We love an Abarth. Small, fast, noisy & light. But how to produce an electric version without losing that unique personality ? Abarth have tried with the 500e & it mostly hits all the right notes.
Model range
Simple. A hatch back the 500e or a convertible Turismo, which we tested
Spec
Plenty of goodies come as standard; 360° parking sensors, a rear view camera, wireless charging pad, wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, keyless entry with dedicated wearable key, 10.25″ touchscreen, automatic high/low beam headlights, a JBL premium audio & on Turismo, 18″ diamond cut alloys & an Alcantara interior. We connected our iPhone & entered Apple CarPlay without any fuss. The screen size is quite small & the icons are too.
Safety
Cruise control, blind spot detection, Lane Keep Assist, intelligent Speed Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking & traffic sign information all feature.
Interior
Just like its petrol sibling, the inside is neat & tidy with a relatively clutter-free dash. The 10.25″ infotainment screen fits nicely in the car with some short-cut buttons below a single USB & wireless charger. There’s no gear lever, rather 4 buttons located in the central dash for P, R, N & D. And as far as regeneration goes, theres’ an e-mode button next to the electric handbrake where you can toggle between the three settings. Turismo, which offers the regen & releasing the cars full 150bhp, Scorpion & Scorpion Track. Quality is very good & you’ll have no complaints about the finish or tactile switchgear.
Engine & performance
The engine combines a 42.2kWh battery & single e-motor producing 150bhp & 235Nm. It takes just 7 seconds to go from 0-62mph with a top speed of 96mph.
Range & charging
Abarth claims 157 miles all-in with an urban figure of 209. When we fully charge our Turismo it never showed more than a 137 mile range. Peak charging speed is 85kW, so plug-in to a fast charger & you’ll go from 10-80% in about 30 minutes. Or, if you charge up overnight at home on a 7kWh wall box,https://www.rolecserv.com/home-charging utilising the cheaper electricity rates which typically run for four hours, you’ll add 31kWh for just £2.50.
Practicality
With just 185 litres in the boot & not much room in the back for adults, it’s not by definition a practical car. However, friends who own a 500 convertible, visited us for the weekend driving from East London to Cheshire. They squeezed a couple of small carry on suitcases in the boot without folding the seats down. So there’s probably more room in there than you’d think.
In the cabin you get a deep covered cubby between the front seats, slim glove box, a small armrest with storage underneath & narrow front door pockets.
Driving
Without a doubt it’s great fun. That is once you’ve turned off the sound generator, which is quite frankly annoying. For a bit of Abarth growl, the brand have added a sound generator which combines two speakers, one inside & one outside. The problem is it’s calibrated at just the right frequency to be an annoyance, especially at low speeds or stand still. So a quick run through the drivers 7″ TFT display allows you to turn it off & the good news is it stays off so there’s no need to repeat the process every time you re-start the engine.
Perhaps it’s to be taken with a pinch of salt, but once things go quiet you really begin to enjoy the ride. With it’s smallish battery it weighs in at just 1,410kg, so you get an awfully good ride with the low set battery location giving the 500e excellent weight distribution. That slot-car feel is on show, combining super-fast acceleration with more than competent road holding.
And it handles road imperfection splendidly too. You may find a loss of traction on damp roads when you turn right or left & with it’s excellent brakes it’s never dangerous. Abarth have sensibly tweaked the tuning & chassis to add to the cars appeal & if you toggle into Scorpion & then Scorpion Track driving modes, it will really show what it’s capable of.
Pros
Massively enjoyable to drive. Looks the business too. The interior is very well executed.
Cons
The sound generator. Real world range limits its appeal. And it’s expensive at £40,000 a pop.
Conclusion
Driving a petrol Abarth offers a jaw aching smile from start to finish. Abarth have managed to inject some of that pixie dust into the electric version, which is full of personality. It may not be that fast but with it’s combination of diminutive size, small battery & excellent road manners, you won’t notice & neither will those who smile as you drive by. On the down side it’s really a city or short trip EV only & it doesn’t come cheap. Having said that if we could drive it every day with the sound generator off, you wouldn’t have any complaints from us.
A Scorpion 4/5
Price: £41,195 OTR
Powertrain: 42.2kWh battery & single e-motor
Range: 157 miles
Power/torque: 150bhp/235Nm
0-62mph: 7.0 seconds
Top speed: 96mph
