Is it really not good at narrow spaces? Abarth 500e long-term test (2) Pedal like an ON/OFF switch | AUTOCAR JAPAN
Accumulated 5584km SUV slips easily into difficult parking spaces
There is a nature park called Box Hill about 40km south of London. After walking around there for a while, I felt like having a hamburger and a cold drink because it was a very hot day.
When I visited a nearby Bub, it seemed like a lot of people had the same idea, as the parking lot was filled with big SUVs, but there was still space on the side of the road big enough for a small Abarth 500e, which would have been impossible to park in.
Total distance traveled: 7113km Is the Abarth 500e good at tight spaces?
At the launch of the Abarth 500e in 2023, a car journalist told the company’s engineers that the car’s handling and refinement at low speeds were poor. The person in charge responded that the car he test drove was a prototype, and that these issues would be fixed by the time of mass production.
With its small size, you’d expect it to be easy to maneuver in crowded city streets and tight parking lots, but in reality, it might be easier to parallel park in a commercial van like the Ford Transit Custom.
Abarth 500e Turismo (UK spec)Just because it’s a small hatchback doesn’t mean it can’t maneuver. Quite the opposite: short overhangs at the front and rear and excellent 360-degree visibility from the driver’s seat — perfect for snaking through roads that were planned in the 1960s.
A pedal like an ON/OFF switch
But the Abarth 500e’s handling at low speeds is not exactly intuitive. In particular, the accelerator and brake pedals don’t respond at a consistent rate. Even in the fuel-efficient Touring mode, they’re controlled like an on/off switch.
The result is that when parking or stuck in a traffic jam, the car jerks and stops, to the point of being a little uncomfortable. It’s hard to slam the rear end against a wall or smoothly follow a car moving slowly ahead.
Abarth 500e Turismo (UK spec)Wanting to avoid accidents, I always look for a large parking space. The cars behind me in traffic jams may be irritated by the sudden changes in speed. I think that even though it is a small city car, it is not making the most of its strengths.
The ride is too firm for a car that you want to commute to work in comfort – it’s not unreasonably harsh, but it’s clear that it sends more shocks through your spine than the Fiat 500e, which feels like it’s riding on a soft, spongy surface.
While driving the Abarth 500e, I had to take a detour through a residential area due to heavy traffic on the main road. The shaking was so severe that I had to slow down to under 20km/h when passing over a speed bump.
You can enjoy narrow curves more easily than in a sports car.
Images: Kanye West-level presence! The Abarth 500e and its rival, the small electric hatch Fiat 500e, all 150 photos