FIRST GLANCE - Abarth 500e 'Scorpionissima' - An EV that sounds like an Abarth ! _ 4K

**Abarth 500e: A New Era of Electric Fun**

Welcome to another exciting episode of *petroped*, where we dive into the world of cars and explore the latest innovations in the automotive industry. Today, we’re thrilled to introduce you to the new **Abarth 500e**, an all-electric version of the beloved Fiat 500, reimagined with a modern twist. This car is not just any ordinary electric vehicle; it’s a celebration of performance, style, and innovation.

### Design: A Throwback with a Modern Flair

Behind me stands the star of today’s show: the **Abarth 500e** in its eye-catching **acid green** color. This isn’t your average car; it’s a special edition limited to just **1949 units**, paying homage to the year Abarth first introduced the Fiat 500 back in 1949. The second color option is **poison blue**, but acid green definitely steals the show with its vibrant, almost neon appearance.

The design of the 500e is a perfect blend of classic charm and modern aesthetics. From the sleek front grille to the aggressive wheel arches, every detail screams “fun” and “performance.” The **honeycomb grille** adds a touch of aggression, while the **white diffuser** on the front gives it a sporty edge. The headlamps are another highlight—small but impactful, they give the car a fierce look.

One of the most striking features is the **18-inch wheels**, a first for Abarth’s 500 series. These wheels not only add to the car’s visual appeal but also hint at the performance potential lurking beneath the surface. The rear of the car features a subtle yet effective design change: instead of drums, it now has disc brakes, a nod to improved stopping power.

The side profile is equally impressive. The matte-finish wing mirrors and unique **scorpionissima decal** add a touch of exclusivity, while the embossed scorpion badge on the sill line gives it that final touch of class. The most eye-catching feature, however, has to be the **electric-specific scorpion badge** with a lightning bolt—a clear indication that this car is all about speed and innovation.

### Performance: Power, Range, and Fun

Under the hood (or rather, under the sleek design), the 500e packs a punch. It’s powered by a **42 kWh battery pack**, delivering around **155 horsepower**. While it might not sound like much on paper, this electric powertrain offers something that traditional engines can’t match: instant torque.

The car’s acceleration is a testament to its electric nature. From 0-60 mph, it takes about **7 seconds**, which might seem slower than the petrol-powered 695 (which does it in 6.9 seconds). However, this isn’t the whole story. The electric motor provides instant acceleration, making the car feel much snappier in mid-range speeds—a trait that often goes unnoticed but is felt deeply once you’re behind the wheel.

What about range? The 500e offers around **150 miles** on a single charge, which is comparable to other city cars like the electric Mini. While it might not be the longest range on the market, it’s more than enough for city driving and even short trips outside of urban areas.

### Inside the Car: Comfort Meets Style

Climbing inside the 500e feels like entering a modern sanctuary. Despite its compact size, the interior is surprisingly roomy, with a well-considered layout that makes every journey enjoyable. The **Alcantara-trimmed seats** are both supportive and comfortable, offering the perfect balance between style and functionality.

The steering wheel also features Alcantara trimming, adding to the sporty feel, while the dashboard boasts high-quality materials that give the car a premium touch. The central screen is a whopping **10.5 inches**, though we won’t delve into its specifics here—it’s safe to say it’s on par with the best in the industry.

One of the most intriguing features of the 500e is its sound system. Unlike other electric cars that focus on interior sound generation, this Abarth takes things a step further with an external speaker under the rear bumper. It produces a simulated petrol engine noise that changes pitch based on throttle input—a bold move that might divide opinions. Some will love it for preserving the character of classic Abarths, while others might find it unnecessary or even gimmicky.

### Driving Modes: Customizing Your Experience

The 500e comes with three driving modes to cater to every type of driver:

1. **Turismo Mode**: This mode is all about efficiency, limiting power output and maximizing regenerative braking for extended range. Perfect for city driving, it offers around **150 miles** on a single charge.

2. **Scorpion Street**: For those who want more performance without sacrificing range, this mode delivers full power while still utilizing regenerative braking. It’s ideal for country roads or shorter drives where you want a bit of extra zip.

3. **Scorpion Track**: If you’re looking to push the car to its limits, this is the mode for you. With minimal regenerative braking and full power output, it’s designed for maximum fun on tracks or open roads.

