Abarth 595 review - how does it compare to the Up GTI? - Performance and 0-60 time

Even the least powerful 595 is a brisk little device, using its 143bhp to good effect (and no doubt thanks to a kerb weight little over a metric ton) to deliver a 7.8sec 0-62mph time and perfectly respectable 131mph top speed. For reference, that’s a tenth quicker and 1mph more than its closest rival, the basic 1.5-litre Mini Cooper.

From there the range steps up to the 158bhp Trofeo, which cuts a further half-second from the 0-62mph sprint and adds 4mph to the top end. Curiously, the more luxurious Turismo boasts an extra 5bhp, and reaches 136mph flat out, but 0-62mph remains the same at 7.3sec.

Above this, the 595 Competizione’s 178bhp further crops the benchmark acceleration figure to 6.7sec and lifts top speed to 140mph, which seems like quite a lot for something so tiny, though the Competizione’s Brembo brakes and Koni dampers seem capable of handling it. As the most recent 595 we’ve tested, the Competizione certainly feels good for its numbers, punching hardest in the mid-range but still willing as it climbs to the red line before slotting the next gear.

The 695 Rivale boasts the same 178bhp powerplant and the same performance figures, but breathes through an Akrapovic exhaust system rather than the rowdy ‘Record Monza’ set-up available on other 595s. Those 595s and 695s fitted with the automated manual gearbox option are a couple of tenths slower to 62mph than their manual counterparts.