Pocket rocket hits the bumps
LOTS of Es, lots of Ss and lots of £s. It’s the Abarth 595 Esseesse, a little pocket rocket that should be a bundle of fun to drive.a decade ago Fiat decided to make Abarth a stand-alone brand and the Fiat 500 Abarth became the Abarth 500. Then a couple of years ago the 500 changed to the 595 even though the car’s mechancials hadn’t changed at all.
The Esseesse bit used to be tacked onto the hottest version available and once involved buyers getting a wooden box full of go-faster goodies for their dealer or themselves to fit.
Esseesse has been dormant for a few years but now the name is back.
It’s Abarth’s 70th birthday this year and Fiat created the 595 Competizione to mark the event.this Esseesse model is essentially a Competizione with a few extras added, including some numbers to the price.
A standard entry level Abarth 595 costs £16,385 which is verging on a bargain.the Competizione comes in at a rather stronger £21,985 and the Esseesse at £25,485.
So what do you get for your money?
Most noticeable are the white spoked alloy 17in wheels that are an Esseesse trademark.
Inside you get a pair of sexy Sabelt carbon-fibre shelled bucket seats, lashings of carbon fibre trim on the dashboard and the pedals and snazzy-looking red stitching.
Quality stuff that looks out of place against the hard plastics that you’ll see everywhere else. Remember, this car is pretty old now.the 500 was based on the Panda so the platform is now 16 years old. It shows.the interior is cramped and the boot is small. Sure, it’s a small city car but modern construction and materials would result in a better package than the 500 gives you.
U£25,485
Petrol – 1.4 178bhp 0 to 62mph in 6.7 seconds, 140mph top speed
NDER the bonnet we have the same 1.4-litre turbo engine fitted to all 595s. In the Competizione and this car it’s wound up to 178bhp. For the Esseesse you get a BMC performance air filter and an Akrapovic exhaust that’s switchable for a suitably rorty noise when you want it and a civilised burble when you don’t. Or your neighbours don’t.the Esseesse also gets the big 305mm Brembo brakes, mechanical limited-slip differential and Koni suspension also used on the Competizione.
It all sounds terrific so far.the price is a bit hefty but if this Abarth 595 Esseesse is half as good to drive as it is to look at then it’ll be justifiable.and does this car look terrific. Even the basic Abarth 595 looks fantastic: there’s a really wide choice of colours available and sticker kits that make the car even more desirable. It’s also exactly the sort of car I love and could imagine spending my own cash on. Small, light and with performance that’s useable on the public road. It’s a bit like a 1960s Mini Cooper S on steroids. Unfortunately when you drive the Abarth 595 Esseesse on the road it’s a massive disappointment.actually, it’s worse than that. It all starts well as you fire up the engine.there’s a satisfying rasp from the exhaust that turns hard-edged as you select Sport mode that opens flaps in the Akrapovic exhaust. Selecting this mode also quickens the throttle response.
The driving position is classic Italian which means long arms and short legs.you sit quite high in the seat and the pedals are offset to the right.this you can quickly get used to, the way that the Esseesse tackles bumps you won’t. Bumps? Running over a discarded match will jar your spine.
I’m guessing that the suspension was tuned for marble smooth surfaces in Italy and not our underfunded highways.
The suspension on this car is far too stiff. A Ford Fiesta ST, which is about the best hot hatch you can buy for any money, is stiff but nothing like as bone-rattling as this Abarth. Drive it quickly over a bumpy road and you’ll struggle to keep the car going in the right direction.
It’s a great shame that such a greatlooking little car is so deeply flawed. It shows its age against almost all its rivals.
Volkswagen’s Up! GTI is a much less exciting car both on the eye and to drive but it’s so much more competent that it’s easier to enjoy. I’d save many thousands of pounds and go for the standard Abarth 595 and then spend some of that money tarting it up with new seats and other options.
38.7mpg 155g/km Ford Fiesta ST, Volkswagen Up!
GTI Superb
7/10