Abarth 595 review

Start up a 595 and the first thing you’ll notice is the noise (as will most of your neighbours as it barks into life). There’s a real deep growl to the exhaust note (the 695's 'Record Monza' system makes it even fruitier) and it sounds great for a four-cylinder.

The ride is slightly less appealing. Abarth lowers the 500 and fits sports suspension, but at times you’re left wondering if they forgot to put any springs in at all. It’s rock-solid and not ideally suited to our potted British roads, with bumps crashing through the cabin. The short wheelbase means mid-corner bumps easily unsettle it too.

What about if I really want to get going?

The scorpion button on the dash engages sport mode (neat touch) and instantly seems to double the weight of the steering. It’s properly heavy. It also allows the exhaust to flow even freer above the 3,000rpm mark for more noise.

It’s a busy thing to drive, the 595. The front wheels are often left scrabbling for grip and the traction control works hard to rein it all in – particularly in the wet – and you can't get a 595 with a limited-slip diff any more. Boo. On a B-road the 595 will bump about and tigerishly follow the contours of the road.

0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds and the 595 will carry on to a top speed of 135mph. Not that you'll ever push the needle that far.

It’s clearly not the most sophisticated thing, but at least you could never accuse it of being boring. The little five-speed gearbox isn’t bad either, and you can have fun banging through the gears on a manual 'box and heel and toeing downshifts.

If you want some sense of the 595's ability, check out our guides on how to do a handbrake turn and how to do a handbrake parallel park. Both written off the back of tutelage in a 595, confined to a flat, open expanse of asphalt with only cones put in any danger.

Sounds great. Anything else I should know?

Motorway journeys aren’t as fun. The lack of a sixth gear means the engine is working hard at 70mph, and there’s no cruise control or any active safety features. The latter of those is probably a positive, though.

Fuel economy is decent too – even with some spirited driving (which the Abarth actively encourages at all times) we managed to get close to the claimed 39.8mpg.