My husband is a car enthusiast by anyone’s standards—and his younger brother is just as passionate about cars.

Their tastes are completely different, and they change cars at very different rates. Still, my husband has had the chance to drive his brother’s Toyota Alphard, Ferrari GTC4Lusso T, Mercedes-AMG G 63, Ferrari 488 Spider, Porsche Macan Turbo, and even a Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo.

Now his brother has added another car to the collection, and my husband got behind the wheel to write a test-drive report. We hope you enjoy it.

The Abarth 595C

It looks like my brother-in-law has bought another car—this time, an Abarth 595C. It’s the limited-edition esseesse (Italian for “SS,” or “Super Sport”).

Apparently, he was at the dealership to discuss buying a Ferrari when this car caught his eye. The deal was right, so he bought it.

Honestly, the way he buys cars, you’d think he was picking up a daikon radish at the grocery store.

We often see Abarths on Royu Driveway, usually 595s, with the occasional 695 thrown in. It’s a car that seems especially popular as a second car among supercar owners—including Ferrari owners—and Porsche owners.

My wife has had a chance to test-drive an Abarth before, but this was my first time driving one.

This 595C is reportedly one of just 135 cars sold nationwide, finished in Grigio Campovolo. It’s a gray that reminds me of Porsche Crayon with a hint of blue, and it looks terrific. Lately, it seems like more and more imported cars are being offered in shades of gray and matte finishes like this.

The transmission is an automatic—a five-speed sequential transmission, or in other words, a semi-automatic. It’s built differently from a dual-clutch transmission such as Porsche’s PDK: it’s a relatively simple automatic that operates the clutch for you.

The “C” in the name means the roof opens. Unlike a conventional convertible, the C-pillars stay in place while the roof opens and slides back.

It’s fitted with an Akrapovič exhaust and KONI FSD shock absorbers. The 1.4-liter turbo engine has been tuned to produce 180 hp, giving the car a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) time of 6.7 seconds.

Test-Driving the Abarth 595C

As soon as I got in, I was impressed by the quality of the driver’s area and dashboard. The seats are generously padded and feel solid, with a supportive, sporty fit that’s also comfortable. From the driver’s seat, the cabin has the feel of a premium Italian sports car—it’s hard to believe this is a compact car.

On the other hand, the plastic door panels feel distinctly cheap, creating a striking contrast with the quality around the driver’s seat and dashboard. That sharp difference in finish is one of the car’s defining traits.

The engine sounds even better from outside the car than it does from the cabin. It’s on the loud side, with a deep rumble that isn’t overly bass-heavy. Rev it, and it responds with a rhythmic, throaty growl. There’s a big difference between how the engine sounds inside and outside the car, and personally, I love the sound from outside.

I’d heard that the single-clutch semi-automatic could be jerky when pulling away, so I braced myself for a rough start—but it moved off more smoothly than I expected.

But if you drive it like a modern automatic—just holding the accelerator steady—the shifts can be abrupt. Each time the gear changes, the power drops away and the occupants’ heads rock back and forth.

To be clear, it feels more like a novice shifting a manual car slowly and awkwardly than the harsh “thunk” you might get from an older car with overdue transmission-fluid changes.

Once you get used to the shift points, though, you can make the changes smoother simply by easing off the accelerator just before the shift.

You can also switch to manual mode and use the paddles to shift, which gives you more of a manual-car feel. That’s fun in its own way.

The shifts themselves aren’t especially quick, so don’t expect the feel of a dual-clutch transmission. This is a transmission that lets you change gears with the character of a manual car.

First, I drove from the city out toward the twisty roads. The suspension is, frankly, stiff. It’s fitted with KONI shock absorbers, but even allowing for the fact that the car is new, I’d like a little more compliance over bumps.

That said, the seats are thickly padded, comfortable, and supportive, so they take the edge off the bumps. It’s not uncomfortable to the point where you can’t stand being in the car.

However, the suspension travel is very short, so the car always feels a little bouncy. Our Nissan Note e-POWER NISMO S is fairly firm, too, but this is even stiffer.

At low speeds, the ride reminds me a little of the GT3. But as your speed increases, the GT3 is far more comfortable. If you’re taking your wife or girlfriend along, be prepared: anyone who isn’t used to a firm suspension might have a few complaints.

Personally, I’m not a fan of this level of stiffness. I’d like to try a standard model without the KONI shocks.