Abarth 595 Review 2023

Like so many Italian sporting cars, the Abarth 595 is a car that, if it needs explaining, is probably not for you. There’s little common sense attached to choosing this car as the cabin is cramped, it has high running costs and there are more able, sophisticated hot hatches out there for the same money or less depending on which version you choose.

Yet, and yet, the Abarth 595 holds a certain appeal. It’s the mouse that roars, a car that punches much higher above its weight in terms of fun and personality and kudos that draws in buyers. All of this comes down to the Abarth 595 being a car that makes you smile, so it’s little wonder that many of its owners also have many far more expensive and exotic cars alongside the 595 in their garages.

This is part of the joy of the Abarth 595 is you become part of a covert club. For some, that will be just as off-putting, but there are plenty of other hot hatches out there to pick from. The Abarth 595 may be flawed but that doesn’t necessarily detract from what makes it really rather special.

It’s not often the MINI Cooper S will be accused of being too big, but that’s the case when it’s compared to the Abarth 595. So, the only real rival to the Italian is the Volkswagen Up GTI. The Up is slower but no less fun to hustle down country lanes thanks to its willing engine and agile handling.

Others to look at in this little corner of the hot hatch market are the Renault Twingo GT and Suzuki Swift Sport. Neither matches the Abarth on pace or fun, so that leaves the Ford Fiesta ST as the only other credible rival at the same sort of price.

If there is one particular area where the Abarth 595 range is really beginning to feel its age and lag behind its rivals, it’s in the fit, finish and construction of its cabin. It looks good to the eye, but when your hands come into contact with the car there are too many hard, cheap-feeling plastics that undermine the experience. In the normal Fiat 500 it’s almost forgivable, but in a car costing as much as the Abarth versions it’s much harder to overlook.

There are other details that make you ponder the quality of the car, such as the lack of a foot rest for your left shoe when not working the clutch.

However, the leather used on the seats of higher spec Abarth 595s adds a touch of class that is welcome. The same is true of the way the controls work as the gear shift has a decent heft to it that speaks of sporting intent and the steering wheel is just the right thickness to let you know this is a hot hatch long before you turn the engine on

The 5-inch Uconnect infotainment screen in the Abarth 595 is common to all models and positioned high in the centre of the dash as it is in the Fiat 500. The screen itself has a clear, well defined resolution so it’s easy to read the information present on the display.

The system comes with DAB digital radio, Bluetooth connection and a USB port, so it’s easy enough to link up with your smartphone. The basic model does without mirroring tech, but the others get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to pair with smart devices easily and offer access to their apps.

Choose the base 595 or Pista models and you do without satellite navigation, while the optional Hifi by Beats is there for all but the Pista model.

In all of the Abarth models, the infotainment screen is quick to react to the touch of your finger on the screen. It has logical menus and there are shortcut buttons to take you to the most important common functions immediately.

Given the exterior dimensions of the Abarth 595 at 3657mm long, 1893mm wide and 1485mm tall, it was never going to be the roomiest on the inside for anyone not sitting in the front pair of seats. While they enjoy surprisingly good headroom and enough space for legs and shoulders, those in the rear are far from as well catered for.

Unless the person in the front seat is especially short in stature, there really isn’t enough leg room in the back of the Abarth 595 for adults. Even older kids will find it a squash and a squeeze back here as the sporty front chairs eat up the inches. It really means the Abarth is better regarded as a two-seater with the option to carry a couple of extra passengers for very short journeys.

This approach will also save you from inflicting the Abarth’s rear seat access on to your friends and family. While the doors open wide, the front seats don’t slide forward sufficiently to give much room to fit through. And once installed in the back, there is also not much headroom for adults. Choosing the Convertible models doesn’t worsen the rear room for heads, but at anything above town speeds back seat passengers will be blown about by the breeze when the fold-back canvas top is slid open.

The Convertible also comes off worse when looking at the boot of the Abarth 595. This is because the roof design means the rear hatch gives way to a lid that opens to reveal a small aperture. The boot itself isn’t any smaller than the hatch’s but the restricted opening means fitting anything bigger than a carry-on flight case in there will be a struggle.

With the hatch’s fully opening tailgate, fitting in bigger bags is simple, though you will very quickly fill the available space of 185-litres. The rear seats are divided 50-50 and tumble forwards to free up more room, which is probably a better use of the rear seat space. Even so, the 595 is not going to be the go-to car when you head to the DIY store and even a Volkswagen Up GTI makes for a more practical small car, never mind the likes of the Ford Fiesta ST.

