I may need to hand over my "man card"...

"DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully" (danceswithrotors) 05/02/2014 at 19:38 • Filed to: Fiat, Not the 124!

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Edit: Title is meant to be tongue-firmly-in-cheek

IMHO, the best small car on the market right now is the 500 Abarth. I said it.

I test-drove a 500c Abarth earlier, for the hell of it, and it was an absolute blast, on-boost. Something about it just felt better than the Fiesta ST, Focus ST or the Speed3, even though all of the above are more powerful cars. Maybe it's how the control layout felt natural, coming from my 124 Spider, but... If I hadn't already bought the Skyactiv 3 within the past six months, I would be scraping my pennies together to get an Abarth.

Garrett Davis > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:40

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What'd you say, boy? -Fiesta ST

dogisbadob > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:41

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There is nothing wrong with that, and no need to turn in your man card. For one, you can get a white car with white wheels straight from the factory. And remember, they're not available with an automatic yet :p

No really though, people say the same shit about Miatas. Fuck them.

Reliability has yet to be seen though. Hopefully it will be as good as a Yaris.

CPT Speedbump > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:42

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What about a Cooper, or the standard amongst what all fun hatch's should be measured too; a GTI?

George Costanza > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:42

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You and Richard Hammond don't worry, you don't have to hand over your man card but people may be suspicious of you whitening your teeth in the future.

For Sweden > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:43

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Talks of turning in man card

Cites affinity to manliest car in its segment

JGrabowMSt > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:45

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my question is how you feel about the shifter location. It looks too far forward to me, but i dont have the time to test drive or just go to a dealer and sit in it.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:48

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It does burnouts, man card stays intact.

Nibbles > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:50

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Your man card has just been issued an extension. Carry on, good sir.

wiffleballtony > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:50

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You're perfectly safe, for now.

Burrito de EJ25 > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 19:54

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People who base their masculinity on what car they or someone else drives continues to be the saddest shit ever.

coqui70 > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 20:00

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As long as you drive it like a crazed Italian high on double-shot espressos, slicing through traffic while bouncing off the rev-limiter there's absolutely no problem. Bonus points for careening through roundabouts!

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > Burrito de EJ25 05/02/2014 at 20:01

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I should mention that the title was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. My daily is a Mazda3 and the weekend car is a Fiat Spider.

PushToStart > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 20:02

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Nah man, the 500 Abarth requires no turning in of the man card.

The people who think it's a "chick car" are haters and don't get it. It's a sexy thing and I'd rock one any day of the week, although as much as I like it, I think I might like the FieSTa more, but I'd have to drive them back to back to know for sure.

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > JGrabowMSt 05/02/2014 at 20:03

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It feels a LOT like my 124 Spider, actually. See the picture for the old 124's shift location.

Burrito de EJ25 > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 20:05

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I know. I was more criticizing who would dare ridicule you for what cars you drive/like.

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > CPT Speedbump 05/02/2014 at 20:07

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It may be just me, but I never really liked the Mini. It's never felt /right/ to me, and I'm not terribly fond of the GTI, either. I've driven a couple of each, but I never got what the buzz was about.

CPT Speedbump > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 20:09

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I had fun in the test drive of a Cooper, but all I did was pull after pull after pull so I could listen to the blow off valve, haha

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > Burrito de EJ25 05/02/2014 at 20:10

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I pulled on a late '90s Camaro with rebel flags all over the back in a 500c Abarth earlier, with a grinning Fiat salesman beside me. I think there's a Camaro owner in Huntsville, AL who is probably still scratching his head over how a little top-down Italian "girls car" did that.

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > CPT Speedbump 05/02/2014 at 20:11

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Mmm, BOV... Though, I'll say that if other small sporty cars sounded like the Abarth, the world would be a better place.

On a semi-related note, if Mazda would leave the muffler off the Skyactiv 3, the world would also be better.

Dr_Doctor > CPT Speedbump 05/02/2014 at 20:16

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The Abarth has an awesome exhaust note and is really fun to drive, and the Cooper has roughly the same wheelbase.

The GTI has a longer wheelbase and offers about 40 more horsepower than the Abarth, has a more usable backseat and more cargo room. It's the benchmark because it strikes a good balance between practically and fun.

If I didn't need to carry a bunch of people or were buying a second "fun" car I'd get the Abarth.

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > dogisbadob 05/02/2014 at 20:18

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The part that makes me sad is that I can't get one in brown, in Abarth trim... There was a /beautiful/ brown standard 500, but the Abarth can't be had in brown. Makes me really sad, because I want two small, sporty, brown Fiats.

CPT Speedbump > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 20:28

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Yeah, I don't think it was a stock Cooper, lol. Ended up getting my Z33 though, wanted RWD :) And good sounding cars are good :) Can't weight to make the Z so it either doesnt or barely passes emisions...straight pipes maybe? ;)

Burt > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 20:48

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Let me tell you, as someone who daily drove an Abarth for a month, and has driven both the Focus & Fiesta STs, there's no need to hand over your man card. There are pros and cons to both vehicles, and while I would say that the Fiests ST is objectively better than the Abarth, that doesn't mean that it will be subjectively better for you. At the very least, the Ecoboosts have nothing on the sound of the 1.4 Multi-Air.

Cajun Ginger > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully 05/02/2014 at 20:50

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Does that mean I need to hand in my woman card? ;)

desertdog5051 > Burrito de EJ25 05/02/2014 at 22:15

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No V-8? Turn in your man card.

(Just joking, All fun cars are acceptable. Some of the best are the least likely.)