Put a loud exclamation point after these words: peppy, fun, style. Those three words dramatically underscore the Fiat 500 Abarth. But the car’s wily performance attitude really separates Abarth from its Fiat 500 siblings. Abarth’s high-tech showpieces include a 3-mode electronic stability control system with torque transfer control, 16-inch aluminum wheels in muscle-inspired Hyper Black, Pirelli tires with strong-red colored brake calipers as well as a look- and sound-defining exhaust system.

Powering the tested 500 Abarth was a 1.4-liter turbo 4-cylinder producing 157 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 183 pounds-feet of torque between 2400-4000 rpm when mated to the 6-speed Aisin automatic transmission. With the 5-speed manual transmission, that same engine achieves 160 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 170 pounds-feet of torque from 2500-4000 rpm. (The 500 Pop and Lounge models in 2018 now have a standard 1.4-liter turbo engine that adds 34 horsepower versus the prior model year.) The tested 90.6-inch wheelbase Fiat 500 Abarth with automatic transmission carries a base MSRP of $20,495 and collects estimated mpg of 24 city/32 highway.