Living with the Abarth 695C, a fun Italian hot hatch that makes you feel 17 again

‘Rich, stop it. You’re driving like a knob.’ It was a harsh but fair assessment, wearily delivered from the passenger seat of the Abarth 695 by Mrs M after yet another journey characterised by what I’d describe as juvenile exuberance. Yes, at over 50 years of age I probably should know better, but as we’ve been together for almost 30 of them, she really should be used to it by now. Besides, the Abarth is one of those cars you can’t help but bomb around in.

Sport mode tends to be the mood enhancer, thanks to the sharper throttle response, weightier steering and endlessly amusing paarrp! from the exhaust. And if you happen to build just the right amount of turbo boost and then back off abruptly, the PAARRP! is even more amusing. 

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It’s not compulsory to engage Sport mode, but I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t become as much of a reflex as fastening my seatbelt. Without it the Abarth isn’t exactly limp, but it doesn’t have nearly as much oomph low in the rev range. I’ll concede there are times when it would be preferable to decouple Sport and Paarrp modes, but on balance I’m prepared to live with the occasional ticking-off.  

The 695C takes me back to my souped-up Mini days, when I had disposable income and spent it all on making it go faster. The Abarth could do with some of the Mini’s throttle adjustability as it’s too nose-led – even a big lift-and-bung does little to unsettle it – but still the general vibe is very similar to the Mini’s because you just can’t help but sling it into corners wearing a goonish grin on your face.

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I’d like to be able to tell you what the 695C is like with the lid peeled back, but it simply will not stop raining here in the UK. Tell a lie, it did stop for a day but snowed instead. Not enough for find-a-big-car-park-and-skid-around-until-someone-in-a-dayglo-jacket-throws-you-out tomfoolery, but just enough to completely balls-up a carefully organised track test of precious old Porsche 911s. Maybe the sun will appear soon…

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I’ve long nurtured the theory that you notice more examples of a particular car when you’re driving one yourself, but I see umpteen Abarths wherever I go. Looking back at the sales figures it’s clear the UK has long been one of the marque’s biggest markets. For a while it was the biggest, even outstripping Italy. No wonder there’s a lot about. Production of the petrol 595/695 ended at the end of 2023 as the range switched to EV. It’s a big play for Fiat/Abarth considering they sold them in their tens of thousands.

If my Abarth encounters happen to be on a late-night run back from, say, Heathrow, those I spot always seem to be on a mission, or loitering near roundabouts with intent. Despite what Mrs M might say, I’m a bit old for that malarkey – the heart is willing, but the mind is full of too many cautionary ‘what ifs’ – but it always makes me smile when I see someone clearly enjoying themselves in their car while everyone else is tucked up in bed.

Previously unbeknown to me there’s a big Abarth tuning scene, so I’ve now disappeared down the rabbit hole on Instagram, where cars with twice the 695’s 178bhp are relatively commonplace. Quite how that works I have no idea, but I’d like to find out. So imagine my delight when by complete coincidence we received an email from Balance Motorsport offering to take RE23 TGX up to 270bhp. Sadly, I don’t think Abarth UK will sanction that. It would’ve been a hoot. Or rather a PAARRP!

Richard Meaden (@DickieMeaden)

This story first featured in evo issue 321.