If you turn the traction control fully off in the MX5, it is fully off. Jason may have had it in track mode where the traction control is still partially on.
@@Bert-d1e ND the gen of the car, so the mk4 basically. 2 is the mid gen refresh, it on 3rd facelift now, so the one in the video is an ND3. You can get the original ND1 in RF spec
Well, none of them have been for at least 20 years. Previous shape 500 owners associate a noisy pair of pea shooters and looks as if it's been driven through Halfords covered in glue as being interchangeable with pedigree. As little to do with Abarth as this.
@ I don't even consider the 1971 sale the death of it, but spiritually it was certainly dust by the early 80s. But for the marque to be dormant for a quarter of a century and then wheeled out by Fiat as effectively a trim level in some cases as a cynical marketing exploitation was pretty poor. Whilst a lot of the stock 595 Abarths are certainly quick with a lot of very different parts to the standard 500 very nearly doubling its performance profile, these were on the same Polish production line. So for people own anything from the 2010s on to start lecturing that the electric version isn't an Abarth is pure idiotic ignorance. What they are saying is is that they prefer a manufacturer to exploit its ownership of a once great performance brand with a tenuous link to its passionate roots on an ICE car rather than an EV as they think passion starts and ends with strapping a £2,000 ASBO exhaust to a hot hatch because in a moment of genius FIAT worked out that's all a lot of vegetables need to be encouraged to empty their wallets on an otherwise very outdated piece of junk that was two generations too old. Not knocking Fiat. Not actually knocking the 595 as I have a lot of time for anyone making a stock 6.5s to 60 very small car - it's just it's got about as much to do with Abarth as a ham sandwich so don't consider yourself the arbiter of what else is.
One of the first cars I drove in 1969 was a Fiat 600 in Spain. Every car I have driven since has been better except for a 2CV... What happened to the new 5th Gear series in Quest??? Bring back Tiff and people will watch.
That Abarth will end up on eBay motors in 5 years time - for next to nothing and riddled with electrical faults, unlike that Mazda which will hold value.
When I was shopping for a second hand MX-5 I found out that they depreciate 10% a year. Which is good news when you own one, and not so good when you are looking for one.
Horses for courses, really. I just sold a petrol abarth 595 after four years because I needed to start commuting again. The electric version is a completely different platform and feels a lot more premium. You could comfortably commute in one of these, it’s much, much more premium, better damped, better cabin, less road noise. 40k is insane, though. The point of the original is that it’s a cheap thrill and the ev is never going to overcome that.
If you live somewhere like the peak district, get up at 4 in the morning on a lovely summers day you can still have fun. Not everbody lives in boring cities
Given the choice between the two of them, I’d choose the MX-5. No discussion. I actually own one, although mine is an NC that’s quite a fair bit older than the RF shown in the video. The Abarth 500 is a Fiat 500 on steroids, and that’s no badge of honour. I learned to drive in a Fiat 500 because that’s what the driving school used. It felt ghastly to drive, and the driving position was sickeningly uncomfortable. Plus that particular Abarth 500 is actually a 500e, meaning it’s obviously electric. Electric cars are an automotive disaster. They can’t go very far on a single charge, and they take forever to charge.
Wow! Fifth gear doesn't know how to turn off the traction control of the MX5, its just another button by the way. Just watch a competent RUclips reviewer before you track it then.
I think you will find the MX5 engine is 184ps = 181hp not 184hp. But that's splitting hairs. The soft top version is a bit lighter and faster than the RF version as well. Whether the RF version is better on corners due to rigidity, I don't know. That would be good to know! Fiat 500 is a great car in petrol guise, not so convinced about electric. We have a Fiat 500 1.2 petrol and an MX5 184 soft top so found it an interesting video. Keep up the good work!
The RF is only more rigid top in place, it’s not as rigid as the soft top with the roof down because when they added the roof on RF they took some weight out of the chassis to offset the roof weight. The RF definitely has obvious scuttle shake when top down that the soft top doesn’t exhibit to the same degree.
