2014 Fiat 500c Abarth Cabrio TestDriveNow.com Video Review by Auto Critic Steve Hammes

2014 Fiat 500c Abarth Cabrio Video Review by Auto Critic Steve Hammes

Though America hasn’t exactly bought into the Fiat invasion give the Italians credit for slapping some scorpions on this tiny car and selling a performance variant of the 500. And yes; you can have your Abarth with a stem to stern sunroof.

Prior to my week with this Cabrio, I had already spent significant time with the Sport, Abarth and 500L over the past few years. But this is my first experience with the open-air Fiat, in rowdy Abarth form – a combination that was introduced for 2013. So I already knew what to expect from this motorsports-inspired miniature from a driving perspective, leaving me to ponder whether this Cabrio model is worth the $4,000 premium. Not as much a convertible as an adaptation of the Jeep Sky Slider roof, the power operated cloth top has various stages of openness and can be folded at speeds up to 60mph. Mine is black but gray is also available. When fully opened, it stows over the tiny trunk, diminished by over 40% from the fixed roof car. A clever touch is how it lifts out of the way when accessing the cargo area, though it doesn’t slide back down. The roof’s simplicity means the 500c only weighs about 30lbs. more than the standard model so there’s no penalty there and any loss of body rigidity was imperceptible to me. But Fiat should consider integrating a back-up cam into the rearview mirror because when the roof is down visibility is nil. As far as top-down driving goes, there’s very little wind intrusion and the cabin remains turbulence free even for rear seat passengers. And though the open roof buys those in the back some much needed headroom, it’s a claustrophobic place no one would want to spend any amount of time.

The Abarth is distinguished most by its punk exhaust sound. It’s unmistakably loud. And you feel everything in this car so just be extra careful for those big bumps. But is it fun to drive? Of course, it is. I just wish there was a little more power.

Called MultiAir, this 1.4-liter turbo directly controls the air intake in a way that reduces fuel consumption and emissions while increasing torque. Factor in a Sport driving mode that can boost the turbo to 18psi and this Fiat designed motor generates 160 horsepower and 170 pounds-feet of torque. Its bark is worse than its bite however, taking over 7-seconds to reach 60mph but it does net up to 34mpg on the highway with the standard 5-speed manual – a shifter that could use a more precise acting gate especially seeing as how you use it a lot to downshift into useable power. The electrically assisted power steering could also use more heft on center, but throwing the Abarth into turns much too fast and zipping around on these optional 17” wheels with aggressive Pirelli P Zero Nero tires is good, old fashioned juvenile joy. 2015 models will be the first to offer the Abarth with a 6-speed automatic.

Look; the Abarth is mini-car fun with a gritty, European flair. And if that’s the experience you’re after than Fiat has done you right. But there wasn’t one person this week that didn’t laugh out loud at this car’s $33,000 as tested price.

The Abarth Cabrio starts at $27,045 and this one stickers for $33,154 with the addition of these not-so-huggy performance seats – the passenger side sits 1” lower this year and I wish the driver’s side did as well, the Comfort and Convenience group with climate control, heated seats and sat radio, the Beats 6-speaker premium audio package with subwoofer, WiFi, and this pop-in TomTom navi unit with Fiat’s Blue&Me voice command technology – though the only USB port is inconveniently located in the glove box. So the features are in line with its premium small car pricing, yet why one wouldn’t end up at the superior MINI Cooper S instead is beyond me. It’s also disconcerting that Fiat finished dead last in the most recent J.D. Power Initial Quality Study – by a huge margin.

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