It may be based on the huggable Fiat 500, but make no mistake, the Abarth 595 Competizione is more cut-throat than cuddly.
It's bright red, sounds great and, crucially, comes from Italy. It isn't a Ferrari, though. Meet the CarAdvice Abarth 595, a pocket rocket with character to burn. This is a Cars We Own diary for our own Abarth 595. Think of it as a rolling logbook, a little window into life with the cars in the CarAdvice stable...
Plenty of CarAdvice team members have had a serious crack at me for my choice for favourite car of the year. However, the ones who have are forgetting one critical element of any car review - fit for purpose. And that's where the Abarth 595 nails its brief in spectacular fashion. Since first driving it at its local launch, I've clocked up countless kilometres in the 595...
Welcome to the inaugural CarAdvice Winners Circle, our debut annual award program showcasing our editorial team’s motoring highlight releases of the year. After some long and hard consideration of the pros and cons of more traditional award formats, it was ultimately reader and car industry feedback – through surveys, garage day chats and even a focus group – that moulded exactly the form Winners Circle would take...
Good things come in small packages, and the MY18 Abarth 595 Competizione could possibly be the most fun you can have for $32K.
When CarAdvice offered me one of their cars for a week, I gladly took on the Abarth 595. Although I’m a fan of compact cars, the Fiat (and Abarth) range is something I’ve overlooked. I think it’s because I had a Fiat Freemont hire car once, and really struggled to find anything I liked about it. I wasn’t expecting amazing things from the little 595 then...
The Abarth 595 is a very small car. I am a very tall man. I’m also new here at CarAdvice. You can probably see where this is going. The team in Melbourne threw me the keys to our littlest, reddest hatchback and, through fits of laughter, told me to have fun. We've already taken a detailed look at how we specced the Abarth, but here’s a quick rundown of the highlights...
The 2018 Abarth 595 features some important upgrades over the model it replaces. Still not the most sensible option in the segment, it is an undeniable enthusiast's car, with retro appeal, a willing engine, and go-kart fun factor.
We've put passion before prudence and purchased an Italian car, a red 2017 Abarth 595. James introduces the latest addition to the CarAdvice stable.
Abarth now offers a more affordable entry to the range than ever before. The Abarth 595 now promises to be easier to live with day to day as well.
The Abarth 595 Turismo is nearly $1500 cheaper than the model it replaces. It's still a smile a minute too and the manual is the go-to transmission option.