I have a Abarth 595. I’ve had it for 2yrs. So for me when I seen the new Abarth EV I was a bit shocked to say the least. Do not like the way it looks at all. But the price 41k. I don’t think so. Who at fiat thought that was a good idea.
I remember hearing about the Abarth in a review, then instantly forgetting its exitence because of how boring it was.. too heavy, too expensive, too slow, too tacky
That'll change with the new Renault 5 being £10k cheaper for the most comparable model to this Abarth (with the less powerful model being another £5k. Cheaper). Other budget car companies including FIAT /Abarth will have to revise their pricing.
They are not quite there yet with these smaller ''hot'' EV's are they, i have an ioniq 5 awd (325bhp, 600nm) and its just a big 2 ton family car that can do 60 in 4.7 and costs a fiver a week for 300 miles, its a good car i enjoy driving it but manufacturers are falling super short when it comes to these ''hot'' hatch EV's... they are not particularly fast, still a bit too expensive and have tiny batteries not really good for much, its really no wonder people lack enthusiasm for them... now and then something will come along like the ioniq 5N which is batshit crazy and shows the direction these cars could go in but for every 5N that comes along we get a fake abarth, a fake renault 5 and a capri that makes people cry.
The world has gone bonkers or younger car people have got it wrong. Throngs wanna watch cars go on a straight line in the least amount of time but not many want to know how a car goes around a track driven by a good driver. Automotive is being conquered by posers now. Sad. We are a dying breed Jason.
It does roll a lot in corners compared to other modern sports cars, but it retains traction. It's just a case of getting used to it... however, I didn't want to so I upgraded the anti-roll bars and fitted 20mm lower springs and it's now much flatter on the corners without compromising ride quality on UK B-roads.
Are we really still stuck in the past trying to d!ck measure two cars with lap timing? Any experienced driver can tell you that slow car fast is more fun, and all cars are too fast to drive at 9/10ths on public roads, as we're needing to share the roads more and more with cyclists, because fossil fuel cars are killing us. Just show that you like and dislike some factors of each car, remind everyone that there is actual important reason to migrate to electric, and do your next review. Disappointed that in 2024 Jason's still using the term petrol heads, when two entire generations have not touched a spanner or dreamt of understanding how an engine functions. I still own a 2013 Abarth but don't drive it because gas cars kill the planet. Instead I use my e-bikes or an i4. Yes EVs have their own skeletons with increased embodied carbon emissions, so I'm not here to tell everyone they're the best solution for transportation. That'd be micromobility and electric catenary rail. But if you have to decide which of these two cars you'll choose, put the tops down, squeeze some people in them, discuss ownership. Don't waste effort with a track lap.
According European Energy Agency (EEA) EVs save 17-30% of CO2 emissions over their lifetime. EV production emits a lot more CO2 then IC car production, like about 10 ton more (Polestar carbon footprint report). You need to drive your EV 40-70k miles before it offsets that. Or 120k miles if you'd kept your old IC car. Which is like 10 years of usage for an average British driver. I seriously doubt the ability of EVs to last that long due to repairability and depreciation when any remotely serious issue would be deemed uneconomical to repair. Interestingly you could save similar 20-30% of CO2 just by going for a hatchback instead of an SUV. If it was about climate somebody would have surely brought that up already.
You forget to add the pollution oil does to the plant from millions of gallons of oil spills, gas flaring, thousands of discarded open wells to our food chain now containing micro plastics, plus the millions of gallons of oil and fluids from servicing plus the hundreds of thousnds of vehicles less than 15 years old that are scrapped each year due to uneconomic repairs. EVs are proven to cover more than 500k miles which is twice the average life span of an average users vehicle with only 20% loss of battery life whicvh is also rouyghly the amount of power most ice vehicles lose over the same number of miles as proven by countless dyno results on numerous brands of vehicles with comparable mileage and age. Just like mobile phones the development will continue and the change over will be the next generation who are not interested in an over complicated 30% efficient old tech that require constant expensive maintenance.
