FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review

[Akash1886]

Buddies,

Today got a chance to drive the FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth. Although it was launched in 2015 August, finally went to drive it today. The FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth has been launched in India at a Ex-Showroom Delhi price of Rs. 29.85 Lakhs as a CBU.

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The FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth on the face of it looks beautiful from outside but there are positives and negatives to it which I shall be discussing in this review. It might not be an extensive review but I'll make sure to cover every aspect of this sports car.

 

[Akash1886]

Re: FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review.

The FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth​

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FIAT has been one of the most respected, enthusiast oriented automotive brand. Their products whether its the Linea, Punto or even Avventura have had their fair share of admirers and buyers. Coming to Abarth 595, Abarth takes the driving of FIAT to a whole new level. Whether it is the Abarth Punto or Abarth Avventura and even this cute babe the 595 Competizione each of them never fail to impress. The Competizione 595 Abarth has been launched in India to compete with the likes of Mini Cooper. The market in India is gradually developing a liking towards compact and fast cars and with the options like the Abarth, I feel the enthusiasts can definitely have a good time owning it. However, buying a CBU worth 30 odd lacs at times is a eye brow raiser for many and surely with FIAT's questionable After-Sales here in metro cities, cars like the 595 Competizione can certainly face a tough time. Upon the first look at this machine in 2015 at the launch, I felt this could definitely be a pocket rocket and was thinking to have a drive in it and finally got to drive it. Apart from the fact that Abarth 595 is a CBU, another major fact which may impact its sales is the limited number of Abarth Dealers designated by FIAT. For Example, In Noida, we don't have a Abarth Dealer though there is one FIAT dealer who sells regular FIAT cars. So, being one of it's kind, It was an interesting drive but did it satisfy me or did it justify it's stated performance; Let's read on!

 

[Akash1886]

Re: FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review.

Exterior Design of FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth

The exterior design of the Competizione 595 Abarth is cute. It is a 3 door car which can only seat 4 pax. From the projector headlamps to the small fog lamps the front profile looks quite unique and the most subtle attribute of the front profile to me was the single slate front grill housing the Abarth Emblem. The symmetrical side profile adds to the clean design and this car does not have any unwanted curves or edges. Talking of the rear profile, the car looks good from the rear. The dual exhaust and diffuser adds to the sporty character of the 595 Abarth. Physically, one may find the car to be too small but it is still worth admiring to me as a person/enthusiast. The bumpers with the big air dams on the corners along with the skirting further lend a sharper look to the exteriors of this cute car. About a significant aspect if I may say i.e the alloys, the design is super-hot and definitely eye catching. The alloys to me looked very precisely designed. The hub caps have the Abarth Scorpion instead of the regular FIAT name on them which makes it stand out from rest of the FIATs. But even the cute exteriors have their apparent imperfections like the Black door handles and at many places the panel gaps were inconsistent. FIAT has tried to further enhance the looks of this compact sports car by adding the Abarth badges on the quarter panels too and the Abarth Livery running on both the sides.

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[Akash1886]

Re: FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review.

Some important External Aspects of FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth

The Side Profile



Roof mounted Rear Spoiler



The ORVM without integrated side markers. The mirrors had decent viewing space though.



Front Wipers and Washers



Tail Lamps





FM Antenna at the rear of the roof.



Rear Wiper



Rear Number Plate sill with embossed 500 logo and without the chrome looked neat.


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[Akash1886]

Re: FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review.

Interiors of FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth

The interiors of FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth did not look as exciting as much as its exteriors. There are many things which point out to evident cost cutting measures used by FIAT. For Example, non-height adjustable seats, Manual handbrake to name a few. The plastic quality is average and the design is not that pleasing as one may surely expect after paying 30 Lacs. Much lesser priced premium cars offer better interior quality than this one. However, having the mentioned flaws, the Competizione 595 Abarth has some positives as well which enhance it's sporty persona like the flat bottom steering, sporty seats, features like manual control AC, an ideally placed boost gauge. Further if may say about the seats, the circular rear headrests looked good but the backrest was hard and the headroom also was not quite to my liking. The driving position was decent enough and if I speak of the knee room and ingress & egress then comparing it with the Beetle and Mini Cooper, found it to be on the better side. As I have driven the Mini Cooper and having observed the new Beetle closely too which are really bigger than this one, I can say that, with the amount of space that this cute sports car has to offer, it can be a practical choice if one has the appropriate budget. Coming back to the seats, the rear seats have limited space but won't feel really cramped for short trips. However, it would be a big pain to sit in them if you want to drive it on long trips. My head banged while trying to access the rear seats. For a person of my built and structure, it would be difficult to sit in the rear seats.

