(engine revs)
(rock music)
Narrator: The Abarth 500 is one of those
amazing hot hatches that you can just have so much fun with.
It's simple and stripped back with possibly
the stiffest suspension I've ever experienced.
But it puts a smile on your face
and it has bags of character.
This one here is my UK version in right hand drive,
and it has 135 brake horsepower.
In the US, you get 157 brake horsepower,
which is slightly more powerful than the one we have
over the pond here in the UK.
The heavy steering and stiff suspension means
this is a car that you can really throw around corners,
and even though there's quite a high ride height,
it's still a lot of fun.
You might not be low to the ground
with a low center of gravity, so you will sway
when you're in the car when you're pushing it
around a corner, but there's absolutely no body roll.
The Arbarth 500 also has clever traction control,
which brakes each wheel individually as it needs it
to stop any wheel spin.
This means it has great grip coming out
of a corner when you accelerate hard.
The little 1.4 turbo engine might not be as powerful
as the likes of the Fiesta ST with is 1.6 turbo,
but it performs and it's so much fun, and when you're in
such a small light car, the power doesn't really matter.
You can still put your foot down and zoom away.
The US version of this car will do naught to 60
in 6.9 seconds, with the UK version
lagging behind just lightly in just over 7 seconds.
If the basic 500 isn't for you, then look out
for the slightly more powerful 595
and the beautiful limited edition 695 versions,
including the race prepared Biposto.
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As always, thank you for watching
and we'll see you next time.