### Pricing: Special Editions and Limited Runs

Priced at **£38,695**, the 500e isn’t cheap, but it’s worth every penny for the exclusivity and performance you get. There’s also an optional soft-top version available as a limited edition, adding another £3,000 to the base price. With only 1949 units planned, this is a car that’s meant to be special—something its owners will undoubtedly treasure.

### Conclusion: A New Era for Abarth

The **Abarth 500e** marks an exciting new chapter for the brand, blending its storied history with modern electric technology. While it might not set records for range or raw power, what it does exceptionally well is deliver a fun, engaging driving experience that stays true to Abarth’s roots.

Whether you’re a long-time fan of the brand or simply looking for a city car with a bit more flair, the 500e is sure to impress. Its unique styling, electric powertrain, and attention to detail make it a standout in its class.

As we wrap up this episode, let’s leave you with the thought that sometimes, the best innovations are those that honor tradition while embracing change. The Abarth 500e is a perfect example of that—old-school charm meets modern engineering. We can’t wait to bring you more updates on this car as it hits the road and hopefully gets some track time soon.

Until next time, stay safe on the roads and keep your eyes peeled for this vibrant green machine—it’s sure to turn heads wherever it goes.

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"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys and welcome to petroped now behind me is one of my favorite little cars and about but there's something special about that about behind me it is the new all-electric about 500e in acid green and I think it looks Mega now the back end of last year I was actually on an Alfa Romeo press trip in Italy when the leaked pictures of this hit the internet and I can remember being with a whole bunch of YouTubers and journalists and we all just poured over the pictures and unanimously thought it looked a pretty cool car so when I knew I was coming today to actually get a look at it in person I was very very excited I am a huge fan of the little about whether it's 595 or 695 I've driven lots of them I've had experiences on track and on road and they are just a fun package a grin generator and this this all-electric version should do just that especially when you look at the numbers so now clearly the numbers are going to be a little bit different because it's an electric car so first off battery pack size a 42 kilowatt hour battery pack and this car produces around about 155 horsepower more on that later and the one number you will probably want to know is range well 150 miles or so but again we'll need to talk a bit more about that later because there are a number of different Drive modes in this car but before we get to the driving before we get to the performance I just want to talk about the Aesthetics and walk around some of the details this particular color acid green this is a special color on a special car this is the launch car it's called the scorpionissima they're only making 1949 of them in tribute to the year that the about was first made in 1949 and there are only two color options acid green or poison blue I love the naming of the color palette the front end though there are some things that you would expect the above badge has been changed just a little bit but unlike any of the 595s or 695s we've actually got a bath written on the front and I love this honeycomb Grill the whole front end of this car just looks clean and mean this little bit of a white diffuser on the front is different for the 500e the underpinnings of this car is based on the electric Fiat 500 and then been spiced up a bit there's quite a lot of difference if we walk around the headlamps I absolutely love the headlamps from a distance this kind of little eyebrow that's on top but it just squashes down the headlamp makes the car look really really aggressive you've got this little daytime running light with the body colored portion in the side and then some more Vents and just a whole front balance of the car looks really really cool you then kind of start to follow the air around the corner of the car and you get to this side indicator but it's it's not flush with a car it's like a little winglet and I really really like that I didn't spot it from a distance but when you get up close and then it follows this crease line all the way down the side of the car then we come round to the wheels so for the first time 18 inch wheels never had wheels that big on 595 or 695 the wheel design I think looks absolutely brilliant and then you've got the Scorpion on the inside the abar Scorpion with a nice big set of brakes now in terms of braking with this being an electric car depending on the drive mode you're either using regenerative braking so using the electric motor to regenerate kinetic energy into Power into the battery pack or you've got a nice big set of calipers and discs for conventional braking if you like and on the rear of the car a difference from the normal 500 electric that is now a disc brake at the back whereas the normal 500e just has drums at the back then we come down the side I really love the sort of matte finish on the wing mirror the scorpionissima has this unique decal down the side with a bath it's one of those things you kind of look at it it makes your eyes Go funny I really like that and then there's an embossed a bath just on the top of the sill line there loving the design of the handles solid from the outside and then you just have a a little clip underneath really like that and then maybe the most striking feature on the side is this new unique to the electric a bath badge with the Abarth scorpion and a nice big lightning bolt going through it but yes very smart now driving modes and driving couple of things there are three driving modes for the car we've got Turismo mode we've got scorpion Street and Scorpion