The 1.4-litre T-jet turbo petrol engine in the Abarth 595 comes in three states of tune, comprising 145PS, 165PS and 180PS forms. For the 595, 145PS feels like a reasonable amount without it ever tipping over into overwhelming the front tyres’ grip and traction. Move to the 165PS Pista and Turismo models and it feels like the chassis is being challenged.

As for the Competizione and Esseesse with 180PS, they are rapid and knock off 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds but feel like they are on the edge of the 595’s dynamic ability.

In every version, the 1.4-litre engine feels bigger and more potent that its size suggests, so you can zip past slower traffic with ease. They rev up eagerly with no delay from the turbocharger, yet they will also cruise with a pleasing amount of refinement and power to spare.

Also, despite considerable power outputs in the faster versions, the 1.4-litre engine is never temperamental or peaky when driven in town. We also like the weighty feel of the six-speed manual gearbox. There’s an automated version of this transmission operated by buttons on the centre console, but we’d leave well alone as it’s sluggish to respond and spoils the Abarth’s fun.

You can forget about sneaking out of your driveway early in the mornings and not waking the neighbours when you drive an Abarth 595. It has an exhaust note that sounds more like that of an Italian supercar than a tiny hot hatch, but this is part of the fun of the 595. It’s also even louder in the Competizione thanks to its Record Monza exhaust and the Esseesse that comes with a bolt-on Akrapovic system.

However, inside the cabin, the 595 makes a passable stab at being reasonably quiet when pottering through town or cruising on the motorway. Yet, make the most of the engine’s power and it comes alive with whooshes from the turbocharger.

There’s also a fair degree of rumble from the broad tyres as they grip the road and you’ll also get some wind noise at the national speed limit. This is more obvious in the Convertible but it not excessive.

Like the Fiat 500 it’s developed from, the Abarth 595 comes with a good array of standard safety equipment. This extends to twin front, side and curtain airbags and another for the driver’s knees. There are also anti-whiplash headrests, and ESP traction and stability control.

However, this was not enough to score the Fiat 500, and by association the Abarth 595, any better than a three-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests. This was predominantly down to the poor provision of crash-avoiding technology as there’s not even the option of autonomous emergency braking or a lane keep assistance system.

You do get three-point belts for all four occupants and the most powerful Competizione and Esseesse models come with larger front brakes to help rein in their speed.

Disappointingly Fiat came 30th out of 30 manufacturers in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. The good news is that most Abarth models will be cared for better than the average Fiat 500, so will prove more reliable in the long term.

No need to hold the front page when we tell you the cheapest Abarth 595 to get insurance cover for is the base model with 145PS. It sits in group 29, which is much the same as the Ford Fiesta ST.

Move up to the 165PS Pista and Turismo versions and they fall into group 29, while the all-out 180PS Competizione and Esseesse models are a little further up the scale in group 34 alongside larger and faster hot hatch offerings such as the Ford Focus ST.

Take the Abarth 595 in Pista or Turismo specification with the manual gearbox and you will pay road tax for the first year of £215. With the MTA automated manual transmission, this goes up to the next banding and you will pay the same £540 for first-year Vehicle Excise Duty as the rest of the 595 range attracts.

For the second year and those following after, road tax will come in at a more reasonable £150 per year.

The entry-point Abarth 595 comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, satin chrome door handles, LED headlights, twin exhaust pipes, and a honeycomb grille with Abarth logo. The Abarth 595 Convertible comes with rear parking sensors, but not the hatch. On the inside, it provides fabric upholstery and front sports seats, as well as the 5-inch Uconnect infotainment screen.

The Abarth 595 Pista gains 17-inch alloys, colour-coded door mirror caps, bumper inserts and brake calipers, and four exhaust pipes. For the interior, you get air conditioning, aluminium pedals, and the infotainment gains Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring for your smartphone. There are also uprated Koni dampers for the rear suspension to improve handling.

Choose the Abarth 595 Turismo and you benefit from climate control, leather seats, rear parking sensors, and automatic lights and wipers.

With the Abarth 595 Competizione, you get unique 17-inch alloy wheels, larger front disc brakes and the Record Monza exhaust system. It also has Abarth Corsa racing front seats and Alcantara covering the instrument binnacle.

The Abarth 595 Esseesse model comes with white-painted 17-inch Supersport alloy wheels, Akrapovic performance exhaust, Abarth racing seats and carbon fibre detailing in the cabin.