{"id":120343,"date":"2017-10-27T11:01:54","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T15:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=120343"},"modified":"2017-10-27T11:04:30","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T15:04:30","slug":"first-drive-2017-fiat-500-abarth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/10\/first-drive-2017-fiat-500-abarth\/","title":{"rendered":"First Drive: 2017 Fiat 500 Abarth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 2017 Fiat 500 Abarth provides plenty of comfort with even more performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Fiat 500 hasn’t exactly been a smashing commercial success in the U.S. for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For one thing, it has been submerged by the wave of utility vehicles, which have become the most popular choice for buyers not only in the United States, but also in other corners of the world such as China. But FCA keeps on adding to the 500’s basic formula.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Reviews You Can Use!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With\u00a0Abarth\u00a0hatchback version of the Fiat 500, FCA has given the car a distinctive and explosive personality. The\u00a0Abarth\u00a0designation, with its distinctive badge, has long been associated with motorsports in Europe and it clearly means this version of the 500 embodies what people talk about when they say a car is fun to drive.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Fiat 500 has endured over the years, in part, due to its clever exterior shape that has given the vehicle an instantly recognizable profile, which is one of the objectives for designers when they first pick up a pencil and make the very first sketches of any vehicle.\u00a0Even though it first appeared 10 years ago, it still looks stylish and handsome because of its strong design<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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(FCA boosts third quarter income 52 percent. For more, <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The 500’s interior also is surprisingly spacious for such a small vehicle so the driver and one passenger\u00a0really don’t feel cramped.<\/p>\n

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The interior of the Fiat 500 Abarth is surprisingly roomy and provides plenty of comfort for the driver and front-seat passenger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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When a car is equipped with a manual transmission, it often seems to make the car’s interior layout unworkable.\u00a0In fact, over the years, I’ve driven plenty of cars where a manual transmission \u2013 or more importantly having to use a manual transmission \u2013 with its third pedal and need to use a gear regularly, makes the car uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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However, the Fiat 500\u00a0Abarth\u00a0hatchback\u00a0with bucket seats that I tested was equipped with a manual transmission and while the car certainly kept me on my toes, it never seemed uncomfortable. Instead, the nice smooth clutch and shift lever\u00a0served to make the tasks fun, a point lost with a lot of manual transmissions over the years, but the interior layout never got in the way of the equipment in the 500.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Fiat Chrysler also has given the 500 the\u00a0Abarth\u00a0treatment, which means the car transcends the car’s small size, which can seem lost amid the larger trucks and SUVs are now so popular. The car’s power, maneuverability and zip made it a pleasure to drive in all kinds of traffic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The steering\u00a0feel\u00a0on the 500\u00a0Abarth\u00a0hatchack\u00a0is excellent and thanks to a specially tuned performance suspension, the driving dynamics seemed very solid even when the car was caught up in the back draft of larger vehicles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The four-wheel disc brakes were excellent and naturally enough given the car’s short-wheel base it has a great turning radius, which is helpful when you are hunting for a parking space.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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(<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for details about FCA’s search for a partner or sale.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The five-speed manual transmission in the Fiat 500\u00a0Abarth\u00a0hatchback is matched up with a 1.4-liter, 16-valve turbocharged four-cylinder engine that capable of producing 160 horsepower and\u00a0185 foot-pounds of torque, which can\u00a0helps\u00a0the take off like a rocket if there is an opening in the traffic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The fuel economy of 28 miles per gallon in the city and 33 on the highway or 30 mpg combined isn’t exactly top drawer, but it’s still very good even though FCA’s engineers tuned the engine to put plenty of zip at the driver’s fingertips.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite, it’s small size, the 500\u00a0Abarth\u00a0hatchback also could roar like a lion thanks to powerful heart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The base price\u00a0starts at $19,995 before the application of $995 destination charge and FCA charged extra for the satellite radio connection, two-tone paint job and GPS navigation system, which brought the total price tag to $22,975.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But the car is well-equipped with standard safety equipment such as multiple air bags, anti-lock brakes and three-mode stability control. Other features include latch-ready child seat anchor, leather wrapped steering wheel and aluminum pedal covers that enhance the interior ambience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Fiat 500\u00a0Abarth\u00a0hatchback isn’t for everyone. For one thing, it isn’t very versatile. You actually get more room in the overhead bin above your seat in a Boeing 737 and driving in front of and behind an 18-wheeler can be intimidating on a wet morning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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(To see more about FCA\u2019s possible Magneti Marelli sale,\u00a0<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But it is fun to drive and easy to park and the\u00a0Abarth, which guarantees the car has the soul of a sports car, is very, very affordable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Fiat 500 hasn’t broken any sales records, but a drive in the Abarth hatchback might change that. Find out more at TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20009,"featured_media":120344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120343"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20009"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120343"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=120343"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=120343"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=120343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}