track in Turismo mode the powers backed off to help extend the range you've got full regenerative braking so you've got a one pedal driving feature and that would be the kind of mode that you would be in for City driving to get the most range out of the cars I said around about 150 miles or so now you might think that's not a massive number but this is a small City car and it's comparable with something like the electric mini I guess if you want a little bit more performance you can then go to scorpion street now what scorpion Street does is it gives you access to all the power but you've got regenerative braking so you've still got the one pedal driving mode and that would be if you wanted a little bit more of a zip down a Country Lane and then if you want to have some fun you're going to scorpion track gives you all the power very little regenerative braking and that's your maximum Attack Mode now unfortunately it's very frustrating all I want to do is drive this car because when you look at the numbers first up if you look at the acceleration number this card is not to 60 in seven seconds well if you compare that with the most powerful 695 that does it in 6.9 seconds you think well this is slower than the uh ice car well yes however that's not the whole story remember this is an electric car you've got the instant torque it's a little bit heavier so in an acceleration from 0 to 60 that first getaway is going to take a little bit more time where this car comes to its own is in the mid-range acceleration you're 20 to 30 or 30 to 40 or 50 to 60 where you've got instant acceleration and in those mid-range accelerations this car outperforms the petrol versions of the Abarth and if we were to take this round baloka where I was with Alfa Romeo driving the tonale at the back end of last year this car's over a second quicker than its petrol equivalent above 695. so it's going to be a nippy car and I cannot wait to drive it um let's walk around the back I'm going to jump inside and have a look on the inside because it's beautiful in there oh wow now for such a small car it's Mega roomy in here I've actually had to pull my seat forward and it feels like a much better driving position than the old 695s and 595s this scorpiness in my special edition is so well trimmed in here there's Alcantara on the seats I think the seats look beautiful and they're pretty supportive and comfortable Alcantara trim on the steering wheel and even on these Central portions of the dashboard it's a beautifully appointed place in here but then it should be we probably need to talk price um are you sitting down so there are two versions of this you can actually get a soft top version or not at the moment but it's coming shortly the car I'm sat in 38 695 pounds and if you want the soft top version it's an extra three grand on top of that but that is a limited edition run 1949 units so you know I can imagine people will buy that and it's you know it's that special of having this limited edition run if you don't want that pricing hasn't been released for the normal versions but I'm sure it'd be a little bit less but it is beautifully equipped it's got the 10 and a half inch screen I'm not going to turn the car on for a moment because it does have a party piece but it has a high-end stereo as well it's really really nice in here but I guess for me one of the challenges about thinking about an electric about is whenever you drive a normal one whether it's got record Monza or the acrapovic exhaust they sound Mega really really good this apparently does as well even though it's an electric car it has a sound generator that simulates the normal sound of a petrol engine car there's a speaker just underneath the rear bumper that pumps out sound and on this it's on all the time so if I start the car and then we'll listen to it on the inside and then we'll walk around the outside but are we ready that that's just that sounds I mean it's really weird because there's no rev counter when you're driving that maps to the throttle and it changes its pitch as you drive so most cars have a sound generator that pumps if you like fake engine noise inside this does it outside and it's really loud let's pop on the outside and go go and have it oh my God really noisy it's just it's just it's so wrong but so right now I can imagine you're gonna be in one or two camps here you're gonna think this is the coolest Gadget ever and You're Gonna Want it instantly or you're gonna think it's awful and shouldn't have even been invented I won't let you know which one I am I think the whole point about of Arts is they're just fun and the the character of the old petrol car was so much based around its noise I can kind of get this now you will be able to turn it off if you don't want it there's a part of me that says almost embrace the fact it's an electric car and put an electric car noise generator rather than trying to pretend it's something that it's not in terms of what I think of the car styling wise I absolutely love this it's got It's a really really interesting mix of harking back to the old about 500s and and then trying to freshen it up and make it new I love the acid green paint work I love the larger Wheels the interior is stunning I love all the little kicks and flicks the little um front indicators I love the a bath badging I think for me there is an element of me that thinks it should have had more power maybe 200 horsepower but I know that as soon as you do that you have a compromise between the performance and the range and you'd maybe need to put a bigger battery pack in it and that makes the car heavier so it is a difficult one in terms of performance this is still fast around a track than the internal combustion engine Fiat 500 a bath but I know that some of the about this community will have wanted it to have more and who knows this is the first one and look at how the previous above has evolved over the years from the very first one to the to the current generation running up to 180 