[Jeeper1941]

So, it is finally here. My cousin took delivery of his new 2015 Fiat Abarth 595 Turismo last week (29 July 2015) and I happened to be in Melbourne and accompanied him for the delivery. Pictures were taken the next day.

Even though this is not my car, I will still get to drive it occasionally. I was also involved in the booking process and was a big influence in my cousin choosing this car () hence I am posting the review here.

The Decision to buy this car:

What started out as an excursion to buy a reasonably priced small hatchback, ended up with this car. The reason was simple, my cousin wanted an Italian hot hatch; and quite simply there are no small Italian hatches that are "hotter" than this car right now in this country.
The booking was made in April this year, and the dealer we dealt with are one of the biggest names here; Zagame Automotive. I bought my Alfa Romeo from them in 2012, and had a very good dealer experience, so we decided to go with them again.

A deposit of $5000 was placed to secure the car and we had the option to either get a refund of the deposit or keep the deposit when a loan was made out. My cousin decided to get a refund at the time of delivery and opted to get a 5-year loan for the full on-road amount of the car.

The Car:

Car Details (from the owner's manual)

Make: ABARTH
Model: 595 COMPETIZIONE TURISMO
Series: MY14
Year: 2015
Body Type: 2D CONVERTIBLE
Seats: 4

Colour: Circuit Grey/Officina Red ($2000 extra).

Pricing: New Price: $41,500 + On road costs; total price on delivery: $45,800 (approx. 21.5 Lakhs at current exchange rates). No discounts were given.

Freebies: Abarth floor mats, Abarth car cleaning kit, full tank of fuel, a presentation box with 3 fine Italian wines and one champagne bottle

Engine Specifications

Engine Type: TURBO MPFI
Engine Size: 1.4L
Cylinders: TURBO 4
Max. Torque: 230Nm @ 2750rpm
Max. Power: 118kW @ 5500rpm
Power:Weight Ratio: 109.8W/kg
Bore & Stroke: 72x84mm
Valve Gear: DUAL OVERHEAD CAM

Drivetrain Specifications

Transmission: 5 SP MANUAL
Drive Type: FRONT WHEEL DRIVE
Final Drive Ratio: 3.353

Fuel Specifications

Fuel Type: PREMIUM UNLEADED PETROL (98 Octane)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 35Litres
Fuel Consumption: 6.5L / 100km; actual 7.2L / 100lm

Weight & Measurement

Kerb Weight: 1075 kgs
Height: 1485mm
Length: 3657mm
Ground Clearance: 118mm
Towing Capacity: Brake:800kg Unbrake:400kg

Steering & Suspension

Steering Type: RACK & PINION - POWER ASSISTED
Turning Circle: 11m
Front Rim Size: 7x17
Rear Rim Size: 7x17
Front Tyres: Michelin 205/40 R17
Rear Tyres: Michelin 205/40 R17
Wheel Base: 2300mm
Front Track: 1415mm
Rear Track: 1408mm
Front Brakes: DISC - VENTILATED
Rear Brakes: DISC - VENTILATED

Standard Features

Red Leather Sport Seats, Sports Suspension, Traction Control System,
Leather Steering Wheel, Multi Function Steering Wheel, Mobile Phone Connectivity, Power Steering, Trip Computer, Radio CD with 6 Speakers, Power Mirrors, Rear Spoiler, Power Windows Front, Tinted Windows, Side Airbags, Seatbelts - Pre-tensioners Front Seats, Engine Immobiliser.

Options: Metallic/dual colour ($2000 extra) and sunroof ($1400 extra).

Service Interval: 12 months / 15,000 kms

Warranty: 36 months / 100,000 kms

Country of Origin: Italy


Things I like:

-Looks: the Abarth attracts attention whenever and wherever you happen to be. People of all ages and walks of life find something charming in the Abarth. There is no other car like it.

-Supercar like, but for everyday use. This car is for people who desire a healthy dose of Italian flair and madness packaged in a vehicle that you could drive every day.

-Exhaust note: is just out of this world. It cracks and splutters like a supercar; its like a rabid mouse! I love the sound.

-Interiors: The pictures speak for themselves! The interior in red leather is just gorgeous.

-Manual: Its a manual! In this day and age when everything is automatic, it feels wonderful to drive this manual car.

-Size: Being small, this car is easy to park and will fit into spaces most sedans won't.

-The pure joy of driving: Even though I drove this car only for 2 days, I loved it! It makes you happy. It is a car unlike any other. I loved it!

Things I don't like:

-Practicality: This is not a car for family use. Getting into the back is almost like a circus act!

-Ride: The ride and suspensions are a bit harsh, especially in town

-Manual: Yes, I said I like manual cars. But for driving around in a crowded city full of traffic jams, this is awful. My legs were aching at the end of the day, having to constantly change gears and having to use the clutch constantly.

-Turning circle: The turning circle of 11m is huge! You can't make a U-turn in this car without it turning into a 3-point turn.

-No bluetooth audio streaming.

-Awful audio system: Fiat could have at least offered a premium audio system, the standard one in the car sounds very tinny and just sub-par.

Overall impression:

The bottom line is that this is not a car for everybody. It is not a car for family. Its fine for a couple, but anything more you will need a second car.
But, it is a fun car. It is for the pure joy of driving. I haven't driven a Ferrari, but I have driven a Porsche 911, and you know what, driving the Fiat put a bigger smile on my face than the Porsche ever did!

This car is affordable (relatively) and you simply can't put a monetary value on the fun this car brings during everyday use. I would definitely buy one in a heartbeat.

Pictures below.

[chaith.turbo]

Let me be the first to congratulate on being one of the few who will drive this!!