@@MrTempatel Yes we do. We took the partial lease incentive, because cash incentive was taken away, and then bought it with cash the week after. We were able to afford this because we keep our cars for more than 10 years, and the last car we sold appreciated in value ('09 Lotus Elise after 12 years of daily driving. We purchased the Elise 1 year used, and it spent a year on the dealer's lot before its original sale)
Watch the new series, in full, on Discovery+ www.discoveryplus.com/gb/show/fifth-gear
4k uploads when?
I love that Mazda MX5. I'm so glad to see that they still make them with a manual. Thank you.
It'd be a really sad day when the MX-5 going electric.
@@farishanafiah8461Don’t be such an old fossil.
If you turn the traction control fully off in the MX5, it is fully off. Jason may have had it in track mode where the traction control is still partially on.
Correct!!
Def was partially on❤
I have the ND2 RF MX5. They're great fun amongst a world where nearly all cars now are digital and heavy
It'd be a really sad day when the MX-5 going electric.
They only made the RF at ND4
@@Bert-d1e ND the gen of the car, so the mk4 basically. 2 is the mid gen refresh, it on 3rd facelift now, so the one in the video is an ND3. You can get the original ND1 in RF spec
An Abarth that just isn't an Abarth.
Well, none of them have been for at least 20 years. Previous shape 500 owners associate a noisy pair of pea shooters and looks as if it's been driven through Halfords covered in glue as being interchangeable with pedigree. As little to do with Abarth as this.
@@farmergeddon7527abarth only made few dedicated race cars the rest are modified Fiats and some other brands
@ I don't even consider the 1971 sale the death of it, but spiritually it was certainly dust by the early 80s. But for the marque to be dormant for a quarter of a century and then wheeled out by Fiat as effectively a trim level in some cases as a cynical marketing exploitation was pretty poor. Whilst a lot of the stock 595 Abarths are certainly quick with a lot of very different parts to the standard 500 very nearly doubling its performance profile, these were on the same Polish production line. So for people own anything from the 2010s on to start lecturing that the electric version isn't an Abarth is pure idiotic ignorance. What they are saying is is that they prefer a manufacturer to exploit its ownership of a once great performance brand with a tenuous link to its passionate roots on an ICE car rather than an EV as they think passion starts and ends with strapping a £2,000 ASBO exhaust to a hot hatch because in a moment of genius FIAT worked out that's all a lot of vegetables need to be encouraged to empty their wallets on an otherwise very outdated piece of junk that was two generations too old. Not knocking Fiat. Not actually knocking the 595 as I have a lot of time for anyone making a stock 6.5s to 60 very small car - it's just it's got about as much to do with Abarth as a ham sandwich so don't consider yourself the arbiter of what else is.
1500kg turd
Here in Japan there’s a version 1.5L ND2 (the roadsters version) and they made the car 990 Kilos, Under 1 ton!
Here in Japan they call it 990S
In Europe too
Just owned the even lighter mx-5 with the 1.5, soft top, 16” rays forged. A little masterpiece
£41k for a fiat 500?! Worlds gone mad
No surprise since it's electric.
Indeed. I'm not sure who's more stupid. Fiat for selling at that price, or the consumer for buying it. Maybe both.
1500kg heavy.. smh
Be worth half that in 6 months 😂
Communist Electric power
I’m surprisingly impressed Mazda. First time owner of the brand with a 2.5t.
I can only imagine how well it performs in a small package like the mx5.
The MX5 doesn't have that engine.
No comparison here. I wouldnt take the Fiat even if it's half the price.
I have a 2020 MX-5 RF, I love it!
One's a money pit while the other is a true-to-form classic.
That MX5 doesn't half roll roll in the corners. Guessing enthusiast would be sorting that by lowering & beefing the A/R bars.
Twisty llandow circuit? It's basically a square with one busstop chicane... 🤣
Mazda MX-5 rules ;)
Nice work JP 🙌🏼
good luck trying to sell them for £41000.00
Over 40k for a 500, no wonder FIAT are failing.
I couldnt believe the price. I could get a used rs4 avant for that!!😂
FIAT does not exist anymore, it’s only one of the many French Stellantis fake brands with the same Peugeot platform
I bough a car for 2000 GBP, weighs the same as the 500e, 0-100 kph is identical, its a 2006 Audi A4 B7 5-valve per cyl 1.8T!!!
How does this video only have 35k views with nearly 1million subscribers.
One of the first cars I drove in 1969 was a Fiat 600 in Spain. Every car I have driven since has been better except for a 2CV...
What happened to the new 5th Gear series in Quest???
Bring back Tiff and people will watch.
Imagine a Abarth with 200whp or a real rev happy engine.....
Even the 1.8t from the Alfa or 2.0 would be amazing
You buy a Miata and have fun forever. You buy an Abarth EV and you pay for it forever.
The real car wins!
Impressive that the Abarth managed to complete one whole lap on a full charge! 😂😂😂
A £42,000 Fiat 500 that isn't even fast! What a total joke! Knowing Stellantis, they will knock £10k - £15k off them to shift them from the showrooms!
Dealer is advertising an “ex demo” Abarth E in NZ discounted from $72k to $42k for 2000 km 🤡 No thanks.
That Abarth will end up on eBay motors in 5 years time - for next to nothing and riddled with electrical faults, unlike that Mazda which will hold value.
When I was shopping for a second hand MX-5 I found out that they depreciate 10% a year. Which is good news when you own one, and not so good when you are looking for one.
Petrol Abarth yes EV Abarth, no thanks ill take the MX5
Horses for courses, really. I just sold a petrol abarth 595 after four years because I needed to start commuting again. The electric version is a completely different platform and feels a lot more premium. You could comfortably commute in one of these, it’s much, much more premium, better damped, better cabin, less road noise. 40k is insane, though. The point of the original is that it’s a cheap thrill and the ev is never going to overcome that.
If you live somewhere like the peak district, get up at 4 in the morning on a lovely summers day you can still have fun. Not everbody lives in boring cities
That’s exactly what I do in my NC BBR, but say maybe 6am
£37k buys quite a nice used Porsche or something else a lot more spicy. 😂 Absolutely bonkers.
Poor match up, the Renault Megane e-tech would've been a closer test, the MX5 would struggle against that EV.
Evs biggest issue is luxury prices in economy cars
40-50k for most EVs is a joke and a 40k fiat is crazy
In Italy they selled 17 of that abarts
And just how far will I get in the fiat? And with spirited country road driving?
Electric cars can never have a soul or character.. Many petrol engined cars are destined for modern classic status thanks to EVs.
Given the choice between the two of them, I’d choose the MX-5. No discussion. I actually own one, although mine is an NC that’s quite a fair bit older than the RF shown in the video. The Abarth 500 is a Fiat 500 on steroids, and that’s no badge of honour. I learned to drive in a Fiat 500 because that’s what the driving school used. It felt ghastly to drive, and the driving position was sickeningly uncomfortable. Plus that particular Abarth 500 is actually a 500e, meaning it’s obviously electric. Electric cars are an automotive disaster. They can’t go very far on a single charge, and they take forever to charge.
They wonder why people dont want to buy BEVs. 😂
Ooh ye fighta
Even if the 500e beat the MX-5, then what? I'm not a professional race car driver. I'm going to choose the car that is more fun and that needs me.
Ummmmmmmm shut off the stability control in the MX-5? Track mode is perfect or all off if you're good
Easy win
The answer is Miata as our chums from across the pond say. They were definitely right in this case.
Well, they actually say "Miata is always the answer", hence the acronym MIATA.
Wow! Fifth gear doesn't know how to turn off the traction control of the MX5, its just another button by the way. Just watch a competent RUclips reviewer before you track it then.
You should have tested the MX5 with the SOFT TOP!
The track was also a lot drier for the Fiat
Low cost?
One will last forever and hold its value, its red.
why does this video editing still look 20 years old?
I think you will find the MX5 engine is 184ps = 181hp not 184hp. But that's splitting hairs. The soft top version is a bit lighter and faster than the RF version as well. Whether the RF version is better on corners due to rigidity, I don't know. That would be good to know! Fiat 500 is a great car in petrol guise, not so convinced about electric. We have a Fiat 500 1.2 petrol and an MX5 184 soft top so found it an interesting video. Keep up the good work!
Won’t be that much faster it’s about 40kg lighter
The RF is only more rigid top in place, it’s not as rigid as the soft top with the roof down because when they added the roof on RF they took some weight out of the chassis to offset the roof weight. The RF definitely has obvious scuttle shake when top down that the soft top doesn’t exhibit to the same degree.
@@richardhoulton4016 Interesting! Thank you.
@@lassydogpie5390 About 0.3 secs faster to 60, so no, not a lot.
I think they took RF as the more expensive model. Otherwise the test would be even more ridiculous.
Or, "The best of the past and the worst of the future"
40k for that fiat 😂😂😂
Lets be honest... None of these cars are "affordable"... Car makers have priced out customers.
I have a Abarth 595. I’ve had it for 2yrs. So for me when I seen the new Abarth EV I was a bit shocked to say the least. Do not like the way it looks at all. But the price 41k. I don’t think so. Who at fiat thought that was a good idea.
Community/ Socialist cars now
Woah! The arbarth hits 62 in seven seconds? My two tonne RWD Skoda Enyaq beats that!
But the Abarth only has 152hp.
@ and who’s fault is that?
Not really a comparison.
I remember hearing about the Abarth in a review, then instantly forgetting its exitence because of how boring it was..
too heavy, too expensive, too slow, too tacky
How many laps would that electric Fiat do?
1
Mx all day long🎉
What a ridiculous pairing! Two such different cars? You are taking the mickey!
The track was much drier for the fiats lap.
The MX5 for me please.
I don't believe anyone buys an MX5 thinking it's fast and nobody ever bought a Fiat 500 because they didn't think it was cute.
Mx5s are fast when it comes to cornering and blasting down a twisty b road
Why would anyone pay over £40k for what ultimately is a Duracel powered Fiat 500?
I'd have MX5 any day. I love a car I can actually drive. I have no interest in EVs.
If the Abarth is the future, then I want no part of that.
Awful comparison...
Why does Fifth Gear videos look so dated?
3 words: Grey Pubic Hair
i'm going to get an mx5 one day. they're fairly common around here
The motoring world's answer to recession and the cost of living crisis. £40k EV's
That'll change with the new Renault 5 being £10k cheaper for the most comparable model to this Abarth (with the less powerful model being another £5k. Cheaper). Other budget car companies including FIAT /Abarth will have to revise their pricing.
Abarth 500 most be a petrol car whit sounds.
Not een e car!
Greets from Holland ( The Netherlands ).
The MX can do that aaall day...tha Abarth as long the battery lasts
by the thumbnail I thought this was a rad test using a Invacar. It is after all the same colour
They are not quite there yet with these smaller ''hot'' EV's are they, i have an ioniq 5 awd (325bhp, 600nm) and its just a big 2 ton family car that can do 60 in 4.7 and costs a fiver a week for 300 miles, its a good car i enjoy driving it but manufacturers are falling super short when it comes to these ''hot'' hatch EV's... they are not particularly fast, still a bit too expensive and have tiny batteries not really good for much, its really no wonder people lack enthusiasm for them... now and then something will come along like the ioniq 5N which is batshit crazy and shows the direction these cars could go in but for every 5N that comes along we get a fake abarth, a fake renault 5 and a capri that makes people cry.
Low cost... for him
The answer is always miata.
As comparisons go this is just ridiculous.
the only thing these two cars have almost in common is the price. And that's just because the abarth is hugely overpriced
After a lap the fiat needa charge or can’t get home
The world has gone bonkers or younger car people have got it wrong. Throngs wanna watch cars go on a straight line in the least amount of time but not many want to know how a car goes around a track driven by a good driver. Automotive is being conquered by posers now. Sad. We are a dying breed Jason.
