Nervously releasing the clutch and pressing the accelerator, I was relieved to get moving smoothly. Starting on a hill near the Higashi Rokko Observatory and heading onto the Royu mountain road, I managed a hill start without any trouble. The owner said,

Your shift from 1st to 2nd gear was smooth and skillful!

(laughs) With a 1400cc engine, it’s not a powerhouse, but it climbed the mountain road in 2nd gear with surprisingly strong performance. The handling felt natural, and as the owner mentioned earlier, the shifter’s position is just perfect.

Combined with the compact body size, there’s a joy that feels like you’re fully in control of the car. At this point, the owner suggested,

Try accelerating while pulling in 2nd gear!

So on a straight stretch, I pressed the accelerator hard and enjoyed a very pleasant engine sound.

The exhaust note was refined and had a nice, stretching quality. It wasn’t a loud, aggressive roar, but a sound truly worthy of being called a “tone.” I prefer the stock sound over modified mufflers—
(Once, when I rode in a supercar with a modified muffler, I couldn’t help but say, “It sounds like a cow giving birth!” Sorry for that…)
the factory sound is just better.

If the stock sound is this satisfying, that’s more than enough.

Another feeling I had while driving the Abarth 595 was a sense of “partnership.” Some cars give you that feeling, others don’t, but even in a short test drive, I felt a strong attachment to this car.

I could see myself not only using it for daily shopping but also taking it on longer trips to explore new places. I imagined how fun it would be to drive on brick-paved roads in old Italian towns…

When I asked about highway driving, the owner said,

It’s actually pretty amazing. It has a solid planted feel, and I usually drive at around 100 km/h with no issues. But maybe because of that, the fuel economy is about 9 km/l, which is a bit poor.

Hearing 9 km/l, I was a bit numb to the number after seeing the fuel economy of the GT3 and Panamera Turbo, so I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad… haha.

They also encouraged me to “try matching the revs on downshifts!” but since I’m still practicing rev-matching on my BMW 320i and usually end up with a loud “screech!!” and a harsh jolt, I decided to skip it this time.

Later, I backed up in a parking lot halfway along the Royu and returned the way I came. Thanks to that, I didn’t stall even once and finished the test drive safely. Phew.

Wanting to Try More Cars

Though it was only about a 10-minute test drive, I really felt that the Abarth 595 manual is an easy and fun car to drive. The shifter was easy to engage, the clutch was light, and it engaged smoothly deep in the pedal travel, so even a manual beginner like me could drive it without stress.

I also discovered that manual cars feel easier to drive with left-hand drive than right-hand drive. Since I’m right-handed, it feels more natural to operate the shifter with my right hand. So maybe my next manual car will be left-hand drive (getting ahead of myself, haha).

Also, since the Abarth is stylish both inside and out, it seems like it would be popular with wives and women too. So, unlike my husband’s more technical reviews, mine ended up a bit more impressionistic… sorry about that (-_-)

I’m truly grateful to the owner who kindly let me drive their car. Thank you so much!

Lately, when I go to Royu, more and more blog readers and followers approach me and say, “Please try driving my car! Feel free to feature it on your blog!” I’m very thankful for that.

Actually, besides Porsche, I’m also very interested in the Roadster and Supra… I wonder if anyone would let me test drive theirs at Royu sometime.

…Okay, I’m getting carried away, sorry (lol).