Abarth 595C Competizione MY2021, unexpected but a lot of fun
The Abarth 595C Competizione wasn’t really planned as a test car, but that doesn’t make it less fun! So we reserved the Jeep Gladiator and a week before testing that giant we got a message telling us the Gladiator couldn’t be picked up. But no worries, they had a substitute in the form of an Abarth 595C Competizione. Avanti!
177.33
That’s the power to weight ratio per ton. Our little Abarth 595C Competizione got the well-known T-JET 1.4-liter (Garrett GT 1446) turbo four-banger in its possession and for this occasion, it produces 180 hp and 250 Nm of torque when you have activated the “Scorpion-button” (also called the Wiiiiiiii-button). That also means every horsepower needs to pull 5.63 kilograms and if you compare it to the Volkswagen Golf GTE, their every horsepower needed to pull 6.32 kg. You go, little Abarth! If you can handle the 5-speed manual gearbox -like a real man- and put down the power on the front wheels -not easy on a wet road- a zero to 100 km/h is made possible in 7,4 seconds and it would pull to a “pretty scary for in a cookie box” 210 km/h. All of that and the Abarth only averaged 8,2 liters per 100 kilometers in our week.
7,4 seconds doesn’t sound that fast and a lot of hot hatches would laugh with that time. But it’s the way an Abarth can deliver that performance and the feeling it gives you while doing that. Something some other cars can learn a lesson from! Thanks to the pretty low weight, small dimensions, mechanical limited-slip differential and Mac-Pherson suspension, the Abarth doesn’t need to slow down for most corners (but it could thanks to the Brembo-brakes). Giving the car a high entering speed and the advantage to apply the accelerator much faster for optimal fun. You just need to keep the gearbox in the correct gear and enjoy the maximal torque at 3.000 rpm while keep on pushing to get the most power at 5.500 rpm.
All of that is good on the track, but how does that translate into the real world with potholes (we’ve got a lot of them in Belgium)? “Firm” feels like a good way to put it. Everyone who ever drove or owned an Abarth -and I’m one of them- will tell you the same thing over and over again. The suspension and the seats aren’t forgiving at all! A bed of nails instantly sounds like a lot of comfort. Okay, that ain’t fair for the Abarth and maybe I’m a little bit exaggerating. But you don’t buy this car as a long-distance cruizer, more like a fun road-legal go-kart that will make you smile from ear to ear! And the awesome sound out of the Record Monza exhaust helps out with that.
Find the Seven differences
You can stop now, we haven’t found 7 differences ourselves. All the new Abarth 595 pretty much looks the same as the old one. A cute, but also menacing exterior by starting from the small Fiat 500 and adding some spoiler work, bigger air-intakes on the front bumper, wider wheel arches and a big-ass diffuser with 4 exhaust tips underneath it.
So you have added the aggressive front bumper with the big black air intakes on the awesome matte Blue Rally body. A great way to change the overall appearance of the little cutie with round eyes. Moving to the side and the lower stance, bigger rims (17-inch) with colored brake calipers and a small Abarth logo demands all your attention. If you are distracted, you could also notice some more black details and a different side skirt.
And now the back, probably our favorite side. But also the first time it strikes us! It’s a convertible! The black fabric roof betrays the fact you can enjoy miles of headroom. Furthermore, the back is showing the wider wheel arches, an aggressive diffuser and the lovely Record Monza exhaust.
Alcantara
… on the dashboard. An awesome place to put that “exclusive” stuff and more exclusivity on the steering wheel in the form of carbon. That steering wheel fits great in your hands and gives awesome feedback from the wheels. A digital dashboard in front of your nose completes the experience, or does it? The Sabalt GT-seats are the things that complete it! Firm and keeps everything in place, but for a bigger bloke like myself, it’s a little bit too tight. Or should I go on a diet? No no no, the seats are too small.
In the middle of the car, you can find a great gear shifter to manhandle and right next to it the controllers of the electric windows. A strange place to put them, but an Abarth way to put them! Above that, some controllers for the airco-unit and even higher the multi-media system. A system that works pretty well after you had some practice. How do you mean practice? Well thanks to the hard suspension and the “touch screen way to do it”, your destination ‘Antwerp’ easily becomes ZANTRWXZEROP.
A practical car, something you will never call the Abarth 595C. With some back seats fitted for my little son of only 8 months old and a boot that counts a 185 liters that doesn’t fit his buggy, the Abarth 595C is a car that lets you leave your child or your wife at home.
Conclusion
In Belgium, the Abarth 595C starts at 22.790 euros. Adding the Competizione-part is adding 6.500 euros. Options like the color, the Alcantara dashboard and the differential kicks up to price to 35.000 euros. A lot of money, but you also get a lot of car in return. Not in size but in feelings. If you never owned (or driven) an Italian car, it’s probably hard to understand but if you do: you will know what I’m talking about. Go to your dealer, ask for a test drive and put your signature on the order form.
