Death, where is thy sting?
That biblical query took on a different meaning last week when a last-of-its-breed (at least on this side of the Atlantic) Fiat 500 hatchback stopped by for a weeklong visit.
While the 500 will soldier on in more practical four-door forms, namely the 500L and new 500X, the diminutive two-door hatch that first arrived in the states roughly a decade ago is ending its run with the 2019 model year.
This includes not only the basic econocar Pop and Lounge trims, but also the roarin’-snortin’ Abarth sport hatch, its raucous turbocharged inline-four engine and exhaust system, and its scorpion-badged designation (hence the “sting” reference). It was in this form that we got a chance to bid addio to this most modern expression of the beloved Cinquecento.
Pricing for this last year of the 500 starts at a budget-minded $16,495 for a five-speed manual-equipped Pop, and climbs northward to better than 21 grand for an automatic-equipped Abarth. The Pop and Lounge are powered by a detuned version of the 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four engine making 135 horsepower and 150 foot-pounds of torque. The same engine is massaged to deliver a stouter 160 horses and 170 foot-pounds of torque in the Abarth.
Our fire-engine-red Abarth tester was fitted with the company’s optional six-speed automatic (the five-speed stick is standard), and a long list of options that pushed the $20,495 base asking price to $28,800. Standard kit includes four-wheel antilock performance brakes with painted calipers, a set of 16-inch blackout aluminum alloy wheels shod in skinny performance tires, parking assist sensors, rearview camera, 5-inch infotainment touch-screen interface, rear deck spoiler, loads of trim-specific exterior bling and lots more.
Factoring in $1,195 for some lurid red-on-beige leather seating upholstery, $1,395 for a set of 17-inch blackout alloy wheels, several other three-figure options and the $1,495 delivery tab makes this the priciest and most outspoken manifestation of outgoing 500-ness available off the showroom floor.
If there’s a word that sums up the Abarth, it’s “personality.” Indeed, nothing else on the road looks, drives or — emphasis here — sounds like it. The blaring exhaust note splits the difference between an actual sports car and my dad’s old Snapper riding mower. The stoked turbo-four, while not especially powerful, nevertheless gives the little 500 a lively step, the senses of speed and acceleration heightened by the two-door’s Lilliputian dimensions and roughly 2,500-pound curb weight. Run out the engine revs and the exhaust note becomes an unholy howl. Yes, it’s fun.
As expected, the Abarth handles nimbly with right-now responses to steering inputs and plenty of road-holding grip through tight corners. Braking is excellent with little fade. The sport-tuned suspension offers plenty of feedback on road conditions, though — a mixed blessing given our region’s reputation for potholes and pavement cracks. Let’s just say that ride quality verges on punishing when the road is less than reasonably smooth.
The 500’s now-familiar snubbed-off exterior profile is amped up in Abarth form with trim-specific badging and decals, a set of bright-red brake calipers and pronounced rear-deck spoiler. The intimate cabin offers decent-enough legroom for full-size adults, but headroom is tight to the point that precludes wearing a hat of any description. The 50/50 split-folding back seats are best left to groceries and medium-sized dogs. The paltry 9.5-cubic-foot cargo area swells to 30.1 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks folded.
Designed for primarily urban lifestyles, the diminutive 500 won’t satisfy everyone’s automotive needs. City dwellers will enjoy its easy-to-maneuver-and-park footprint, as well as its good fuel economy. Suburban denizens — as in, people with kids and cargo — will find better utility in the larger four-door models (and happily for enthusiasts, the new 500X reportedly offers a Sport trim level powered by a 177-horsepower turbocharged 1.3-liter inline four).
2019 Fiat 500 Abarth Hatchback
Vehicle type: Two-door four-passenger subcompact sport hatchback.
Base/as-tested prices: $20,495/$28,800
Engine and transmission: 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four gas engine (160 horsepower, 170 foot-pounds torque), six-speed automatic with manumatic mode.
EPA estimates: 24 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, 27 mpg combined.
The good: Amusing performance and personality plus on a budget; cute-as-a-button 500 shape and bearing; raucous and reasonably powerful turbo-four engine makes for decent (but hardly blistering) acceleration; nimble handling and steering response; interior’s sense of style matches exterior’s; decently roomy front-seat accommodations; get one while they last!
The bad: Buckboard-stiff suspension, short wheelbase and skinny performance tires make for a punishing ride over Lackawanna County’s numerous potholed thoroughfares; bellowing exhaust sounds like a mix of outboard engine and lawn tractor; bad-joke back seats; paltry cargo area.
Bottom line: The tiny Fiat 500 isn’t designed for everyone, a fact that’s doubly true for its high-strung Abarth variant; still, as it faces the final curtain, the U.S. auto market will be poorer for its absence.