Abarth 595 Competizione

Abarth 595 Competizione

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ecsrobin

Original Poster:

17,143 posts

166 months

Tuesday 5th September 2017
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sl0wlane said:
I am thinking about a remap in the future, but looking at it, it hardly seams worth it.. I will probably move to the front mount IC like the biposto, that probably accounts for the +10bhp.

The one thing I do find annoying... the hazard lights when breaking hard... always flashing when you really start pushing it.
I believe the BMC OTA filter accounts for a lot of that, although to get a 695 one it’s nearly £1k, you can get BMC’s normal version for £300.

I had the hazards going quite a bit last night and it annoys me. There is a guy in London at a dealership who will remove it for £20 and he does go to some of the events around the country. Next time I’m in London I’ll do it or at Abarth day 2018 if he’s there.

cornishboy1970

37 posts

80 months

Tuesday 5th September 2017
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Can everyone please STOP writing how good these cars are?????

I have now watched all the YouTube reviews, looked at prices, done a carwow (Bedford were cheapest) and I am having to stop myself getting a trade-in price for my BMW which is a year old in October.

Even wrangled another trip back to Cornwall a day early to sneak in another test drive before HQ brings her daughter down to Uni in Falmouth.

The need is getting great as even started to think about one as a second car...

Barrie c 66

195 posts

83 months

Tuesday 5th September 2017
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Going to look in the classifieds now.

Mikearwas

1,112 posts

160 months

Tuesday 5th September 2017
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cornishboy1970 said:
Can everyone please STOP writing how good these cars are?????

I have now watched all the YouTube reviews, looked at prices, done a carwow (Bedford were cheapest) and I am having to stop myself getting a trade-in price for my BMW which is a year old in October.

Even wrangled another trip back to Cornwall a day early to sneak in another test drive before HQ brings her daughter down to Uni in Falmouth.

The need is getting great as even started to think about one as a second car...
Try Guildford too. Got a very good price for my friend on a brand new comp with the multi-spokes, nav, decals and black calipers. Service has been very good thus far.

There are a fair number of cars sitting unregistered in car parks currently and September targets are stretching.

They didn't quote on Carwow so worth trying. Off to collect it with him this weekend.

Jonesy1972

157 posts

80 months

Tuesday 5th September 2017
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cornishboy1970 said:
Can everyone please STOP writing how good these cars are?????.
I'm similar to you, bud. Have a year to go on my current PCP and considering some of my previous motors (particularly 2 Lupo GTi's back in 2002 and 2004 that were great fun) I am seriously considering one of these. The OP's looks amazing and most of the reviews of seemingly like minded 'old skool' hot hatch fans seem to love them. I have watched pretty much every review and video on you tube. Love the guy chasing the Mini on the Nurburgring! Going to be a long year waiting for the termination of my contract!

Jonesy

famoussas

641 posts

184 months

Wednesday 6th September 2017
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Planning on ordering a Turismo or Competizione at the beginning of next month, to replace my much loved C63 AMG.

Head says Turismo as I only need it for a short commute across town every morning, heart says Competizione.

Prefer the looks of the Competizione but am worried the seats will be too hard for everyday use and the exhaust will become tiresome.

Is the exhaust valve closed on the exhaust when it's not in sport mode or is it open all the time?


ecsrobin

Original Poster:

17,143 posts

166 months

Wednesday 6th September 2017
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famoussas said:
Planning on ordering a Turismo or Competizione at the beginning of next month, to replace my much loved C63 AMG.

Head says Turismo as I only need it for a short commute across town every morning, heart says Competizione.

Prefer the looks of the Competizione but am worried the seats will be too hard for everyday use and the exhaust will become tiresome.

Is the exhaust valve closed on the exhaust when it's not in sport mode or is it open all the time?
The seats are marmite. I find them very comfortable others don’t.

