Abarth 600e review: This new hot hatchback is great fun to drive – but there's a catch

Yahoo

31-03-2025

Up on the Castello di Montaldo above Turin the raincloud is so thick it's hard to see out of the car; my impression of this go-faster Abarth version of the Fiat 600e family crossover appeared to be clouded from the off.
Fiat is claiming inspiration from the Abarth-tuned versions of the Fiat 600 (Seicento) of 1955, Dante Giacosa's precursor to the better known 500, which proved incredibly popular, being built in 10 countries and badged among others as a Seat, NSU, Jagst and Zastava, which was the last to go out of production in 1985. Unfortunately the new Abarth is nothing of the kind and looked more like the derided 2004 Chrysler Crossfire, particularly in its rear styling.
This new hot hatchback is based on the Perfo e-CMP platform already used in the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce; it faces strong competition from Ford's forthcoming electric Puma, the VW ID.3 GTX, Seat Born VZ and MG 4 XPower, all considerably rapid electric cars but suffering familiar flaws; weight, along with the need to charge more frequently if you use the available performance.
The company was founded in 1949 on Carlo Abarth's talent for breathing fire into small Fiats; the 600e, which musters 276bhp in £39,875 limited edition top-model Scorpionissima form, is the most powerful Abarth thus far. It's capable of 0-62mph in only 5.85sec and 124mph. But it is also the heaviest Abarth ever, at 1,624kg for the standard car and 1,640kg for the Scorpionissma. The latter also has an annoying exterior speaker so that pedestrians can appreciate your passing, or not…
The maximum range isn't fantastic, with a WLTP figure of 207 miles; wider tyre options, cold weather, hills and spirited driving will reduce this considerably. Efficiency is quoted at 3.4 miles per kWh, although during the test I could only achieve 2.6 m/kWh, the available range dropping to 132 miles.
The slightly more staid and cheaper £36,975 Turismo has 237bhp, a 0-62mph time of 6.2sec and a 120mph top speed, with similar efficiency and range as the Scorpionissima. DC fast charging on both is up to 100kW, which in theory is capable of providing a 10-80 per cent recharge in only 26 minutes. In practice, however, you'd struggle to find a charger performing at its full capacity.
Both share the same front-drive powertrain, with a wider track than the standard, Fiat-badged 600e. Both have a separately excited AC electric motor with an uprated battery cooling system and an identical peak torque output of 254lb ft.
They also have the same Torsen (torque sensing) mechanical limited-slip differential used on the Alfa Junior. It has an aggressive locking of 36 per cent under hard acceleration and 34 per cent under braking, the aim being to tie the front wheels together when required to reduce wheelspin, improving handling by helping to pull the nose through corners.
MacPherson strut front and twist-beam rear suspension is cheap and cheerful class ubiquity, also used on the Alfa Junior. It is 41 per cent stiffer than that of the regular Fiat 600e, a firmer front anti-roll bar and the addition of a similar strut at the rear giving 140 per cent more anti-roll stiffness. The dampers are uprated and the ride height is 25mm lower than the Fiat. The brakes, too, are uprated, with 380mm front discs and four-piston monobloc calipers.
Generally this suspension configuration can do one of two things: control wheel movement and deflection when the accelerator is lifted, or provide a decent ride quality, but not at the same time. I asked Abarth marketing manager Francesco Morosini about the 600e's set-up and he admits that the Abarth is unashamedly biased towards racing circuit use, so much so that the development team were able to raise the power output of the motor in the Scorpionissma version from 240bhp to 280bhp.
He also says that the aggressive locking action on the differential would not be possible without careful integration of the Electronic Stability System and the diff. 'Because of the dynamic set-up, the ESP would have been affected without great care in configuration,' he says.
At the wheel this translates as less of a go-kart feeling, in the interests of a faster lap time. Morosini says while he admires that trait in the Alfa and Mini, it isn't the fastest way for the Abarthisti.
It's wider than the Alfa Romeo Junior on which it is based. The body has plenty of badges bearing Abarth's scorpion logo, spoilers and aggressive wheel designs.
