welp...ever since visiting italy a few years back ive loved the fiat 500 especially the abarth(abarth is to fiat what amg is to mercedes)...well now that we all know the abarth will arrive here in in february 2012 with a 1.4 turbo im seriously thinking about trading in the fit...im not 100% but almost. im first on the waiting list at the dealer. cost is a big factor as with any vehicle purchase so i guess we'll see...

heres a few un-camouflaged pics that someone got....
FIAT ABARTH | Facebook

 

I'll just say this... follow your heart, if it cries Abarth, then just do it!

 

It's still way too small for me.. I'd rather a Cooper S. That's probably the smallest I'd go.

 

It def. is small but there's something about it...it really is, to the core, a hot hatch lightweight, front drive, turbo 4 banger, and way more practical than any two door coupe....I can't wait to see what power it's gonna make...I've heard up to 200hp but I think it'll be around 170hp. But the beauty of forced induction is that reasonable power is readily available with simple mods.

 

Neat car. My main concern would be reliability. Fiat does not have a good track record. Do a search for reliability ratings in other countries. Fix It Again Tony

 

If I didn't have a family I would go for the Abarth in a heart beat. By all accounts it's a blast to drive. I bet it will probably be priced $3000-5000 above US msrp in Canada. I'd say go for it for it, whatever my opinion's worth.

 

I was kinda concerned about reliability because my family has other Italian cars(Ferrari,Maserati) and they are great as long as you don't use them...lol but if you thunk about it they have sold tons and tons of them and the warranty is great. M1sf1t have you driven one?

 

I've never had the pleasure. I'm only going by the Top Gear episodes.

 

I like the 500. Saw one on the pike while cruising north last time. It's small but distinctive.
I would certainly consider it - the Abarth will be even more distinctive and quite a performer.

Abarth - Wikipedia

Reliability??? It'll give you all you want and a bit more_

ABARTH

It's a true sports car following the strong Italian Tradition and absolutely no comparison with the Fit.

Just wondering if the USA wont dumb it down too much and not allow that Monza exhaust? Oh how I love that sound.

 

yah, those fiats are kinda cool.

 

Haven't seen one yet. So the Abarth is J-Lo Fiat on steroids?

 

I saw a Fiat 500 for the first time in early September-- it was actually parked next to my Fit-- It was an awesome cream color-- a real beauty.
So the Abarth would look similar, but be a performance car?

 

yup..its the performance version...think of abarth as BMW's M division, its an in house tuning solution.

the fact that its turbo makes the possibilities of more power super realistic.

 

The wife and I were filling up while visiting family in MI (Holly, to be exact) and 2 Abarth's with manufacturer plates pulled up. From what I saw, they look just like the European versions...

 

Sounds like the Abarth is more of a threat to the new
Civic Si. I like it, but it just doesn't have enough room. I would buy one in a flash, but between my Transformer Camaro, motorcycle and the Fit, just have too many toys, and at least one of them has to have some room. The Fit is perfect for that.

 

the abarth isnt a threat to anything if your looking at sales because its not a company that americans trust yet....BUT on the road, performance wise, its going to scare a lot of the trusted pocket rockets out there....civic si, cooper s, gti, mazdaspeed 3.

it doesn't have a ton of power out of the box but it weighs so little that i guarantee it'll surprise a lot of us. and i would argue that its got more character and personality than any of those cars i listed above.

 

FIAT 500 Abarth | Watch the reveal live at LA Auto Show, November 18

heres where you wanna be Wednesday when they pull the sheets off this beauty...im hoping they release pricing info as well

 

A VW Bug being crushed and liked the style and created a car that looks like a bug that has been through a trash compactor...

Not my cup of tea...

 

500 Abarth Lovely Sound - Cold Start and Rev - YouTube
that sound might change your mind.

 

Blackbeard it ain't a cup of tea, it's ABARTH, and Italian! ;-)