It is with great thanks to The Thames Motor Group Slough, that we got to grips with the loud pocket rocket that is the Abarth 595 Competizione, as you see in the video we had bright red one for the day and had a lot of fun.
This is the new face-lifted variant with changes to the bumpers and lights, but it is still the fun and great car as previously. There are lovely little touches carbon fibre backed Sabelt seats, lots of scorpions to remind you, you are in an Abarth not just a normal Fiat 500. The inside of the 595 is a nice place to be. It is bigger and more spacious than you would think. It is finished in leather and alcantara. You sit higher in the car and it makes a difference. The gear stick is high because of this and although this is not always welcome it works in this car. It is close to the steering wheel ideal for quick changes and getting your hand back to the wheel.
The seating is comfortable, but it is firm. It works when you are throwing the car around, but it way well be different when you are on long journeys. Realistically how many long journeys are you going to in this car? It is a pocket rocket for around town and town to town and in our eyes it is perfect for it.
As with the 124 Spider we drove, this car has the same 1.4 litre four-cylinder engine. I spits out 178bhp in a lightweight body. So this propels you from 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds and if anything it feels quicker in the car. There is plenty of power torque when in Sport mode, though we were driving on damp roads.
It has a mechanical limited Slip- Diff, which really makes a difference to the car; Konie FSD dampers and four piston Brembo brakes with drilled and vented discs.
It seems quite tame when you first drive it; it is capable of a poodle around town, albeit with a growl from the ‘Record Monza’ exhaust, but bury your right foot and the turbo lags, but then kicks in and brings a big smile to your face. Shift down and the exhaust lets out a little cackle and pop and you start to look at the road as a rally stage! It is just great fun.
The starting price for the 595 Competizione is £20,290 this puts it into direct competition (really wanted to say Competizione there) with the Fiesta ST200 and the Peugeot 208GTI, the 595 is finished better than those cars, but it lacks a little power with them having 20bhp more, they are also bigger cars.
However you buy the 595 Competizione for its small size, for its Italian design, its quirky fun nature, and its yelling exhaust and just for bringing a smile to your face. A car doesn’t have to be the fastest or the best out there, we happen to think it is pretty close, but a car needs to have soul, it needs to have character and it needs to be fun. The 595 Competizione has this in abundance and we would love one.
We think they would be great as Mensstuffapproved.com company cars, looking great in white with our logo on.
Thames Motor Group are offering a deal at the moment that lets you drive one away for just £229 per month with £595 deposit.