horsepower so a bit more horsepower that would be great a bit more range for some I'm sure that would be great remember this is a City cargo but from a styling point of view I think it looks fantastic and I cannot wait to drive it and hopefully I'll be doing that soon and bringing that to the channel but for now I'm going to leave you with the rumble of the new about 500e I think it's going to grow on me you know that noise anyway guys if you enjoyed that give me a thumbs up comments below are always welcome and if you haven't done so already please subscribe to petrified for plenty more content to come and I'll see you on the next film you take care guys drive safe now I don't think anyone will notice if I jumped in try and drive that way they'll never know foreignhey guys and welcome to petroped now behind me is one of my favorite little cars and about but there's something special about that about behind me it is the new all-electric about 500e in acid green and I think it looks Mega now the back end of last year I was actually on an Alfa Romeo press trip in Italy when the leaked pictures of this hit the internet and I can remember being with a whole bunch of YouTubers and journalists and we all just poured over the pictures and unanimously thought it looked a pretty cool car so when I knew I was coming today to actually get a look at it in person I was very very excited I am a huge fan of the little about whether it's 595 or 695 I've driven lots of them I've had experiences on track and on road and they are just a fun package a grin generator and this this all-electric version should do just that especially when you look at the numbers so now clearly the numbers are going to be a little bit different because it's an electric car so first off battery pack size a 42 kilowatt hour battery pack and this car produces around about 155 horsepower more on that later and the one number you will probably want to know is range well 150 miles or so but again we'll need to talk a bit more about that later because there are a number of different Drive modes in this car but before we get to the driving before we get to the performance I just want to talk about the Aesthetics and walk around some of the details this particular color acid green this is a special color on a special car this is the launch car it's called the scorpionissima they're only making 1949 of them in tribute to the year that the about was first made in 1949 and there are only two color options acid green or poison blue I love the naming of the color palette the front end though there are some things that you would expect the above badge has been changed just a little bit but unlike any of the 595s or 695s we've actually got a bath written on the front and I love this honeycomb Grill the whole front end of this car just looks clean and mean this little bit of a white diffuser on the front is different for the 500e the underpinnings of this car is based on the electric Fiat 500 and then been spiced up a bit there's quite a lot of difference if we walk around the headlamps I absolutely love the headlamps from a distance this kind of little eyebrow that's on top but it just squashes down the headlamp makes the car look really really aggressive you've got this little daytime running light with the body colored portion in the side and then some more Vents and just a whole front balance of the car looks really really cool you then kind of start to follow the air around the corner of the car and you get to this side indicator but it's it's not flush with a car it's like a little winglet and I really really like that I didn't spot it from a distance but when you get up close and then it follows this crease line all the way down the side of the car then we come round to the wheels so for the first time 18 inch wheels never had wheels that big on 595 or 695 the wheel design I think looks absolutely brilliant and then you've got the Scorpion on the inside the abar Scorpion with a nice big set of brakes now in terms of braking with this being an electric car depending on the drive mode you're either using regenerative braking so using the electric motor to regenerate kinetic energy into Power into the battery pack or you've got a nice big set of calipers and discs for conventional braking if you like and on the rear of the car a difference from the normal 500 electric that is now a disc brake at the back whereas the normal 500e just has drums at the back then we come down the side I really love the sort of matte finish on the wing mirror the scorpionissima has this unique decal down the side with a bath it's one of those things you kind of look at it it makes your eyes Go funny I really like that and then there's an embossed a bath just on the top of the sill line there loving the design of the handles solid from the outside and then you just have a a little clip underneath really like that and then maybe the most striking feature on the side is this new unique to the electric a bath badge with the Abarth scorpion and a nice big lightning bolt going through it but yes very smart now driving modes and driving couple of things there are three driving modes for the car we've got Turismo mode we've got scorpion Street and Scorpion track in Turismo mode the powers backed off to help extend the range you've got full regenerative braking so you've got a one pedal driving feature and that would be the kind of mode that you would be in for City driving to get the most range out of the cars I said around about 150 miles or so now you might think that's not a massive number but this is a small City car and it's comparable with something like the electric mini I guess if you want a little bit more performance you can then go to scorpion street now what scorpion Street does is it gives you access to all the power but you've got regenerative braking so you've still got the one pedal driving mode and that would be if you wanted a little bit more of a zip down a Country Lane and then if you want to have