Excellent little car and very sporty and very much fun to drive

Ferocious, fun, efficient. The Abarth. Goes like a bat-outta-****, but sips gas with sensible driving. Exhaust porn - embarrasses much more expensive peers. Great style, clever features. Shines like new @ 8 years, $115k miles. Little, but truly mighty. A great car.

This is a small but very nimble car handles whale. The horsepower for the size is very good. I have a turbo mix the car very exciting and fun to drive.

I was more than surprised at the acceleration after reading a few negative reviews. I’ve driven V8’s for years. When I hit the gas to get on the freeway, it had more than enough power to hit 70 on the on ramp. Overall, the car is a lot more than I expected out of that little 4 cylinder! At around 35mpg on the automatic model, it’s the perfect 2nd vehicle to my 3/4 ton 4x4 Suburban! Highly recommend you drive it before you listen to everything you read. I pick it up this Friday!

Performance is not earth shattering but for a small and economical car, however it punts along eagerly and is very capable at motorway speeds of 70-80mph with enough ooomph to overtake when needed. Engine is smooth and very quiet for a diesel and gearbox a joy to use. Inside the cabin, you'd actually think it was a petrol model. Handling is stable at all speeds, the cornering very confident and steering direct and detailed. Having previously driven Focuses, the 500 does not disappoint. Ride can be a bit bumpy on certain British A- and B-roads but it's not annoying. Build quality is excellent - apart from a few hard plastics here and there - the interior controls and steering wheel are excellent in touch and operation, stalks are chunky and positive. Leather teering wheel is chunky and great to hold and has audio controls. The doors shut with a lovely heavy thunk similar to a new Focus or Golf. The looks is what the 500 is all about. It looks absolutely fantastic from any angle and the Sport model with it's roof spoiler, chunky tyres and tinted windows looks particularly squat The interior is such a pleasant place to be in, the details are lovely and theres so much storage. Space is amazing in the front for me (6'5" tall) - I actually have to pull the seat forward to reach the pedals. Two adults can sit behind me when driving. Cost of ownership is the main reason I bought the 500. The petrols are very economical but the diesel takes it to a new level. Road tax is laughably cheap (20GBP per year as opposed to 245GBP for a petrol Focus ST) and the economy varies between 46mpg for urban short runs to 72mpg on steady motorway trips.