The Abarth 500e taught me a valuable lesson: there is hope for electric cars after all. Just as long as they are not built to save the world.
I am not the world’s biggest electric car lover. I am probably not even on the top one billion. Or two.
I definitely am, on the other hand, a very, very big Abarth fan, having owned a 500 Abarth esseesse since I bought it brand new, in October 2010. To me, an Abarth, even a modern-day one, is still something based on an ordinary model that, through a set of upgrades, adopts a sportier personality.
That was how Carlo Abarth did it back in the day, be it for racing or road cars, and that is how Fiat revived the brand in 2008. They took the Grande Punto and then the cute little 500 and gave them more horsepower, stiffer suspensions, bigger wheels, bucket seats and a louder exhaust and, voilá, the 21st century Abarths were born. And they were great fun at an affordable price.
Since then, they have garnered an enormous legion of obsessive, dedicated fans that ensured the legacy of the scorpion is very much alive today and with the essence of the spirit of Carlo Abarth very much present.
But … (there is always a ‘but’, isn’t there?) … Fiat have pledged to be an all-electric brand by 2030 and Abarth is a part of Fiat, therefore, Abarth must follow the same route. Whereas the petrol-powered Abarth 500 will still be around for quite some time, the Italian engineers were forced to take the regular 500e, the BEV version of the 500, and make an Abarth out of it. In that sense, the formula remains untouched – but it’s not really the same, is it?
When I first saw the pictures of the electric Abarth 500e, I thought it looked great. Different enough from the standard 500e to be recognisable as an Abarth, but without losing the inherent beauty of the shape and form – the 500e is, without a doubt, the most beautiful city car on sale today, whatever the propulsion system.
Despite the great looks, I could not get over the fact this was an Abarth without an engine and my emotional response was, I would rather it did not exist. And don’t get me started on the speaker the car has on its underside that mimics the sound of a petrol car. If it’s silent, it’s silent, don’t try to pretend otherwise.
Nevertheless, and always assuming I would almost despise it, I wanted to drive it. And so, I found myself picking up the Abarth 500e from the press car park at Fiat last week. It’s quite a big lot, one where you have to drive for around 300 to 400m to exit from. I mention this because it took me about 250m and two very slow corners to – literally – stop and take a surprised look at the car I was driving.
Why did I do it? Because the Abarth 500e did something a very small number of cars has done since I started doing this 15 years ago: it felt special from the get-go.
I still had not reached the public road and I was already looking for my humble pill. Everything I was sure I was going to feel about this car had been completely wrong and the more I drove it, the more I understood what it stands for. And what it stands for is quite a shock for a Battery Electric Vehicle, actually: it stands for fun. Yes, really, just like an Abarth should, but totally off sync with the whole let’s-save-the-planet-with-battery-powered-vehicles I deeply abhor.
You see, the Abarth 500e cares not a jolt about not having a petrol engine up front. It does not want to be seen as an eco-warrior and it completely neglects words like ‘efficiency’. I mean, real-world range is 200km – except it’s not, because the Abarth 500e is so much fun to drive fast, you will be lucky to go for 150km without having to recharge it.
The real magic of this car is, I could not care less about that. This is a toy and nothing else. It is built to make you enjoy driving it, not save the arctic seals. And I love that transparency and that non-hypocritical approach.
It’s not that powerful at 155 horsepower and there is no gearbox to interact with, so imagine how good the chassis and the steering have to be for me to be writing these words.
Believe me, this is an incredible toy to drive around in. If you like the idea of doing it emissions-free, well, even better – you will like it even more. However, to me, for the first time, it means I have some faith that there will be genuinely fun electric cars for us petrolheads.
It’s an expensive toy too, at a starting price of €38,000 for the entry-level version and €42,000 for the Abarth 500e Turismo. For some people, nothing else will do and I totally understand that. This car feels unlike any other and I really love it for that. Thanks for the change of heart, it felt good but, mostly, thanks for giving me hope.
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