some fun you're going to scorpion track gives you all the power very little regenerative braking and that's your maximum Attack Mode now unfortunately it's very frustrating all I want to do is drive this car because when you look at the numbers first up if you look at the acceleration number this card is not to 60 in seven seconds well if you compare that with the most powerful 695 that does it in 6.9 seconds you think well this is slower than the uh ice car well yes however that's not the whole story remember this is an electric car you've got the instant torque it's a little bit heavier so in an acceleration from 0 to 60 that first getaway is going to take a little bit more time where this car comes to its own is in the mid-range acceleration you're 20 to 30 or 30 to 40 or 50 to 60 where you've got instant acceleration and in those mid-range accelerations this car outperforms the petrol versions of the Abarth and if we were to take this round baloka where I was with Alfa Romeo driving the tonale at the back end of last year this car's over a second quicker than its petrol equivalent above 695. so it's going to be a nippy car and I cannot wait to drive it um let's walk around the back I'm going to jump inside and have a look on the inside because it's beautiful in there oh wow now for such a small car it's Mega roomy in here I've actually had to pull my seat forward and it feels like a much better driving position than the old 695s and 595s this scorpiness in my special edition is so well trimmed in here there's Alcantara on the seats I think the seats look beautiful and they're pretty supportive and comfortable Alcantara trim on the steering wheel and even on these Central portions of the dashboard it's a beautifully appointed place in here but then it should be we probably need to talk price um are you sitting down so there are two versions of this you can actually get a soft top version or not at the moment but it's coming shortly the car I'm sat in 38 695 pounds and if you want the soft top version it's an extra three grand on top of that but that is a limited edition run 1949 units so you know I can imagine people will buy that and it's you know it's that special of having this limited edition run if you don't want that pricing hasn't been released for the normal versions but I'm sure it'd be a little bit less but it is beautifully equipped it's got the 10 and a half inch screen I'm not going to turn the car on for a moment because it does have a party piece but it has a high-end stereo as well it's really really nice in here but I guess for me one of the challenges about thinking about an electric about is whenever you drive a normal one whether it's got record Monza or the acrapovic exhaust they sound Mega really really good this apparently does as well even though it's an electric car it has a sound generator that simulates the normal sound of a petrol engine car there's a speaker just underneath the rear bumper that pumps out sound and on this it's on all the time so if I start the car and then we'll listen to it on the inside and then we'll walk around the outside but are we ready that that's just that sounds I mean it's really weird because there's no rev counter when you're driving that maps to the throttle and it changes its pitch as you drive so most cars have a sound generator that pumps if you like fake engine noise inside this does it outside and it's really loud let's pop on the outside and go go and have it oh my God really noisy it's just it's just it's so wrong but so right now I can imagine you're gonna be in one or two camps here you're gonna think this is the coolest Gadget ever and You're Gonna Want it instantly or you're gonna think it's awful and shouldn't have even been invented I won't let you know which one I am I think the whole point about of Arts is they're just fun and the the character of the old petrol car was so much based around its noise I can kind of get this now you will be able to turn it off if you don't want it there's a part of me that says almost embrace the fact it's an electric car and put an electric car noise generator rather than trying to pretend it's something that it's not in terms of what I think of the car styling wise I absolutely love this it's got It's a really really interesting mix of harking back to the old about 500s and and then trying to freshen it up and make it new I love the acid green paint work I love the larger Wheels the interior is stunning I love all the little kicks and flicks the little um front indicators I love the a bath badging I think for me there is an element of me that thinks it should have had more power maybe 200 horsepower but I know that as soon as you do that you have a compromise between the performance and the range and you'd maybe need to put a bigger battery pack in it and that makes the car heavier so it is a difficult one in terms of performance this is still fast around a track than the internal combustion engine Fiat 500 a bath but I know that some of the about this community will have wanted it to have more and who knows this is the first one and look at how the previous above has evolved over the years from the very first one to the to the current generation running up to 180 horsepower so a bit more horsepower that would be great a bit more range for some I'm sure that would be great remember this is a City cargo but from a styling point of view I think it looks fantastic and I cannot wait to drive it and hopefully I'll be doing that soon and bringing that to the channel but for now I'm going to leave you with the rumble of the new about 500e I think it's going to grow on me you know that noise anyway guys if you enjoyed that give me a thumbs up comments below are always welcome and if you haven't done so already please subscribe to petrified for plenty more content to come and I'll see you on the next film you take care guys drive safe now I don't think anyone will notice if I jumped in try and drive that way they'll never know foreign\n"