Updated: April 15, 2024
Roughly ten years ago, I contemplated buying myself an Abarth. The only reason I decided not to was because I felt the seat was too short for me. While I'm not the tallest person in the world, I have fairly long legs, and Abarth's nicely sculpted buckets only reached to my mid-thighs, making longer drives a bit of a strain. In the end, I went for an Opel Corsa OPC, which had the finest Recaros out there - few cars I've driven since match the pure joy of that driving position. Indeed.
But the Abarth-ness of that experience stayed with me. Over the years, I have been able to partially recreate it through copious amounts of simulated driving in Assetto Corsa, but at the end of the day, 'tis still only a game, no matter how accurate and precise. Well, a few weeks ago, a good friend of mine - a frequent Assetto Corsa driving buddy - had a chance to gallivant in a '595, for a whole week. And thus, ladies and gentlemen, for the second time ever, Dedoimedo gives you a guest post. Think of me as a ghostwriter in this story, a jealous ghostwriter who had to listen and transcribe stories of fun that would be the driving of this be sporty machine. Let's begin.
Question of the day: which Abarth is it?
Like the original Fiat 500 range, there's a bedazzling array of Abarth versions. In addition to tons of special, one-off limited editions, there are at least five main versions, from the 140HP Basic 595 to the 180HP Essesse. It's not always easy telling them apart, as the visual details are minuscule, and the main difference comes down to the engine tuning.
My friend had a chance to drive a Tourismo edition, which cranks out 160 horses, 206 Nm of torque in normal mode or 230 Nm in Sport mode, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds, and then carry on to 211 km/h. These numbers do not sounds too impressive, especially when you consider many "ordinary" hatchbacks with small turbos can easily do more torque and much higher top speeds. Then, you only get a five-speed manual gearbox. On the surface, the spec appears to be a bit mundane. But that's just to catch out the wannabe racers.
The looks: promising, promising
Everything about the lil' 595 speaks aggression. The scorpion badge, the allows, the twin exhaust pipes. And when you turn the car on, my my, the sound. The crackle-and-gargle of the 1,400cc engine is just fantastic. It sounds angry, frustrated, and begs release. The noise isn't raucous as you normally get in big supercars, but there's a respectful note to it that carries a long distance. You will hear an Abarth long before you see it.
Small but fierce. The on-paper specs do not properly convey the sensations.
The car sits on low-profile Pirelli P Zero Nero tires, with 205/40 ZR 17 dimensions. Under the hood, the engine comes with a red mask. I noticed this is often the case with performance-tuned editions of mainstream vehicles; the engine cover usually comes with a flamboyant color, which helps set it apart, even if looking under the hood isn't something you don't do that often. But when you do, you want there to be another layer for a good, fun experience.
Inside: spartan, chavvy, cool
Technically speaking, the Abarth can sit four people, but in practice, it's a two seater with an extra bench for stuff. The sport buckets are relatively slim, but even so, if you're 180 cm or taller, you will need to crank the seat all the way back, and there won't be any leg room left for anyone behind you. Perhaps children, but owning an Abarth sounds diametrically opposed to the idea of having offspring, or worse yet, lugging them around in a loud racing box with a firm suspension, short wheelbase, and little to no luggage room.
As Zoolander would say, what is this, a rear bench for ants?
Seats apart, the interior is very much like Fiat 500, which I did review a few years ago. But there are some small differences. You get a flat-bottom steering wheel, with the guide notch at the top, much like the Corsa. There's also a big turbo boost gage, to let you know how sporty you really are. Hint: in the normal driving mode, the boost pressure only goes to 0.8 bars, but in the Sport mode, it goes up to 1.2.
The center console features a special button - the one with the scorpion logo. Unlike the basic Fiat 500, where a somewhat similar button does nothing meaningful, this one truly transforms the car. Everything tightens up, gets firmer, sportier, less forgiving. The steering wheel becomes heavy and precise - more than usual, that is, and the speedo goes away to be replaced with a giant, red-tinted rev counter. I'm not 100% sure this is the best option for road driving, but hey.
The media system is basic, but you can mirror your phone, if that's your thing, and use it for navigation or alike. You get normal, physical controls for the AC, as it should be. Beyond that, there's not much to do or look at, but then, the whole purpose of this car is to be a beautiful, exquisite driving machine. Which brings us to the driving part.
Road handling, speed and fun
Predictably, the Abarth 595 is a great driving car. My friend remarked on the uncanny similarity between the models available in the Assetto Corsa game, and how it actually drives in real life. The most notable phenomenon is the almost rail-like handling through corners. You point, and the car goes, without delay or hesitation. The rear end is lively, which is expected from a light, short car with an excess of horses for its modest side. My friend even suggested putting a bag of sand in the trunk, to help with the weight distribution.
He found the steering quite good, but then, the car is jittery over undulations or bumps, shimmying and jumping even at moderate speeds. You don't lose control, but the experience can be a little frenetic. I guess the 595 works best on the race track, where you don't expect sudden changes in the road surfaces. This means that you can enjoy the Abarth, but not for very long, because 1) you will get exhausted quickly 2) you will also get way too excited, and might push the envelope more than the law and your skill allow.
Abarth's natural environment.
The interior size vs. driver size also came into question. My friend, who is somewhat taller than me, didn't find the seat cushion a problem, but he did struggle with the ceiling and rear-view mirror, especially through tight corners across the Italian Alps. He found himself dipping his head "too much" just to be able to see behind him, or brushing his head against the side when zipping into the next turn. The Abarth allows the steering wheel to be adjusted only by depth, not by height, and the seats cannot be lowered. This prevents one from finding the optimal driving position. "The idea driver's height for the 595 seems to be 173 cm" was my friend's final opinion.
The engine noise is great, the low profile tires cause quite a bit of noise, the AC works how it should. The basics function - basically. But this isn't a grand tourer, nor an overly comfortable car. It's a small sporty demon, and it should be treated as such. A delicatessen to be consumed sparingly. While it did handle the autostradas without any problems, it really excelled on the serpentines, but you do end up being tired after a long stretch.
There were no major problems, no weird issues, and the fuel consumption stood at about 8 liters per 100 km, in line with the aggressive usage, and not that cardinally different from the stock 500. But then, with the tank capacity of only 30 liters, you need to stop and refuel way too often.
Conclusion
Abarth 595 ain't a perfect car, far from it. If you look at it in a cool, dispassionate manner, it's a small car that is only suitable for two people, with limited luggage, bumpy and hard ride on anything but the smoothest of road surfaces, average fuel consumption paired to a tiny fuel tank, less-than-ideal seating position for tall drivers, and only reasonable performance characteristics.
But then, if you let emotions creep into your soul, you will realize this car is much more than the sum of its mechanical parts. It's supposed to be a bit uncomfortable, a bit rugged, a bit uncouth, a bit unrefined. It's supposed to be the "bad boy" version of the mainstream model, and you need to be aware of its maverick reputation all the time. After all, it has a scorpion for its badge, not a teddy bear.
If you're willing to accept the obvious shortcomings of the design, then you're in for a treat. A rowdy, sporty car with phenomenal handling, laser-sharp nose, precise steering, lively yet controllable read end, superb dynamics that go way beyond the pure technical data of acceleration and top speed, and finally, that sweet, sweet engine growl. Driving an Abarth isn't about finesse. It's about wild, illogical feelings. And with that in mind, I shall bring this review to an end. May the grip be with you.
Cheers.