Abarth 600e review

Abarth has doubled its UK model line-up in one fell swoop with this hot version of Fiat’s 600 SUV (some countries still get the souped up old petrol 500), complementing its extremely high-vis 500e.

In similar style, this one's been given more bling over the Fiat 600e upon which it’s based (aggressive styling updates on the outside, some bright paint options and a warmed-over interior), and the numbers have been ramped up accordingly – 235bhp, 255lb ft and 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds en route to 124mph flat out. Warm hatch territory.

But that’s only if you go for the base-level Abarth 600e: 1,949 build slots have been allocated for the ‘Scorpionissima’ launch version too, which ups the power to 278bhp and cuts the 0-62mph down to 5.9s. It also gets an artificial sound generator, but there’s a touch more bass and character than in the 500e’s aggressive PA system.

Either way, both versions come with a host of sporty mechanical upgrades thrown in, like a Torsen limited slip differential, Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres and thick 380mm monobloc brakes.

Fiat's 600e is a bit boring isn't it?

Harsh, but fair. It’s a shame Abarth's had to start with a rather dull base vehicle – the 600e suffers from the modern plague of platform sharing that’s made cars cheaper to build and more profitable for carmakers but homogenous and lacking in personality when it comes to driving.

The bumpers and huge rear spoiler do all of the heavy lifting in terms of making the 600e stand out, along with the lurid purple and yellow shades you can order it in.

Underneath though, it’s the same car as the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Peugeot e-2008, Alfa Junior Elettrica and Jeep Avenger EV. Each offers a touch of surface design flair but the same bland drive. A bit of a tall order then for Abarth to work its tuning magic.

Has Abarth managed to make it fun?

Surprisingly, yes... mostly. The 600e is a more convincing effort than the 500e’s milder performance (the smaller hatch is almost a second slower than the entry 600e to 62mph), and the LSD does a lot of the hard work getting the car through a bend. It’s crazy how much speed you can tip into a corner with – any initial understeer is quickly defeated and you can feel the car dragging you through and out the other end.

You’ve got to be on top of your drive modes, mind – you’ve got Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track to choose from. You start with 146bhp, rising to 201bhp in Scorpion Street, then 237bhp in Scorpion Track mode.

The Scorpionissima model starts with 195 horses, turns the wick up to 224 then bumps you all the way to 276bhp for max performance. Makes a big difference when you want the oomph.

The range must be dreadful then…

Well, it’s not great. Over a couple of hundred miles on mixed UK roads in warm weather we got 3.4mi/kWh out of the Scorpionissima, which works out at 184 miles from a full battery and is really the best case scenario. Have too much fun or dare to take it out in wintry weather and you’ll see vastly diminishing returns.

The official WLTP range is 207 miles from its 54kWh battery, which is only a realistic figure if you’re in the entry car wearing slippers.

What about rivals? 

The Cupra Born VZ is the e-hot hatch of the moment that doesn't cost silly money – a la Hyundai Ioniq 5 N – and has more of a sense of occasion inside. Then there's the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX, and closer to home the Alfa Romeo Junior offers similar performance from almost identical underpinnings. Shocker.

Otherwise you’ll be looking at the Alpine A290, which is less sharp to drive but more fun over a B road, and is a better basic car. That undercuts the Abarth by a few grand - the 600e starts from £36,975. Or there's the MG4 XPower, which is massively overpowered with its 400bhp and doesn’t have the driving chops to keep up with this.

If you're not wedded to electric power, dare you look longingly in the direction of the Toyota GR Yaris? That's only a smidge more expensive than the Abarth but blows it out of the water in almost every respect. Except the boot, that’s tiny.

Abarth has done a lovely job spiffing up the Fiat 600e’s driving experience, it’s just a shame it had so little to work with in the first place. What does it have to do to be allowed to make its own bespoke car? Most impressively, the best of the drive comes from mechanical upgrades, not slick EV trickery and software tweaks – sometimes the old ways are the best.

The big issue is that the best version of the car is a limited run special. It offers more performance and a significantly better interior, but once it's gone, we’ll be left with something that doesn't differentiate itself enough from Fiat's original blueprint. Come on Abarth, bucket seats should be for the many, not the few.