Photo: Abarth
When Fiat brought back the Cinquecento in 2007, the Type 312 proved to be a commercial success in the first years of production. Then the sales started dropping year over year, and not even Abarth could turn things around with high-performance versions of the Italian city car.
The all-new 500e is set to be unveiled in March 2020 at the Geneva Motor Show, and in the meantime, Abarth sweetens the deal with another model based on the 595. It’s called 595 Pista, and in addition to the United Kingdom, the pocket rocket has been confirmed for the Australian market.
If you were wondering what’s so special about this version of the Abarth 595, the Pista puts a larger Garrett turbocharger to good use in conjunction with the 1.4-liter engine that’s also employed by the 124 Spider. The geometric compression ratio has been reduced from 9.8:1 to 9:1, optimizing the temperature in the cylinders at equal pressure and allowing peak torque (230 Nm or 170 pound-feet) to come on strong at 2,250 revolutions per minute.
165 ponies come courtesy of the Record Monza Active Exhaust System as well, and the MTA with shifting paddles sounds like the most appropriate transmission for this application. Koni rear suspension with Frequency Selective Damping Technology, a flat-bottom steering wheel with a centering mark at the top, Sport driving mode, and 284- plus 240-millimeter ventilated discs at the front and rear axles are a few of the other highlights.
Comfort-oriented features include the Uconnect 7.0-inch touchscreen display, DAB digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and body-hugging seats with Abarth 70 branding. The most telling visual improvement on the outside over the 595 as we know it in other flavors is the green detailing on the mirror caps, front lip, and aerodynamic diffuser at the rear.
And now, let’s talk pricing. At £19,135 out of the box and without even looking at the options list, the 595 Pista doesn’t come cheap. The more spacious, powerful, and – dare we say it – reliable Fiesta ST from Ford starts at £20,700 on-the-road for the ST-2 trim level.
If you were wondering what’s so special about this version of the Abarth 595, the Pista puts a larger Garrett turbocharger to good use in conjunction with the 1.4-liter engine that’s also employed by the 124 Spider. The geometric compression ratio has been reduced from 9.8:1 to 9:1, optimizing the temperature in the cylinders at equal pressure and allowing peak torque (230 Nm or 170 pound-feet) to come on strong at 2,250 revolutions per minute.
165 ponies come courtesy of the Record Monza Active Exhaust System as well, and the MTA with shifting paddles sounds like the most appropriate transmission for this application. Koni rear suspension with Frequency Selective Damping Technology, a flat-bottom steering wheel with a centering mark at the top, Sport driving mode, and 284- plus 240-millimeter ventilated discs at the front and rear axles are a few of the other highlights.
Comfort-oriented features include the Uconnect 7.0-inch touchscreen display, DAB digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and body-hugging seats with Abarth 70 branding. The most telling visual improvement on the outside over the 595 as we know it in other flavors is the green detailing on the mirror caps, front lip, and aerodynamic diffuser at the rear.
And now, let’s talk pricing. At £19,135 out of the box and without even looking at the options list, the 595 Pista doesn’t come cheap. The more spacious, powerful, and – dare we say it – reliable Fiesta ST from Ford starts at £20,700 on-the-road for the ST-2 trim level.
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