Compact, speed and character are the three words that come to mind when asked to describe the Abarth 595 Competizione. Out on the roads of Dubai, it’s arguably one of the smallest cars out there and is dwarfed by higher riding SUVs but the heads its turns and the character it oozes is second to none.
To get an in depth understanding of this Italian pocket rocket, I decided to do some due diligence on the maker, to channel his vision which allows me to bond with this machine. Carlo Abarth, as the name suggests, is the founder and the man after which the Abarth brand gets its name.
The first Abarth debuted in 1949 and the brand was later acquired by Fiat in 1971, in which they had a fantastic partnership that lasted a decade. Following a hiatus that lasted a long 36 years, the Italian marques join hands and come together to create the wonderful and exciting Abarth 595 Competizione.
This beauty may be small and chunky but she’s funky and weighs a grand total of 1,100 kilograms. She rides on 17-inch alloy rims and the mesh grille is just one fine detail that sets the Abarth apart. At the back, there’s LED tail lights that light up brightly, but the main attraction is undoubtedly the quad exhausts that let out a deep burble and roar.
Moving on to the interior, if you know me then you know I am a minimalist queen. I like my nav bar and dashboard clean and I prefer touch screens to buttons. This Italian beauty has a great balance of both. In terms of the interior, one of the main differentiating factors is that the buttons used to open the windows aren’t on the doors but on the center stack besides the gear box.
In terms of storage, the Abarth doesn’t fair exceptionally well and if you’re expecting plenty of space to store your phone, wallet, keys, and drinks then you’ll be rather disappointed with the limited amount of cupholders and cubby holes. But despite this being an issue you’ll have to deal with daily, you tend to forgive the Abarth once you drive it for the smiles it puts on your face.
The seats are black, leather, very edgy and sporty and are branded with the Abarth logo. The steering wheel is a beauty, in true form of the car, it’s smaller than usual and there is a perfect blend between Alcantara and carbon fiber. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer telescopic adjustment meaning it only moves up and down, not inward or outward.
Powering the pocket rocket is a four-cylinder 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that produces 180 horsepower and propels the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.7-seconds. The automated manual transmission is similar to what some high-end performance cars use and really engages the driver with the car – a feeling most modern cars are simply devoid of.
My favorite feature is that the Italians certainly made safety a priority. It comes with world renowned Brembo brakes, that produce maximum braking capacity especially when you are going around a corner. It doesn’t slide or glide, has a firm grip on the ground and to compliment this feature it has very stiff suspension that is ideal for speed, however, in slow moving traffic you can feel every bump on the road.
Would I recommend the Abarth 595 Competizione? Hell yeah, hell yeah, and hell yeah once more! She may lack certain characteristics on the practicality front but she more than compensates for that through character and performance.
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