a big bee on the highway, will it trigger the airbags ?!".

[@fredericopuannez9245]

This car is ONLY make me smile!! Without any bad meaning!!

[@JoeriBE]

When you have your seatbelt on, people think you have a backpack on!

[@jakebond2294]

🤭

[@fahmyaziz5889]

damn matt look younger

[@jackfordmac]

He’s was younger

[@laurencesu5176]

Evolved into carwow

[@guautovlog]

Hello from Brazil! I don't speak english but i Love so much your channel on KZbin Carbuyer

[@thosepetrolheads]

We just drove that car and its awesome!

[@iantownsend5480]

I like them but on the whole I still prefer the old Twingo RS, yes it's slower but it handled better & the back seats are useable. Damn I miss that car

[@TDUsafiro]

The gay part.. Hahahilarious! 😂 I'm impressed by how good you got that part looking!

[@gustavountar]

Best review ever! Really like carbuyer's review with typical english sense of humor! The bag on the end was perfect lololololololo !

[@ThisIsMTH]

Was going to get one of these but went for the Fiesta instead. Now looking at an Ibiza Cupra in the next few months.

[@getfitdit]

***** Boasting about how often you change your car? how sad..

[@jamesj97370]

Base car is the best to go for £13,000, softer suspension and the exterior is less "fussy" I love my Abarth 500 :)

[@oddities-whatnot]

James Jevons very true that. I had a 12 plate, then a 65 plate few years later. Surprisingly, a lot of improvements had been made since my first, including gearing, suspension, overall handling and refinement was better

[@StefanMansson]

About time with an Abarth 500 review

[@stavros969]

One of your funniest review's Mat well done.

[@Schizm1]

Great review. I always love F500 and Abarth version looks great but man... For everyday use? Nope... No thank you.

[@scottlawson9027]

i have the same issue with my 500 with the turbo kicking in and ALOT of lag until you take your foor off the accelerator and then it kicks in

[@scottrobertson307]

Hi Scott. Hopefully you figured out how to get rid of the lag on your Abarth. I have a 2015 Abarth and i recommend getting a Go pedal which will get rid of your lag and boost 20-30% more HP. My car now is like a rocket ship. Also look into getting a throttle body and a pulley. Check this information out on 500 madness.

[@oddities-whatnot]

Scott Lawson i had a 65 plate abarth, and had no issues with turbo lag in sport mode whatsoever.

[@TiagoAndreF]

The knee bit was very funny.

[@rainerfuchs9475]

Hi Mat :-) Always great videos by Carbuyer :-) !! The Abarth 595 is my favorite rocket pocket car, it has a lot of power, a long history and the every body is looking bonus :-) I love this car every day and night more, bye ciao Rainer from Austria :-).

[@nO_d3N1AL]

Finally, includes prices!

[@shobin05]

i would get one if it doesnt cost as much as the fiesta st & 208 gti. i think its just too expensive considering the performance levels. Otherwise i think its pretty neat.

[@lovetherally4518]

Could be nice a drag race with the 190 hp Abarth 695 biposto vs 208 gti vs Fiesta st vs 595 Abarth competizione

[@140ish]

There's 595's putting out 180bhp, don't have to jump up to the 695

[@charlesclement383]

I have a 500 Abarth,and I love it. Not so sure about your assessment.

[@drejtamorina9995]

what mat watson?

[@patfiggis9624]

The handbag really suits you, much better than a manbag.

[@matts1083]

The only abarth that’s a pocket rocket is the 695 the others are to low on power, sound nice though 😍

[@jing713]

6:00 lol!

[@lewis72]

This car would have been better reviewed by Rebecca; she's only 5' 4 1/2".

[@ivayloipetkov]

Hahaha. Good point.

[@haruccigr]

You should have reviewed the Abarth Punto Supersport.

[@jacklewisno1]

I dont agree with the review of the Koni suspension. I replaced the stock suspension with the Koni one and its infinitely better. The stock one is very soft and bouncy, whereas the Koni is firm, but not to firm. Its the Sabelt seats that make the ride so hard. Stick with the normal ones and your fine.