The exhaust to me isn’t annoying mine is also wired open. It’s just a spring so anything over 3k the pressure forces it open. That is until it ceases shut. Most owners wire open to avoid this.

ben5575

6,293 posts

222 months

Wednesday 6th September 2017
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The Tourismo has leather seats which sadly my wife preferred over the akrapovic exhausted 695 XSR rolleyes

Andy665

3,633 posts

229 months

Wednesday 6th September 2017
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I have a 4C build slot secured with a deposit but its refundable if the financial figures do not stack up when its confirmed - fall back car is one of these, always loved them and think it would be a fantastic car to have a lot of fun with at sensible money and speeds

marcella

153 posts

125 months

Wednesday 6th September 2017
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I'm starting to toy with getting one of these next. This or a BRZ. I currently have a Clio 220 Trophy and plan on trading it in next year, think I'm leaning more towards a BRZ at the moment but all these 595 posts are pushing me!

ben5575

6,293 posts

222 months

Wednesday 6th September 2017
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I'd definitely take one out for a spin to try it. I love it and it has a nice sense of occasion about it, full of character.

Whether I would want to drive one in anger with the understeer, wheelspin, light steering, driving position and short wheelbase is another matter. It's not instinctively a drivers car, but that may be entirely down to me only driving one occasionally and not being familiar/confident enough in it.

Maybe other people on here who drive them regularly/are better drivers feel different? Very different proposition from a BRZ though!

marcella

153 posts

125 months

Wednesday 6th September 2017
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ben5575 said:
I'd definitely take one out for a spin to try it. I love it and it has a nice sense of occasion about it, full of character.

Whether I would want to drive one in anger with the understeer, wheelspin, light steering, driving position and short wheelbase is another matter. It's not instinctively a drivers car, but that may be entirely down to me only driving one occasionally and not being familiar/confident enough in it.

Maybe other people on here who drive them regularly/are better drivers feel different? Very different proposition from a BRZ though!
Yeah I agree a BRZ is a bit different but similar in performance and price. I think the BRZ being made as a sports car would appeal to me more rather than the common hot hatch which is just a powerful engine dropped in a everyday car. But the 595 just has a bit more character and looks more special than the run of the mill hot hatches.

marky911

4,417 posts

220 months

Thursday 7th September 2017
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Good write up Cornish boy. Exactly how we felt when we test drive one.

They don't have nav as such but if you get the new 7" screen with Apple car play you can have maps on your iPhone displaying on the dash screen.

Still loving ours. About to click over 3000 miles this week.

We had the wheels done gunmetal grey a few weeks ago as the black ones were a pig to keep clean.



No plans to mod it. A) Warranty void and B) I like the fact it's not fiddled with.

A remap would be fun but it's fun enough and ultimately my wife just potters about.
I did start looking at lowering springs and wheel spacers for when we changed the wheel colour but again it's just my wife's runabout.
Time for its pre winter detail in a couple of weeks. Before Forza7 comes out as I'll be addicted to that from end of September. wink


I will add a bit of unbiased opinion now I've spent a bit of time around the car.
The steering feel is pants. No feedback whatsoever. Is it electric on these?

It's twitchy! Thinking of getting a 4 wheel alignment as on the bumpy B roads to our village it bounces all over and feels like it could get a bit crossed up. All good fun but sometimes I think to myself "Should it be this twitchy?!"
Mind you my GT3 was an absolute bucking bronco along the same bits of road so I suppose it's not all that bad.

The plastics inside are poop. Too glossy and attract fluff. As do the mats and seats. It's that material that's a pig to get the bits off too. That goes for seats and mats.
Paintwork seems soft. We must have about a dozen (albeit tiny) stone chips now after only 3k miles. God knows how it will look after 30k in 3 years time.
We looked into PPF but again it's a shopping car not a super car and a few chips won't knock the £1000 off that we'd spend on PPF.

All that aside though it's still great and ouzes character. We're already looking at what one we could get next although if my wife goes back to full time she wants a Z4.



Edited by marky911 on Thursday 7th September 06:11

Squadrone Rosso

2,760 posts

148 months

Thursday 7th September 2017
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The BRZ comments are interesting.

The reason I've just bought my 595 is my wife swapped her sub 2 year old fully optioned GT86 for a new C-HR.

The 86 was great when you were in the mood but didn't do the daily duties at all well.

