30 percent stronger than electric Fiat 500e
This is the Abarth 500, the first fully electric Abarth ever. It’s by no means the most powerful, but the Abarth 500 can call itself the brand’s ‘wildest accelerating’ road car ever. We can also report the first prices to you.
Two years after the introduction of the fully electric Fiat 500e, Abarth presents its vision of that fashionable Italian. This is the Abarth 500, the first electric Abarth ever, but certainly not the most powerful in the modern history of the brand. Until recently, Abarth not only supplied a 145 hp version of the 500 with petrol engines as the 595, but also a 165 hp and even a 180 hp version. Previously, even the 190 hp 695 Biposto was on the menu. The Abarth 500 does not come to such powers. Its electric motor delivers a power of up to 154 hp and 235 Nm. Less horsepower than the 695 Biposto and two of the three 595s, but about 30 percent more than the strongest electric Fiat 500e, which kicks it up to 118 hp.
Abarth 500
Performance
Abarth labels its electric 500 as the ‘fastest accelerator ever’, but in Abarth language that means something other than the fastest ever. It shoots to a speed of 100 km / h in 7 seconds. Rap was plenty, but the 190 hp and 250 Nm strong Abarth 695 Biposto of yesteryear only needed 5.9 seconds for the same sprint. However, the electric Abarth 500 beats the less fierce 695’s non-Biposto’s on intermediate sprints. According to the Italians, it already buzzes 50 percent faster from 20 to 40 km/h than the regular 695s and accelerates from 40 to 60 km/h in 1.5 seconds. On that second intermediate sprint, the electric Abarth 500 keeps the 695s behind by a second. Furthermore, the Abarth 500 beats the 695s in the sprint from 60 to 100 km/h. Abarth has unleashed the electric 500 on Balocco’s Misto Alfa Handling track, resulting in a lap time one second faster than the 695’s.
Where Fiat supplies the electric 500e with a 24 kWh or 42 kWh battery, the Abarth 500 is only available with the largest package. How far the Abarth 500 comes with this, the brand will keep under wraps for a while. The Fiat 500e with this battery in combination with the 118 hp electric motor kicks it to a driving range of up to 331 kilometers, although this Abarth is expected to be slightly lower. Full power is not available in Turismo mode, by the way. In this more efficient mode you have to do it with 150 hp and 220 Nm. In addition to a driving mode called Scorpion Street, the Abarth 500 has the Scorpion Track mode, in which the 500 shows its fiercest side.
Abarth 500
The ear also wants something
But there’s more than straight-line performance. According to Abarth, its electric 500 is more stable compared to the previous model thanks to its longer wheelbase and wider track. The electric powertrain, together with the placement of the battery pack, also ensures better weight distribution, according to Abarth, with, it is said, better handling as a logical consequence. Does such an Abarth 500 still sound a bit? If all goes well, yes, but perhaps not quite as you expect. The Acoustic Vehicle Alert System (AVAS) that gives many electric cars their signature buzz as they pass by has been modified by Abarth. As soon as you break through the 20 km / h, the Abarth 500 treats you to the sound of – yes – a plucking guitar. You can also hear a guitar in the interior when you switch the sporty EV on or off. Those who miss the sound of a petrol engine can equip the Abarth 500 with a real one at an additional cost Sound Generator, with which the 500 mimics the sound of a petrol engine.
Abarth 500
Design
From the outside you can recognize the Abarth 500 by its muzzle, in which you can read the Abarth brand name in large. The Italians hang a special front bumper with a sportier-looking mesh at the front and add an extra lip below it. At the bottom of the rear is a bumper with a diffuser-like whole. Fix light metal? From the party. The same goes for things like Titanium Gray colored side mirror caps and LED headlights with an ‘Abarth signature’. On the sides is a refreshed variant of Abarth’s well-known scorpion badge and if you order the Abarth 500 as a convertible, you get a black roof.
No new model without a special introduction version and so the Abarth 500 debuts as a special Scorpionissima. It has a fixed glass roof as a hatchback and is also available as a convertible. This special introductory flavor is only available in Acid Green or Poison Blue and is mounted on special 18-inch alloy. Abarth gives it special steel pedals with an engraved logo and, among other things, steel door sills. The Alcantara sports seats have an embossed scorpion badge. Abarth provides the Scorpionissima with, among other things, an Alcantara-covered three-spoke steering wheel. Heated seats are standard, as is the 10.25-inch display that comes with the Uconnect system. More pampering comes in the form of a comprehensive audio system from JBL, cruise control, lane keeping assist and traffic sign recognition.
Prices Abarth 500
The first prices of the Abarth 500 are also known. The provisional starting price is €44,000. That amount is for the closed Abarth 500 as a special Scorpionissima introduction version. Prefer the Abarth 500 Cabriolet Scorpionissima? Then count on a price tag of €47,000.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl