The Abarth is one of those things I’ve been trying to get my head around for some time. Now motoring enthusiasts amongst you can be forgiven for thinking me a tad slow, but maybe a tad uninterested is closer to the mark. That is, up until I got to experience the full might of the Abarth in two quite different forms.

Travelling up to the Abarth event through the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire in the gorgeous Fiat 500c (sadly didn’t get to experience it in cabriolet form due the rain after weeks of sunshine), I wondered why anyone would require or need anything more than this. It’s cute, stylish, pelts alone very nicely on the motor way, is a delight along the country roads and is utterly stunning to look at. Mine was glowing white with a maroon top.

I sat through the chats about the Abarth, both the 500C and the Punto Evo. My interest was slightly prodded as the UK head of the Abarth waxed lyrically about its attributes – 1.4 Turbo T-Jet engine, 140 bhp, MTA gearbox with gear shift paddles, high specs, electric hood, striking alloys and the Abarth philosophy of making the ordinary extraordinary. I was getting rather hot and just wanted a bite to eat and my bed.

So when I finally got into the Abarth 500C and my co-driver allowed me to go first, I popped it into the automatic mode, put down the roof and off we went along roads slicing through quite breathe-taking scenary. I didn’t want to go too fast as I always get slightly self-conscious driving with someone new and he was white haired and I felt that was reason enough to go at a modest pace.

It was then my white-haired friend’s turn at the wheel. We’ll call him Mr R. Having already told me that his wild driving days were far behind him, now that he was a man of more mature years with nothing to prove, I assumed that our pottering ride would continue.
Never judge a book by it’s cover! I have never had so much fun as a passenger that during the next hour as Mr R put the car through its paces along the wide, open country roads. Paddles all the way as we flew along at rather an alarming but exhilerating rate with the wind in my hair (despite the wind shield). Overtaking was a doddle, with this little car having so much to give. Of course it helped that the sun was shining, no police cars in sight and only the poor sheep to occasionally dodge.

How could I have missed the opportunity to drive as if the vehicle was stolen, which by the end, I felt like doing!?

I still don’t get paddle shifts and prefer a gear stick every time (there is talk of producing a manual one but for the moment they seem to want to show off their technolgy). The automatic gearbox in automatic mode felt jerky, but this can be reduced by playing with the accelerator pedal and anticipating the gear changes I was told – not something I managed to achieve. And all this fun will cost you £17,500.

I still can’t equate the look of the 500C with a hot hatch although it certainly behaves like one, having further proof of this on a track with a professional driver at the wheel. But apart from having great fun, why would you want to throw this gorgeous car around a track – I’d much rather be seen on the open road where it leaves other cars standing as you stylishly zoom past in a cloud of cheeky, Italian elegance!

But step inside the passenger version of the new Fiat Doblo, and the image changes to family outings and adventures done in comfort and a certain amount of style. With no worries about the car being ruined with muddy wellies and bikes, due to it’s van-like utilitarian interior, children can be returned home filthy after a secret seven-type of adventure.

Fiat describe it as an honest, credible car with great driving characteristics. Despite the name, this is a brand new car. No up-gardes, no facelift and no collaboration – it’s all Fiat. It has a new Chassis, engine, suspension and transmission and while five seats come as standard, for those adventures, seven seats are available.

So why might you be tempted by this not so little number? It’s spacious, actually quite good fun to drive being amazingly agile despite its shape, very well priced (cheapest one comes in at £12,295), low CO2 emissions, great fuel economy thanks in part to its Start & Stop technology and can cope with a car load of messy kids, not to mention adults. But for me, any car that has sliding doors is a must. I will grow out of this phase one day – according to my mother, my life has been full of phases -  but for now, with kids that can’t be trusted to open car doors with care, sliding doors are essential for my mental health.

While it’s boxy looks might be off-putting to more fussy people, this new Doblo has a certain charm to its appearance, once you get over the fact that you are driving a van-like vehicle. It stands out from the crowd, and is perfect for an active family who put practicality before snobbery.