2012 Fiat 500 Abarth: Video Road Test & Review

Fiat first touched back down on U.S. soil with the 2012 Fiat 500. The Italian automaker originally left the American market behind back in 1983, but it returned home and began steadily improving its products. In 2011, the all-new Fiat 500 arrived and customers were excited to welcome the tiny yet stylish machine into the land of Stars and Stripes. Enthusiasts were still waiting for a bit more, however, and that little something extra is here now in the form of the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth.

Anytime the Abarth moniker is applied to a vehicle, you know you're in for something a bit special. At least, that used to be the case up until the 1980s and on through the early 2000s. In 2007 though, Fiat brought the Abarth name back to life, and has promised to apply it in a manner befitting Carlo Abarth's original intentions when he launched the company back in 1949.

To that end, the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth begins life like a standard 500 but then receives many upgrades to allow it to stand out. On the outside, a set up ultra stylish wheels pair perfectly with the Abarth Scorpion badge. Under the hood is where the real excitement happens though, as the inline four-cylinder engine is teamed up with a turbocharger to produce 160 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. Pair that mill with the smooth shifting five-speed manual gearbox, and you have a recipe for fun. Your ears can get in on that fun too, because the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth has what may be the best sounding four-cylinder engine on the market thanks to the upgraded exhaust system. This little bulldog of a machine sounds far meaner than its dimuntive stature would have you initially believe.

A list of cars similar to the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth include the 2012 Mini Cooper S, 2012 Mini Cooper S Coupe, and 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo.

See more details about the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth.