2012 Abarth First Reactions

2012 Abarth First Reactions

Now that the North American Fiat 500 Abarth has been unveiled, all the major news sources have been able to give their unique spin on it. I’ve compiled a list of the best reactions from the press. There’s plenty of talk of attitude, horsepower, price, and new competition for the Mini Cooper S.

Aesthetically, the gigantic Abarth scorpion logo pokes out like Superman’s chest to let you know this isn’t J. Lo’s Fiat 500. A more pronounced front fascia blends into flared wheel arches and an aggressive look that finishes in a spoiler mounted above the liftgate.

Jalopnik: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth: Finally, we get the good one

The interior might be the biggest step forward for the Fiat. The deeply bolstered front seats are narrow enough to actually hold you in place and include integrated side airbags. The flat-bottom steering wheel is leather-wrapped and thick-rimmed. Gauges remain concentric.

Edmunds InsideLine: L.A. Auto Show: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

Race-inspired features for the interior include aluminum foot pedals with black rubber trim, and a black leather-wrapped shift knob accented with red stitching. Front seats feature a one-piece design with large side bolsters and a racing-harness pass-through, and rear passengers will enjoy raised seats bolstered for added back support.

Motortrend: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth First Look

The Abarth is expected to arrive in American showrooms in the spring, unless sales realities postpone that timetable, as they have previously; the model is actually long overdue. No pricing yet, but if it indeed comes in around $23,000 as hinted by the company, that may be scrumptious enough to woo buyers away from the ubiquitous Mini Cooper S.

NY Times: Fiat 500 Abarth: A Small Stinger for America

Overall, Fiat promises that the 500 Abarth stays true to the Continental version, saying that, “every piece of hardware and every mile of development tuning has been thoroughly examined to ensure the European model’s DNA is delivered to North American driving enthusiasts.”

Car and Driver: Fiat’s little guy is going guano crazy.

Not surprisingly, we’re eager to get behind the wheel of Abarth’s hot hatch. And we’re already scoping out a Mini Cooper S for a lovely little comparison.

Autoblog: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth brings the scorpion’s sting to North America

Overall the reactions seem positive and excited, but also hesitant. As the Abarth begins its national tour, I’m sure we’ll start seeing actual test drives and reviews soon.

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  • Arminyack

    I just got back from seeing the car at the LA Auto Show…I went in with an attitude that the car would be chintzy, cheap looking with marginal build quality…boy was I wrong. This is a nice car, no doublt about it, and fiat successfully washed away the “chick car” look with the Abarth. My ONLY complaints are:

    The seat adjustment..its kinda akward, and doesn’t work all that great. However, for me, seats are a set-it-and-forget it

    160HP…and the word from Fiat saying that motor & transmission are basically “topped out” power wise. Well, the Essesse version in europe pushes out 10 hp’s more…and morevoer, the fuels for the US version is 87 with 91 recommend. With a proper ECU tune for 91 minimum, i’m sure its capable of more power.

    • memoryman80

      There are some euro tuners out there that have already pushed this car anywhere from 200hp to 275hp (G-Tech). I would assume the turbo would have to be swapped out, but it’s still very cool knowing that those numbers are quite possible.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Christopher-DeBlass/100001966458786 Christopher DeBlass

    I hate small cars. why is it then that I want one of these so much