The gear lever and the interiors literally made me drool
Can you please describe more on how it feels to drive, like in gear acceleration and stuff?

[Jeeper1941]

Originally Posted by chaith.turbo

Let me be the first to congratulate on being one of the few who will drive this!!

The gear lever and the interiors literally made me drool
Can you please describe more on how it feels to drive, like in gear acceleration and stuff?

Thank you! I only drove the car for 2 days, but I'll try my best.

It is very responsive and surprisingly noisy. If you park in an enclosed garage, you’ll wake the neighbours every morning!

The engine roars up to redline, and hard shifts elicit a crack from the exhaust. It never feels slow. I left the Abarth in Sport mode for the entirety of my drive, which in practice means a sharper throttle response and steering feel. Accelerating from first gear, it feels as though the car is going to take off! It lurches forward, and there is a slight understeer when going around corners.

0-100km/h is quoted to be 7.4s, but it felt much quicker than that.
Also, the car is very stable at 115km/h -120km/h and feels very solid for a small car.

I will drive the car again this weekend, and will pay more attention to handling etc. and get back to you guys!

[S2!!!]

Woah! What a beauty! I love the paint job, wheels, interiors and everything about this little car. Please tell us more about the drive experience as and when you get a chance to drive it around more.

Unfortunately for us, here in India, Fiat decided to launch the 595 Competizione with an AMT and priced it at an exorbitant Rs. 29.85 lakhs (ex-showroom). At that kind of a price point I'd definitely opt for the Cooper S which is priced only a couple of lakhs more. Did you guys also check out the Cooper S before purchasing the 595? If yes, what are your views of the Cooper S?

[Acharya]

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

I will drive the car again this weekend, and will pay more attention to handling etc. and get back to you guys!

Thanks for sharing the wonderful pics and car details, looks mouthwatering.
Is it possible to put audio/ video of amazing engine sound?

[Jeeper1941]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

Woah! What a beauty! I love the paint job, wheels, interiors and everything about this little car. Please tell us more about the drive experience as and when you get a chance to drive it around more.

Unfortunately for us, here in India, Fiat decided to launch the 595 Competizione with an AMT and priced it at an exorbitant Rs. 29.85 lakhs (ex-showroom). At that kind of a price point I'd definitely opt for the Cooper S which is priced only a couple of lakhs more. Did you guys also check out the Cooper S before purchasing the 595? If yes, what are your views of the Cooper S?

Thank you! No, we did not consider the Mini at all. My cousin wanted an Italian car (maybe because he has an Italian girlfriend haha, don't know!).

Originally Posted by Acharya

Is it possible to put audio/ video of amazing engine sound?

Will try to post it next week, after I drive the car this weekend!

[RM Motorsports]

Wow ! that's a very amazing looking car. 118kw motor for such a small car should be awesome. Would love to hear the engine note.

However, I am little surprised, ICE looks so very ordinary, no touch screen, navigation, no usb / aux (unless its are hidden somewhere), just plain jane. For the price paid, there is no climate control too. Other than this, I think it's a fantastic hot hatch.

[johy]

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

-Exhaust note: is just out of this world. It cracks and splutters like a supercar; its like a rabid mouse! I love the sound.



-The pure joy of driving: Even though I drove this car only for 2 days, I loved it! It makes you happy. It is a car unlike any other. I loved it!

Congratulations to you and your cousin for getting this absolute lovely Italian beauty. And thanks for sharing.

You guys sure know what to buy and drive. No one makes them like the Italians do.

Review incomplete without recording of exhaust note. Please post one.

Question: Why is the turning radius 11 meters? I had to Google it up, and yet it is 10.9 meters or so!! Why???

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

However, I am little surprised, ICE looks so very ordinary, no touch screen, navigation, no usb / aux (unless its are hidden somewhere), just plain jane. For the price paid, there is no climate control too. Other than this, I think it's a fantastic hot hatch.

You would, I am sure, forget everything once you hear the exhaust. I would. Pure driver's car.

[Divya Sharan]

Originally Posted by johy

Question: Why is the turning radius 11 meters? I had to Google it up, and yet it is 10.9 meters or so!! Why???

I read somewhere that it's because of same/equal length half shafts the Abarth has, which help in reducing torque steer (or something of that sort).

[Jeeper1941]

As requested, the engine note (this is the best I could do with my little Sony camera, and apologies for posting as a zip file, I don't know how to post the mp3 directly).

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

Wow ! that's a very amazing looking car. 118kw motor for such a small car should be awesome. Would love to hear the engine note.

However, I am little surprised, ICE looks so very ordinary, no touch screen, navigation, no usb / aux (unless its are hidden somewhere), just plain jane. For the price paid, there is no climate control too. Other than this, I think it's a fantastic hot hatch.

Yup, the ICE is very ordinary, radio and CD player. 1 USB and 1 aux slot (see picture), no SD/memory card slot. Even the speakers are quite bad, they sound horrible when the volume is increased to high. Fiat could have given us the option to upgrade the audio system but they don't.
For listening to music at normal volumes and for everyday use though, it is quite adequate.

So, drove the car about 100kms yesterday (Saturday) and loved every minute of it! The handling is good, but not perfect. There is a slight torque steer when accelerating from standstill, but once you get up to 80km/h then you don't even notice it. The car handles freeways well, I felt it had good road-holding, especially when going around sweeping bends at 110km/h.
Fuel consumption-wise it is still hovering around 7.1 - 7.3 L/100km. Its due for its 1000km check and my cousin will be taking it in next week for that. No problems to report so far!

(As you can see from the interior picture, we have adequately dirtied the car, needs a good clean now )