Abarth 595

[djgritt]

Whilst I still wish I hadn't sold my Vectra VXR last year, and await for a term with a company car to end so I can get something a little 'tasty' again, thing have happened with regards to my partners car.

She had a Corsa 1.2 Limited Edition but has just traded it in against a new Abarth 595.

The Corsa had been brilliant if I am honest, a good and dependable little thing that was fine for her in most respects, however, with our recent purchase of property (hence my VXR going), her daily commute had going from ~1.5miles each way to ~20 miles each way, along some decent Rural A-roads. This has noticeable highlighted the lack of power with the 1.2 Corsa, and we started to look at options.
A 500 based Abarth was shortlisted when we got the Corsa, but not followed up as we had a dog at the time and it was simply too small for times when my larger car wasn't available for my partner to use. However, this is not an issue now, so the little Abarths came back onto our list.

Anyway, nothing too flash - a standard Abarth 595 really;

140hp variant, Hatchback, Podium Blue and option 17" Diamond Cut 10-spoke wheels - all the rest is straight out-of-the-box spec.

She is already loving it - 2 days in. I have driven it now too, and must say, it is a fun little thing.

No major plans for it as it's her daily commuter but will transfer her personal reg to it soon, some subtle styling changes will be made, and we may consider a remap/tuning box later in our time with it.

IMG_3903 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3904 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3908 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3909 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3911 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3913 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3914 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3915 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3898 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3899 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

[talksthetorque]

Still waiting to see if these come up on a cheap lease. Fun little cars. Stereo looks a bit 90s, but rest of the interior and exterior looks good.

[djgritt]

talksthetorque said:

Still waiting to see if these come up on a cheap lease. Fun little cars. Stereo looks a bit 90s, but rest of the interior and exterior looks good.

Stereo mostly works through the TFT Display seemingly - the dash item is more of an interfacing control unit than anything else.

[Shakermaker]

How have you written a whole post on this without going on about the "Passion & Flair" that this car apparently has in bucketloads?

I do rather like that colour - quite fond of the 500 so a tasty version is even more appealing!

[djgritt]

Shakermaker said:

How have you written a whole post on this without going on about the "Passion & Flair" that this car apparently has in bucketloads?

I do rather like that colour - quite fond of the 500 so a tasty version is even more appealing!

I haven't yet experienced the full passion & flair of it, but will report back when I have matey.

I've always liked these 500 based Abarths, so was quite keen on the idea of us getting one. They aren't bad atall really, and are far less boring that some of the cars in the same class.

[Podie]

Not seen one in blue before - makes a nice change to white, red or black!

[Ryusen]

That blue colour really suit the 595

Although they are a bit tight selling a car for £20k with manual air con.

[russy01]

My brother has the 160hp gran turismo and loves it. I have to say it's quite a fun car, BUT I find the driving position terrible and there is very little adjustment. Whilst it's a laugh, I find the Mini a better drive in every way.

Nice colour mind..

[Lugy]

I have a real hankering for one of these, ever since going on a PH run and struggling to keep up with one out a sharp bend and up a steep hill!
As Russy has touched on, the driving position looks a bit awkward, as though you're sat upon in, rather than in it. How do you find it?

[djgritt]

Ryusen said:

That blue colour really suit the 595

Although they are a bit tight selling a car for £20k with manual air con.

It's not a £20k car.... It's listed a smidge over 2/3 of that.

[djgritt]

Lugy said:

I have a real hankering for one of these, ever since going on a PH run and struggling to keep up with one out a sharp bend and up a steep hill!
As Russy has touched on, the driving position looks a bit awkward, as though you're sat upon in, rather than in it. How do you find it?

It is a high seating position, but I'm 6'2" and have plenty of clearance above me.
I would like the seat lower for when I use it, and I believe that some owners have found a way of lowering the seat mountings, so may look into this.'
I do find the drivers footwell a bit narrow, but it's manageable - luckily, I am only an occasional driver of it so it's not a huge issue for me.

[Ryusen]

djgritt said:

Ryusen said:

That blue colour really suit the 595

Although they are a bit tight selling a car for £20k with manual air con.

It's not a £20k car.... It's listed a smidge over 2/3 of that.

£18.5k then with optional paint etc etc your over £20k new

[djgritt]

Ryusen said:

£18.5k then with optional paint etc etc your over £20k new

Where are you getting these numbers?
At list prices, it's a £14.5k car, and less than £15.5 with the paint and wheels.

[djgritt]

Done almost 500 miles in it in the last week, using it for weekend trips etc - GF loves it she keeps offering to drive, which is a rarity, so not going to turn that down...

I bought and fitted some Diadem rear indicators during the week, as they are far nicer than the normal Orange blob, although they are only small lamps on these so not hugely noticeable I guess.

Then today gave it a deep wash & polish - lovely colour in the sunlight, really lightens up; then darkens under cloud cover etc. In dull light such as first thing in the morning, it has a bit of a purple hue to it too. Overall, a good choice I think.

Then, took it out myself for a bit of a short run. Sport engaged all the way, it does respond well. Exhaust isn't quite settled enough to make the interesting noises yet though. Hoping it gets louder over time otherwise I will look into a Sports Cat/Downpipe for it to try to liven it up a bit.
Got a bit of feedback from the TTC ("E-Diff") setup pulling off around an uphill corner near home, where it felt similar to the Vectra with the Quaife as it was going through. Needs a better run on a more familiar road to really get an idea of it though - soon...

IMG_3921 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3922 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3926 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3931 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr

IMG_3932 by Dave Gritt, on Flickr


Needs lowering. Looks so high. Also need to get some alternative DRL bulbs as they are pants. PIAAs seem a popular option, though pretty pricey for some wedge bulbs. Meh.


Also, got a few images of some of the various screens within the TFT Display - you scroll through the displays using the Trip button on the end of one of the stalks;

'Standard' - Revs, Temp, Speed, Fuel, 'Eco Index' (a gauge for how economically you are being basically - gay), Range/Inst Cons + Date/Time/Temp etc - you also get a small Bluetooth logo when connected, and an Aerial Mast logo to show phone network connection state;




Then you have a Trip A & Trip B record, over 2 tabs each, only bothered with A for this because boring;






They you get the TPMS display - the tyres only show if they are Ok or not, no live pressure figures - oddly, they show 'KO' when low, which is a bit weird tbh, can't see the reasoning - bloody Italians;




Then upon pressing Sport, you get a couple of minor changes... Firstly, you lose the 'Eco Index' and get a 'Gas %' meter - ie, throttle input, 0-100%. You get little red flashes behind the Speed figure, and the 'floor' under the car goes from stripes to a chequer, clearly because race car.
You also get a little G-Meter. Mega gimmick, can't see the point, can't see how accurate it really is; but will experiment with it when I am on my own, because simple things... ;



Here is a smidge of throttle input, because it is obviously an important piece of data;



You also get little text readouts for the Audio, to tell you what is playing - it does scroll and not sit there incomplete as the pic suggests. It's a pop-up, so disappears after a few seconds back to whichever screen was already open;




Still finding things out when I take 5 mins on the bog with the owners manual. Some good things in there, like the special cheat code to reset the Auto Fuel-cut system if it ever tripped - it's done by a sequence of inputs through the indicator stalk, then the ignition. So, kinda like the start of Sonic on the Mega Drive. Cool.