Also, when you were on it, it was like a greasy weasel.

I did consider keeping it but having driven a few A500 - 595, to me at least, there was no comparison. The 86 wasn't a car either of us fell for enough to consider keeping it.

Other than the fact that you had to rag it, I had no real issue with the 86 performance but the 595 Competizione feels a fair bit faster & a lot more fun.

The Comp is definitely a car you love!

ben5575

6,293 posts

222 months

Thursday 7th September 2017
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marky911 said:
I will add a bit of unbiased opinion now I've spent a bit of time around the car.
The steering feel is pants. No feedback whatsoever. Is it electric on these?

It's twitchy! Thinking of getting a 4 wheel alignment as on the bumpy B roads to our village it bounces all over and feels like it could get a bit crossed up. All good fun but sometimes I think to myself "Should it be this twitchy?!"
Mind you my GT3 was an absolute bucking bronco along the same bits of road so I suppose it's not all that bad.
Completely agree. I think it is part stiff suspension and part short wheelbase exacerbated by the high driving position. Reminds me of my wife's (dearly missed) Brabus Smart from many years ago which incidentally was the reason for going for the Abarth which is kind of a 4 seat equivalent (OK not in terms of speed, but just as characterful).

The sensitivity of the accelerator pedal in 'sport' mode is just ridiculous - the !!! ON !!! /off nature doesn't allow for any sensitivity or finesse whilst the amount of pedal travel required in normal mode doesn't allow you (well me at least) to heel and toe consistently - sublime to the ridiculous. Because it's ON IT when you give it beans, the front is light (not helped by appalling steering feel as you say), wheel spinny and understeery.

By any normal metric it's a dreadful car to drive. BUT it absolutely defines that argument about a flaw in one car being a character in another. It demands your attention to deal with its flaws and is therefore by definition, very engaging. Oh and that exhaust cloud9 As I say, I've put my money where my mouth is and just bought another one.

PS I haven't driven the Comp with a decent suspension set up and LSD which I'm sure is a completely different proposition.

gregd

1,651 posts

220 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
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AlexJ12 said:
Got my wife a abarth comp convertible after our M135i went back after 2 years and it's a absolute hoot to drive, one of the best cars I had for years.

Go and get one before word gets out, you won't be disappointed.
That looks lovely Alex. What colour grey is it, the no cost Circuit Grey? I quite like the Campovolo Grey too which is an option I think. I'm tempted by the Competitione as a replacement for our Golf R, which goes back in March. Insurance pricing to add my lad onto the Abarth seem surprisingly low too.

famoussas

641 posts

184 months

Monday 11th September 2017
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gregd said:
That looks lovely Alex. What colour grey is it, the no cost Circuit Grey? I quite like the Campovolo Grey too which is an option I think. I'm tempted by the Competitione as a replacement for our Golf R, which goes back in March. Insurance pricing to add my lad onto the Abarth seem surprisingly low too.
That's circuit grey.

eddd1e

499 posts

169 months

Monday 11th September 2017
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These are fantastic cars. My misses is on her second one (Modena Yellow 595 Competizione with performance pack) and I love driving it too, so much so that i'm tempted to get my own one!

We recently did a road trip to Scotland for the NorthCoast 500 and back (2,000miles) which was great.

The performance pack really made the car 100% better imo, diff, better seats and wheels.










ecsrobin

Original Poster:

17,143 posts

166 months

Monday 11th September 2017
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eddd1e said:
These are fantastic cars. My misses is on her second one (Modena Yellow 595 Competizione with performance pack) and I love driving it too, so much so that i'm tempted to get my own one!

We recently did a road trip to Scotland for the NorthCoast 500 and back (2,000miles) which was great.

The performance pack really made the car 100% better imo, diff, better seats and wheels.









That looks superb in yellow. I notice your sabelt handles are black whereas mine are red I’m guessing dependant on what colour car they’re fitted too.

I notice you have a clio sport how does it compare?

cayman-black

12,654 posts

217 months

Monday 11th September 2017
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You are a good ambassador for Abarth ecsrobin!
here is a picture of my turismo, great cars.