The body role on that Mazda is surprising. It appears to role more than my dad's old '72 Cadillac Coupe Deville.
It does roll a lot in corners compared to other modern sports cars, but it retains traction. It's just a case of getting used to it... however, I didn't want to so I upgraded the anti-roll bars and fitted 20mm lower springs and it's now much flatter on the corners without compromising ride quality on UK B-roads.
"low cost" 😂
There are better and quicker EVs available for that price.
I’ll take the car over the overpriced milk float, thanks. And I’ll take a stock NA. Which is convenient as I have one already.
No no nooooo
Please
elettric vs elettric
True engine vs true engine 😉
The Fiat is just a bumper car
The electric Abarth can probably do 3 laps before it needs a recharge
You know that’s bollocks.
How dare they compare the mx5 to that lemon with AAA batteries for power
The poor Carlo Abarth is turning over in his grave. Electric (heavy) car and fake petrol engine noise.
Utterly pointless test
Who is this old bloke?
Jason Plato……multiple british touring car champion. Respect ✊
Fiat...and electric. ...hahaha
Are we really still stuck in the past trying to d!ck measure two cars with lap timing? Any experienced driver can tell you that slow car fast is more fun, and all cars are too fast to drive at 9/10ths on public roads, as we're needing to share the roads more and more with cyclists, because fossil fuel cars are killing us. Just show that you like and dislike some factors of each car, remind everyone that there is actual important reason to migrate to electric, and do your next review. Disappointed that in 2024 Jason's still using the term petrol heads, when two entire generations have not touched a spanner or dreamt of understanding how an engine functions. I still own a 2013 Abarth but don't drive it because gas cars kill the planet. Instead I use my e-bikes or an i4. Yes EVs have their own skeletons with increased embodied carbon emissions, so I'm not here to tell everyone they're the best solution for transportation. That'd be micromobility and electric catenary rail. But if you have to decide which of these two cars you'll choose, put the tops down, squeeze some people in them, discuss ownership. Don't waste effort with a track lap.
According European Energy Agency (EEA) EVs save 17-30% of CO2 emissions over their lifetime. EV production emits a lot more CO2 then IC car production, like about 10 ton more (Polestar carbon footprint report). You need to drive your EV 40-70k miles before it offsets that. Or 120k miles if you'd kept your old IC car. Which is like 10 years of usage for an average British driver. I seriously doubt the ability of EVs to last that long due to repairability and depreciation when any remotely serious issue would be deemed uneconomical to repair.
Interestingly you could save similar 20-30% of CO2 just by going for a hatchback instead of an SUV. If it was about climate somebody would have surely brought that up already.
You forget to add the pollution oil does to the plant from millions of gallons of oil spills, gas flaring, thousands of discarded open wells to our food chain now containing micro plastics, plus the millions of gallons of oil and fluids from servicing plus the hundreds of thousnds of vehicles less than 15 years old that are scrapped each year due to uneconomic repairs. EVs are proven to cover more than 500k miles which is twice the average life span of an average users vehicle with only 20% loss of battery life whicvh is also rouyghly the amount of power most ice vehicles lose over the same number of miles as proven by countless dyno results on numerous brands of vehicles with comparable mileage and age. Just like mobile phones the development will continue and the change over will be the next generation who are not interested in an over complicated 30% efficient old tech that require constant expensive maintenance.
@@Phuc_Yhou do you own your i4?
@@MrTempatel The two cars in this video are the farthest you could get from an SUV. Let's give Jason and 5th Gear credit for that.
@@MrTempatel Yes we do. We took the partial lease incentive, because cash incentive was taken away, and then bought it with cash the week after. We were able to afford this because we keep our cars for more than 10 years, and the last car we sold appreciated in value ('09 Lotus Elise after 12 years of daily driving. We purchased the Elise 1 year used, and it spent a year on the dealer's lot before its original sale)
worst and most useless car comparison of the millennium
Toaster 👎 🍞 🤮 💩 500
This guy is still using his script from 20 years ago 😕