My husband is a well-known car enthusiast, and his younger brother shares the same passion.

Their tastes in cars are completely different, and their replacement cycles vary greatly, but over the years, my husband has had the chance to test drive his brother’s Toyota Alphard, Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T, Mercedes AMG G63, Ferrari 488 Spider, Porsche Macan Turbo, and Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo.

Now, with his brother having purchased yet another car, my husband got to drive it and wrote a test drive report. Please enjoy reading it.

Abarth 595C

It seems my brother-in-law has bought another car. This time, it’s an Abarth 595C—the limited edition esseesse (Italian for SS = Super Sport).

Apparently, he was at the Ferrari dealer for negotiations when this car caught his eye. The conditions were good, so he decided to buy it.

Honestly, he buys cars like he’s picking up groceries…

Abarths are often seen on the Royu Driveway, mostly 595s, with the occasional 695. For some reason, many supercar owners—Ferrari and Porsche included—often have an Abarth as a second car.

My wife has previously test-driven an Abarth, but this was my first time behind the wheel.

This 595C is one of only 135 units nationwide, painted in Grigio Campovolo, a gray tone with a bluish tint somewhat like Porsche’s Crayon color—very stylish. It seems gray and matte finishes have become increasingly popular among imported cars recently.

The transmission is an automatic (5-speed sequential transmission), a so-called semi-automatic. Unlike Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch transmission, this is a simple automatic that handles the clutch operation automatically.

Because the model name includes “C,” the roof opens. Unlike a typical convertible, the roof slides backward while the C-pillar remains fixed.

The exhaust is an Akrapovič system, and the suspension features KONI FSD shock absorbers. The 1.4L turbo engine has been tuned up to 180 HP, boasting a 0-100 km/h time of 6.7 seconds.

Taking the Abarth 595C for a Spin

Once inside, the quality around the driver’s seat and dashboard is impressively high. The seats are thickly padded, very rigid, and sporty yet comfortable. The view from the driver’s seat feels like that of a high-end Italian sports car—hard to believe it’s a compact car.

On the other hand, the plastic on the door panels feels quite cheap, creating a stark contrast with the quality around the driver’s area and dashboard—one of this car’s quirks.

Starting the engine, the sound outside is much better than inside. The volume is quite loud, with a deep but not overly bass-heavy tone. When revved, it produces a rhythmic, thrilling roar. The difference between the engine sound inside and outside is significant, and personally, I love the sound from outside.

At first, knowing it’s a single-clutch semi-automatic, I braced myself for some jolts, but it actually starts off surprisingly smoothly.

However, if you keep the accelerator steady as you would with modern automatics, you’ll feel sharp shift shocks. Each gear change causes torque to drop, making occupants’ heads jerk back and forth.

This feels like a poorly executed manual clutch engagement at low speed, not the harsh “thud” of old cars with unchanged AT fluid.

With some practice, you learn the shift points, and lightly easing off the accelerator just before shifting makes the transitions smooth.

Switching to manual mode and using the paddles lets you shift like a manual car, which is fun.

The shift speed itself isn’t very fast, so it’s not like a dual-clutch transmission; it’s more like shifting a manual car.

We started from city streets and headed to winding roads. The suspension is honestly quite stiff. Although equipped with KONI shock absorbers, even considering it’s new, I’d like a bit more supple vertical movement.

However, the thick seats provide excellent comfort and hold, softening the impact significantly. So, it’s not uncomfortable to the point of being unbearable.

That said, the suspension stroke is quite short, so there’s a constant bouncing sensation. Our Nissan Note E-power NISMO S is also stiff, but this is even more so.

Compared to the GT3, the 595C feels similar at low speeds, but at higher speeds, the GT3’s ride comfort is far superior. If you plan to have your wife or girlfriend in the passenger seat, they might complain unless they’re used to stiff suspensions.

Personally, I don’t like this stiffness. I’d prefer to try the standard model without the KONI shocks.