One of South Africa’s hottest hatches has been refreshed, updated, and is more exciting than ever with the addition of a special edition model. The Abarth 595 range features new interiors, new colours, and new details for the Abarth 595 Turismo and Competizione hatch and cabriolet models with an exciting new Abarth Yamaha Monster special edition.
The Abarth 595 Turismo and Competizione underline the characteristics of the Abarth brand with new technology, really underlining the Scorpion brand’s dual souls of style and performance.
Distinctive but accessible, the Abarth 595 offers as standard all the equipment needed to guarantee the fun and driving enjoyment associated with Abarth, including a flat-bottomed steering wheel, updated instrument panel and the pressure gauge now lit in white to ensure better legibility, while polyelliptical headlights and LED daytime running lights are fitted as standard on the Competizione.
‘Sport’ mode has been renamed ‘Scorpion’ mode throughout the new range aligning it with the Abarth logo and in recognition of the brand’s founder, Carlo Abarth. Pressing the button on the dashboard alters peak torque delivery, power steering calibration and engine response to the accelerator pedal, making them sharper and increasing driver engagement. The 595 is also therefore equipped with a high-performance braking system specific to Abarth, providing maximum safety courtesy of the 284mm front ventilating discs and the 240mm rear discs.
The Abarth 595 Turismo features refreshed interiors, including exclusive diamond-embossed leather seats available in a number of colour options, including the new heritage brown.
As part of the upgrade an all new colour has been added to the exterior Competizione palette, rally blue, a matt colour inspired by the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally of the 1970s. New 17-inch alloy wheels are a nod to those of the 1990s Lancia Delta Rally Integrale, while a body colour body kit is specific to the Competizione in combination with the new rally blue or scorpione black exterior paint.
Inside, in addition to the ‘Scorpion’ mode selector with its new design, a new dashboard covered in Alcantara can be found, alongside new leather seats and gear lever in carbon fibre.
Engines, transmission, mechanics.
The new Abarth 595 range is equipped with the 1.4 T-jet engine, available in two output levels. The 595 Turismo features 121kW, while the 595 Competizione enjoys a power rise to 132kW, providing the highest performance output in the Abarth range.
All variants of the 1.4 T-jet engine are paired with a six-speed manual transmission and both the Turismo and Competizione can be fitted on request with an Abarth robotised sequential transmission with shift paddles.
In addition, all powertrains comply with the Euro 6B Final regulations.
Infotainment.
The new 595 range is equipped as standard with the Uconnect™ system with 7-inch high-definition touchscreen radio and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto™* compatibility.
Abarth 595 Monster Energy Yamaha.
The new Abarth 595 Monster Energy Yamaha special series is designed especially for young customers and motorsport fans, with a thrilling while exclusive product, as well as the ultra-high performance of any Abarth.
Produced in a limited edition of 2,000 units worldwide, the new special series celebrates the partnership between the two brands, which has now lasted since 2015. A bond based on shared values: performance, racing, technology and fun.
Aesthetically inspired by the livery of the 2020 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s YZR-M1, the exterior of the new special series features a dual colour blue and black livery bearing the “Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP” logo on its lower side, just above the “595” logo. The special series is finished off with the Monster “claw” on the bonnet, a sign of the new collaboration between the Scorpion and the renowned energy drink, an “energy boost” for the image of the new special series. The dark colours are contrasted with the “tar cold gray” finishes, as seen in the door handles and the front and rear DAM.
On the inside, the model features the special new Abarth sports seats with blue finishes and the “Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP” logo on the head restraints. The blue lining stands out from the black dashboard. Thus mirroring the dual colour livery, while the numbered plate is placed on the central tunnel.
The Abarth 595 Monster Energy Yamaha is equipped with a 1.4 T-jet engine with Euro6B homologation, with manual transmission, but it can be fitted with an Abarth robotized sequential transmission with shift paddles on demand – delivering 160 HP (117 kW).
As standard, it includes a racecar inspired flat-bottom steering wheel and centering stripe on the top part of the steering wheel rim, particularly useful for sports car driving. The “Sport” button controls the maximum torque delivery, power steering system calibration and throttle response, last but not least followed by the rumble of the Record Monza exhaust with active valve. The braking system – designed especially for Abarth – provides maximum safety when decelerating via the 284mm front and 240mm rear ventilated discs. Also standard is the Koni rear suspension, with Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) technology to increase road holding, handling and stability, making it a unique driving experience.
The 7″ HD Uconnect™, complete with Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto™*, which is the best smartphone-mirroring solutions for Apple iOS and Android, is also included on the Abarth 595 Monster Energy Yamaha as standard. This one-of-a-kind platform comes with the Abarth Telemetry system built-in, allowing drivers to measure their performance. Last but not least, this special series includes a dedicated splash screen, displaying the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP logo on the screen at start-up.
Abarth, a year of success.
It was a 2020 full of satisfaction for the Abarth brand, which has recorded major sporting triumphs in rallies and on the track, as well as commercial successes with its latest special series.
Abarth celebrated victory for the third year running in the FIA R-GT Cup with the Abarth 124 rally – basically the Gran Turismo world championships, driven by Italy’s Andrea Mabellini. The Italian driver also won the 2020 Abarth Rally Cup. After winning three championships running, the 124 remains the car to beat in the R-GT class, with over 100 victories.
Racing has always been the best and the toughest testing ground to put engines and technology solutions through their paces under extreme conditions, to increase performance and reliability both in races and in models in mass production, the latter courtesy of technology transfer. This is at the heart of the Abarth performance brand and ultimate experience.
Despite the complex period, Abarth also stood out commercially. The launch of the two special series, limited to 2000 units each, the 595 Scorpioneoro and the 595 Monster Energy Yamaha helped to boost market share around 50% compared to 2019, as well as over 80% of sales being outside Italy. South Africa will receive the 595 Monster Energy Yamaha in limited numbers this year.
The sting in the tale.
The story behind Abarth starts on 31 March 1949 when Italian-Austrian engineer Carlo Abarth founded Abarth & C., creating the brand that would become an authentic legend of style and performance with record-breaking cars, revolutionary tuning kits, and memorable races. The famous scorpion logo, recognised by motoring enthusiasts worldwide, was inspired by the founder’s zodiac sign. The scorpion perfectly embodied the philosophy of the newborn racing team specialised in “small but deadly” cars.
Abarth 595 Pricing in South Africa.
- Turismo 1.4L FWD 6MT – R399,900
- Turismo Cab 1.4L FWD 6MT – R439,900
- Competizione 1.4L FWD 6MT – R479,900
- Competizione Cab 1.4L FWD 6MT – R519,900
- Yamaha Monster 1.4L FWD 6MT – R469,900
- Yamaha Monster Cabriolet 1.4L FWD 6MT – R509,900
Article by QuickPic.