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[Akash1886]

Re: FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review.

Important Interior Aspects of FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth

Instrument Cluster looked well laid out and well readable.



The Center Console





Manual Handbrake



Sunroof



Sporty Pedals



Hood Opening latch is on left side in front.



Pedal Shifters



Transmission (Note instead of "D" it has "1" mentioned). The circular placement of buttons looked nice.

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[Akash1886]

Re: FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review.

Interiors Continued.

Front circular AC Vents with chrome surround look good and the dashboard has a 500 logo fixed too.



IRVM with the map light cluster



The upper half of the center console has AC Vents, Mediocre/Outdated ICE unit, Sports mode button, Flasher and Light adjuster.



Storage Space inside the cabin.









Power Window Switch



Torque Transfer Control button and Rear Defogger button placed in center console.



Passenger Vanity Mirror with light in sun-visor.



ORVM adjustment button and chrome door latch.

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[Akash1886]

Re: FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review.

Engine Performance, Suspension, Handling and Braking of FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth



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The 595 Abarth Competizione in India has been launched with a 1.4 L Tjet engine churning out 160 PS power and 230 Nm of Torque at 2750-3000 rpm range and it comes mated to a 5-Speed AMT transmission with pedal shifters. There are 2 drive modes in this car i.e normal and sports mode. As stated above too, the button marked as "1" should be pressed to move the car and in manual mode the paddle shifters can be used for changing gears. When I started the car, the initial exhaust note was quite nice but while driving the Tjet showed turbo lag until 2300-2400 rpm mark but post that i.e 2500-2600 mark, the engine performed really aggressively. The performance all of sudden became super strong. Talking about the transmission, it is well tuned but in shifting I felt it could have been much better. FIAT could have provided it with a better transmission like a DCT etc. Talking about the sports mode, for a brief duration i.e about for 10 mins of my test drive, I used sports mode on a empty stretch to check the performance, and mind it, I was pretty impressed! Firstly, the gearbox performance improved to a great extent and the steering performance became better as well. All in all, I can safely say, the drive in sports mode was brilliant and very much stable. Talking about the suspension, the 595 Abarth Competizione is equipped with Koni FSD Rear Suspension and the front suspension has FSD Valve too. The brakes are responsive too, all thanks to the discs provided. The test car had the OEM 17in alloys with 205/40 Section Tyre and the ride and grip of the Tyres further enhanced the driving pleasure. The road noise was curtailed to a great extent with these tyres. The low GC with 17in alloys and 205 section Tyre(s) overall enhance the stance of this car manifold. Finally, the handling part, I have one word for this i.e 'Superb'. This cute little Abarth did not disappoint me on turns and roundabouts. Quite an agile performer in my view and the power steering complemented the handling with lot of precision as well.

 

[Akash1886]

Re: FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth Drive Review.

Positives

The 1.4L Tjet mill works well in sports mode.

Good amount of Space in cabin

Decent boot space provided with good amount of boot door carpeting.

Exterior looks classy.

Abarth is a craze among the enthusiasts.

Alloys look very nice.

Use of BMC Air Filter for enhanced performance.

Exhaust note was quite nice.

Superb handling and braking.

Electric sunroof

Red Color looks the best of all shades on offer.

I liked the Instrument Cluster display.

Negatives

I don't understand why a "Manual AC" is called "Manual Climate Control AC" by the TD Co-ordinator

Absence of Automatic Climate Control AC

Obsolete ICE Unit

Horn sound is bad.

Being a CBU, the interior fit and finish is poor and for this price a car with better interiors can surely be purchased.

Only manual handbrake.

ORVM and external door handles should be body colored.

Poor headroom

Better ASC Network has to be the top most priority for FIAT.

The concluding pics of FIAT Competizione 595 Abarth

















All pics of this review are only for The Automotive India. Any re-use needs full credit to TAI.​

Regards

Akash