[@freezor80]

Dude it is technically A-Bart. IN the US we get a 500 sport with 135 hp and an 500 A-Bart with 160hp. our A-Bart is the similar American version as the 595.

[@Candisa]

WTF, unless Abarth can't spell their own name, 'Abarth' is how you write it...

[@freezor80]

Yes it is Abarth. But is pronounced Ah-Bart. The H is silent thank you.

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

freezor80 if you are Italian.

[@tomf3335]

@@Jabber-ig3iw It is Karl Albert Abarth's name. The pronunciation is what it is. It doesn't matter what nationality you are.

[@tonymitchell3151]

I own a 595, Had one for a year now and I love it to pieces, but as much as I love it is just as badly as it gets on my nerves. Given the choice I probably wouldn't buy one again.

[@MrTipperX]

why wouldn't you buy again? i have one on order

[@MrTipperX]

why wouldn't you buy again? i have one on order. just curious .

[@oddities-whatnot]

Damien McGrath if it was the turismo version, the ride is very uncomfortable. I had the standard 140hp model on a 65 plate, and was a decent ride on most roads except a bit jiggly on broken surfaces. I wish they would do away with the sport mode and just give it the full BHP without having to press a silly button.

[@loganclaffey1316]

Why does he say Arbarth, it's Abarth, no 'r' 😂

[@Abarthcustomuk]

Fiesta ST , 208 GTI are really good cars but I think you can't put a Ford or a Peugeot next to a Abarth. Abarth is one of the greatest badges in car History and it will be remembered forever.... A Fiesta or 208 won't be remembered.

[@sugar3962]

Honestly I haven't even saw a ford fiesta here in my country,only ford explorer and I only saw it once in my entire life,Japanese doesn't give a damn to american cars,german cars are more popular

[@matts1083]

But the fiesta st and 208 gti would walk past any abarth bar the 695 which even then they would beat. Abarth is a beginner car in the pocket rocket segment 🤙🏻

[@thomisonnnnn]

good review!

[@heybulldog137]

Here in the states, the 595 is the normal abarth model.

[@ThomasTheSergal]

6:03 It's the funniest part then.

[@hatchbackaddiction1481]

That Aussie Fur dat face dow

[@R3beccaAnn]

I don't think i've ever seen a worse car review wow

[@alexisamtosta]

I agree. He does "good" reviews when it comes to german cars and cars he like. And the rest...he sucks at it. And the thing is that he does not even understand much about cars in general nor the cars he is reviewing. Well...we see a lot of that on youtube.

[@rsupuy]

Cool car as a concept. But with a 20000 pounds price, it is expensive. I would like a Mustang over this funny steroid poisoned Fiat 500 instead. Thanks Mat and the people at Carbuyer for this review, keep that excellent work!!

[@Gewehr_3]

Yeah but the Mustang isn't available in Europe, plus most European countries make you pay additional taxes for the bigger engine.

[@ckjl7704]

and you didnt' put the new mini up there?

[@7Fields16]

I love it.

[@timcoffey5927]

Handbag moment =different times

[@Labjunkie83]

Nice handbag

[@fatwalletboy2]

2 things. Power to weight ratio. The abarth is barely 1000kgs. Look up the weights of other cars....... I wouldnt give a toss if other drivers felt it was a girly car. Off the lights they might think the same and by the time they let the clutch in and try to catch up youve gone over the horizon 😂😂

[@Basic002]

More reviews like this!!!:D

[@CarsonFilm]

I've seen some bad, uniformed reviews in my time but this one takes the biscuit. Do you honestly believe that they ship a car from Poland to Turin to finish it off? No, it's all done in Poland. The Koni Suspension makes the car harder? Quite the opposite and it's Blisteine springs not Koni. If it's lagging then you've taken it out of sport mode which is a stupid thing to do in the first place. Spend more than 20 minutes with the car and do your homework........

