From the first day on the market, the Abarth 500 has already found itself with 1,500 customers, though it will produce 5,000 units in 2008. These figures show how much fans waited for this car, which at 18,500 euros with its 135hp, is well-equipped with optional extras. After the success of the Abarth Grande Punto, which has already sold 3,000 models and 600 EsseEsse kits in two months, the Turin brand is on the attack again with the highly expected 500.

From the original presentation in Geneva, we already know that this 1.4 Tjet has got 135 hp (99Kw) at 5,500 rpm and maximum torque of 206 Nm at 3,000 rpm in Sport mode (”Normal” mode sees 180 Nm at 2,500 rpm). The car hits 100 km/hr in just 7.9 seconds and maximum speed is 205 km/hr. The engine is already in line with Euro 5 norms, but consumption figures are surprising: 6.5 litres/100 km on mixed routes, 8.5l/100km on an urban circuit and 5.4l/100km on an extra-urban track.

The series is equipped with ABS on an EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) system, ESP, anti-slip ASR (Anti Slip Regulation) system with Hill Holder and Hydraulic Brake Assistance (HBA) that affects emergency braking. Debuting are the TTC (Torque Transfer Control) and GSI (Gear Shift Indicator) systems. The first regulates torque distribution to the wheels, while the second suggests when to effect gear change via a dash light. In general it indicates the point of change to optimise consumption, but in Sport mode it transforms into an excellent system to fully exploit down to the very last ounce of power from the 1.4 Tjet, showing the exact moment when to change.

The Abarth 500 includes optional extras such as internal leather, Ergal gear shift, 17-inch wheels, various personalised stickers and some special colours including pearl white, pastel racing white, metallic scorpion black, metallic office red and pastel grey.

Optional extras that also debut include the Blue&MeTM MAP navigation system with Telemetria function - it’s an innovative system developed by Magneti Marelli. The monitoring system shows on a display the main parameters of the car including engine rotation, speed and gear transferred via Bluetooth by the Blue&MeTM al PND (Portable Navigation Device).

The TRACK function kicks in if the driver finds himself on one of the circuits in the SD memory, and presents a set of information including car position (thanks to GPS) and travel time. The configuration function allows the details of a circuit to be memorised and the matched to a personal session (with driver name, circuit, date).

The information registered can be recovered and analysed with the Analysis function. Thanks to a particular connection the car’s details can be transferred to the Blue&MeTM MAP 500 from teh CAN line, and therefore the hi-fi system can be used and managed from the steering wheel controls.

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