With the electric poison dwarf on the racetrack

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The electric trend is not limited to Fiat’s sister brand, Abarth. Of course, the electric version of the 500e shouldn’t be without it, as the sports car brand is known not only for a go-kart-like driving feel, but also for a clearly audible sports sound.

At first glance, it becomes clear that an electric Abarth is also a sports car. There are large Abarth inscriptions on the front and back. There are also design elements from the revised logo with a scorpion on the front bumper or steering wheel, among other things. We love the dark but well-done interior with some Alcantara finishes and it even creates a slightly premium feel.

adequate performance

But how is the driving feel? The electric motor on the front axle produces 155 hp (113 kW) and 235 Nm. Sports fans may complain a little. But our drive on the racetrack proves otherwise. In the sector where corners are very high, the electric motor reacts very spontaneously and we get out of the corners very quickly. Thanks to its low center of gravity, the poisonous dwarf sticks perfectly to the ground. There is slight thrust on the front axle, but less pronounced than on a comparable petrol engine. The Abarth Stromer accelerates to 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds. From a top speed of 120, the Stromer can no longer keep up with the internal combustion engine in terms of acceleration. And the top speed was reached at 155 km/h – quite early for a sports car.

There are three different driving modes. The weakest (Turismo) limits power to 136 hp (100 kW). In addition, the car then recovers much more in single-pedal driving, that is. Then there are the Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track modes, which require full power and differ only in single-pedal driving. The suspension is stiff, typical of Abarth, but more comfortable than an internal combustion engine. Along with the hard seats, everything looks pretty uncompromising.

The charging capacity is sufficient

Abarth states a range of 265 kilometers for its small Stromer. This is really not much. The reason for this is the small battery due to space constraints. Consumption of 17 kWh per 100 kilometers is quite low with a measured driving style, but if you frequently drive in a sporty manner, the power consumption increases accordingly. There is room for improvement in charging performance. The maximum charging power is 85 kW. That means you have to wait 35 minutes for the fast charger to charge from 5 percent to 80 percent – but that’s only because the battery is suitably compact.

The lithium-ion battery weighs just under 300 pounds, making the 500e light among electric vehicles at around 1410 pounds. The Targa version, named after the Abarth Convertible, is 25 kilograms heavier due to the roof construction. First of all, a much more balanced weight distribution of 53:47 percent (front/rear) compared to the gasoline engine contributes to driving pleasure. In addition, the driver’s position is more centered and steering is more direct compared to the internal combustion engine, as we can test in a direct comparison.

And sounds?

Electricity doesn’t always have to be boring – quite the contrary! The iconic hum of the Abarth engine can be turned on or off with the push of a button. The truth is: With the artificial sound system that took 6000 hours (!) to repair, driving pleasure is guaranteed. We were skeptical at first, but the test drive convinced us otherwise. Only the monotonous sound is annoying after a certain amount of driving time at high speeds. To turn it off, the driver must click on the dashboard menu, which for safety reasons does not work while driving.

The Abarth 500e will be available from July, but prices are not yet known. However, we estimate the entry-level price to be just under 40,000 francs.

Source: Blick