No one could accuse the standard 600e as being overendowed with equipment and design virtuosity inside, so Abarth will have started with one arm in a sling. It's not badly put together, but there are a lot of hard plastics in the facia and it feels far from premium, despite a colony of scorpions decorating every surface.
There's a single, multi-function, circular digital dial in front of the driver displaying an occasionally bewildering amount of information, including the basics of speed, range and battery state of charge. A rather basic but over-complex central touchscreen has a set of piano-key buttons for heating and ventilation underneath. For once, the steering wheel buttons are fairly simple and useful.
The drive modes are Turismo, Street and Track, the last one sharpening everything, giving the full 280bhp, bypassing the regenerative braking so the system is purely mechanical and activating the speaker at the back of the car.
I finally got a proper drive on English roads in Suffolk recently, thankfully with no rain or fog. While Track mode is the one you need on a twisting road, Turismo is the default option; its restricted power and top speed conserve precious range, the light steering making urban progress relaxing.
But this is a sporting machine and from the off you can feel the thoroughbred nature of the major controls. It's brisk at even light applications of the accelerator, blistering if you are pressing on in Track mode, while the power delivery feels more linear and less switch-like than the Abarth 500e.
The steering doesn't have the slightly over-assisted turn in of rivals, more the feel and weight build of Fords of yore. There's progression and accuracy, and an innate understanding of where the car will end up almost before you've turned the wheel. Through corners the anti-roll holds up the body, but only over the worst bumps does the car feel uncomfortable, while despite the pronounced differential action tugging at the steering wheel, it feels secure and stable. Considering the accomplished level of the car's dynamics, I was quite impressed with the ride quality.
It's actually a pretty hard-core machine. As intended, that tight differential pulls the car through corners and while you can tighten the line by lifting the accelerator, that will diminish the extraordinary amount of momentum you can carry into a bend. It's the type of car that's fun to drive on a public road, but cries out to be taken to a trackday.
The brakes have a lot less regeneration than the 500e's and no one-pedal mode and, as a result, they feel strong and progressive, with a nice grab at the top of the pedal's travel.
Fun? Yes, but… If you drive fast you're going to be looking for a charger sooner that you might have expected. Morosini concedes the point, but says that the team has fulfilled the brief of providing 'the most simple and affordable way of going fast'. Don't you just love the Italians…
He says that if they had provided greater range by fitting a larger battery the 600e would not be as enjoyable to drive and that's true. He also says that the battery will charge from 20 to 80 per cent in 20 minutes, which is also true, so you'll have to take your fun on small doses between chargers. Do you like coffee? Prepare to be drinking a lot of it.
On test: Abarth 600e Scorpionissma limited edition
Body style: five-door performance crossover
On sale: now
How much? from £36,975 (£39,875 as tested)
How fast? 124mph, 0-62mph in 5.9 sec
How economical? 3.7mpkWh (WLTP Combined), 2.6m/kWh on test
Electric powertrain: 54kWh gross (51kWh net) lithium-ion NMC battery, front-wheel drive via a Torsen geared limited-slip differential
Electric range: 207 miles (WLTP) on standard tyres/199 miles on Michelin sport tyres, 132 miles on test
Maximum power/torque: 280bhp/254lb ft
CO2 emissions: 0g/km (tailpipe), 33g/km (CO2 equivalent well-to-wheel)
VED: £10 first year, then £195 (from 1 April 2025)
Warranty: 3 years/unlimited mileage, 8 years/100,000 miles on battery
Swap the Scorpion bandage for Alfa's Cross and Snake and you get this. The hardware is the same as the Abarth's (read 124mph, 0-62mph in 5.9sec and 207 miles of range), but the set-up is different; more immediate, more chuckable, but ultimately more of a handful on a racing circuit track. A highly enjoyable road car, but cramped in the back, expensive and with a limited range.
With 326bhp, rear-wheel drive and a 79kWh battery pack, the VZ's range is 372 miles and, with a 185kW fast-charge speed, a 10-80 per cent recharge is achievable in 30mins. The top speed is 124mph, with 0-62mph in 5.7sec. It's heavy (two tonnes) which affects the steering feel and feedback, but the titivated suspension gives handling with a pleasing front-end grippiness – and it's a lot of fun.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.