Biposto is anything to go by, your knuckles will
be whiter than snow by the end of your
journey. I have no qualms about the brakes,
though: the larger-than-standard 305mm
Brembo perforated and ventilated discs up
front (with natty red callipers) are mighty bitey.
Car-spotters, here’s how to ID an
esseesse. Check out the 17-inch ‘Supersport’
alloys in a new ‘Racing White’ finish, plus the
same white finish applied to the side stripes,
mirror caps and bumper inserts. Inside, you
get Sabelt ‘70’ sports seats which have
natty carbon shells. While these aren’t the
most comfortable seats I’ve ever sat in, I
can’t criticise the level of support they
provide when cornering, while there’s also a
decent range of backrest adjustability. And
since 2019 is Abarth's 70th birthday, the
seats have smart ‘70’ decals embroidered in.
A smattering of carbon also adorns the
steering wheel and pedals.
The 595 esseesse isn’t a cheap car, priced
at £25,295 in hatchback form and £27,295 in
595C convertible guise, but it is massive fun.
No other new car delivers anything like the
drive experience: if you like your car energetic,
feisty and verging on the uncontrollable, this
is the new untamed frontier. Want to feel
alive? Buy an esseesse.IIIAnother upgrade for the esseesse is Koni
FSD (Frequency Selective Damping)
suspension, fitted both front and rear. These
dampers (non-adjustable, incidentally)
definitely make the Abarth feel more
planted. As you tackle corners, the rear end
follows the front end rather more keenly
than lesser 595s.
That’s not all: also standard is a Biposto-
inspired mechanical limited slip differential,
something that’s only optional on the
Competizione. You can feel this at work as
soon as you start to thread the 595
through some bends, but it’s at its most
obvious when you’re powering hard on the
corner exits, when the LSD reins in
movement at the front end.
However, don’t let me give you the
impression that the esseesse is in any way a
docile-handling machine. It’s quite the
opposite: this is a car that really makes you
feel alive, if only because you’ve got to have
your wits about you when you’re pressing on.
What happens on turn-in is frankly
something of a lottery; the car sometimes
feels pointy, sometimes soft, as you plot
your course through to the apex of each
bend. And if my wet weather experience of
the mechanical LSD in the barking mad
ENGINE: 1368cc DOHC turbo
POWER: 180hp @ 5500rpm
TORQUE: 250Nm (184lb ft) @
3000rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual
SUSPENSION: MacPherson strut, anti-roll
bar (front), torsion beam,
anti-roll bar (rear)
BRAKES: Drilled and ventilated discs
(front), drilled discs (rear)
DIMENSIONS: 3660mm (L), 1627mm (W),
1490mm (H)
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 36.7mpg
WEIGHT: 1045kg
MAX SPEED: 140mph
0-62MPH: 6.7sec
PRICE: £25,TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
ABARTH 595 ESSEESSE2019 ABARTH 595 RANGE
The 2019 Abarth 595 range celebrates the
company’s 70th anniversary, as all versions
are fitted with ‘70th’ badging. The entry-
level model (priced at £16,495) remains the
base 595 with its 145hp engine, five-inch
touchscreen, air con and electric windows.
Move up to the 595 Turismo (£
extra), and you add things like a seven-inch
sat nav touchscreen, leather seats and
sports pedals, as well as 165hp from the 1.
T-Jet engine. The 595 Competizione (priced
from £21,795) has 180hp, hardcore Sabelt
seats, Brembo brakes and a lairily loud
Record Monza exhaust. That RM exhaust
has a new feature, too: while the old system
relied on exhaust gas pressure to open the
‘loud’ valve, it’s now actively controlled by
the driver pressing the Sport button.
The 595’s dashboard matches the
exterior body colour, the Turismo’s is Satin
Grey and the Competizione’s is Anthracite
Grey, while each version has its own
distinct bumper inserts. New on the
options list are coloured seatbelts (red or
yellow), while there’s a new paint colour,
too: the extremely lurid but rather lovely
Adrenaline Green. The plush 695 Rivale
remains in the line-up, too.