[@theyruinedyoutubeagain]

I don't even care about this car, I just watched the video because I like you guys.

[@vicentedacosta]

You sound like an Abarth 595 buyer... LOL

[@oscarsj3348]

So this is what Mat used to do

[@abdelhamidkettani9563]

Can u review the 2014 volvo xc60

[@jamesbaker7037]

Cars have genders now?

[@AlexDan99]

The last part (with the bags) was a bit stupid,

[@tyler.greene]

Did he not see the steering column adjust handle on the left hand side... It's right there!!! LOOK!!

[@oiudsaf]

Its a disapointment to drive, yes it turns heads but to me its all about how it makes me feel and the abarth makes me feel nothing, abit like geting a polo gti its a good car but it doesnt makes you feel like a rally driver, in fact i would rather have a fiat seicento sporting or the fiat panda 100hp

[@introverted456]

I think I saw too much of Mat review to make this video come up to my recommendation

[@MrCube17]

Sod the Abarth, get a Clio 182 for £1500 with 182 horsepower and sports handling...

[@oddities-whatnot]

MrCube17 and a bag of trouble.

[@afinixltd3668]

Weird to see Matt from Carwow looking young af

[@HarisAhmedKhann]

Yeah

[@TheSuperMotoHooligan]

Hatch em if you got em...

[@fatwalletboy2]

I certainly wouldnt buy one on that split paint scheme.......horrible. I think these are great used buys as a base 135 Abarth that you can easily pin a remap on. Its compromised but if you can live with them its a fun package.

[@toyota420xp]

The USA version is only in one spec with 160 hp

[@adriannippy]

But this car is anytime more classy and special compared to a Ford !

[@danwright5592]

Get a bog standard 500 and remap it. Saves you a few grand on upgrading and it’s just as fast

[@FX35xxx]

please review porsche macan s

[@maltatravel]

Would you know if it is possible to slice off that rev clock which is on the dashboard... i hate it so much lol, its always in the way.

[@harryc266]

It's actually for the turbo

[@brindlek9530]

Boost gauge, isn't it?

[@achilleuscoronel6466]

"...looks a little bit girly", not if your name is Jigen.

[@hawkermustang]

This is a good car, but the Ford is better.

[@Sonny_Crockett.]

You mean the Ford Fiesta ST? Yeah that car is very nice! :)

[@hawkermustang]

PlayaSnoop77 Yes

[@elpibedelpocho]

la ford fiesta non è concorrente della 500. la punto è concorrente della fiesta. Non esistono segmento A ford che concorrono con la 500.

[@technotim22]

Having been the proud owner of one for 2 years, it's by no means the perfect car; the ride is ridiculously hard and the interior isn't top dollar, but nothing has made me smile this much. I'm running close to 190bhp and 207lbs/ft so I'm quite up in terms of raw power on the 595. I also have a Novitec Group N race exhaust and my word it makes a helll of a noise. However what I do have a problem with is the 'rivals'...an Abarth 500 is pretty much in a class of it's own as a Hot Supermini, whereas the ST and 308GTi etc are all much larger cars and should be compared to the Abarth Punto Evo. Fiesta ST is great but about 20% larger with a bigger engine too, so drive one before you comment as this is a truely special car. Only the Clio 192 matches the fun factor.

[@Fuxser]

Perfect car for women that likes speed.

[@pr0jectSkyneT]

Fiesta ST all the way

[@MrJockeyHD]

+AshtonKicks they're both shite

[@oddities-whatnot]

MrJockeyHD depends what you are comparing them to.

[@mesothorium]

Not swapping out my Swift sport it seems.

[@piyushyadav6677]

Mat you here?

[@zpgaming8963]

I think it looks pretty good, would look better on a different car though! ;)

[@Hilariumosis]

The steering wheel reminds me of Porsche...

[@mikilambastein1449]

I would take the ST instead.

[@EricCheung]

LOL watch ur knees Matt!

[@belgiumcube]

nice