“Abarth adds spice to fast Fiats, but what about other models?”
The 124 Spider proves Fiat has a heart, but Steve Fowler wants to see more that the brand could offer to mainstream buyers
Who doesn’t love a car that makes you laugh? That might not necessarily be the reaction that Abarth is looking for from its (soon to grow) range of fast Fiats, but they’re so unashamedly focused on fun that they make me chuckle.
Who can’t fail to find the thought of a Fiat 500 with 187bhp and a price tag that can get to £50,000 funny? The Abarth 595 Biposto might seem completely bonkers to some, but boy are we glad the guys at Abarth had the guts to give it a go!
And now there’s more to come, as we revealed recently – an Abarth version of the upcoming Fiat 124 Spider is something I can’t wait to try. Based on the Mazda MX-5, a car we know has near-perfect handling balance and ultra-sharp responses, Abarth will add more power and a dash of Italian style – two things I reckon the MX-5 can easily handle.
• Fiat 124 Spider spotted testing
Abarth won’t stop there, either, as more models are planned with performance playing the most important part. Exciting stuff.
That’s all very well, but what about the rest of the Fiat range? We’ve said before how we refer to it as the 500 Car Company, such is the massive part that model plays in the brand’s line-up.
While the 124 Spider is welcome, will we ever see a Punto replacement (a car that’s been on sale so long I genuinely forgot it was still available)? And word is the company is playing it safe with a new model to rival the Golf, Focus and Astra.
A Panda-style rival for the Nissan Qashqai was mooted a while ago and had the potential to be really appealing. But that trail seems to have gone cold, while yet more 500 derivatives have got the green light. The 124 Spider proves Fiat has a heart, but I’d like to see more that Fiat could offer to mainstream buyers.
Do you think Fiat should expand its line-up beyond the 500 and upcoming 124 Spider? Let us know what you think in the comments below...
