New Abarth 595 Range: Performance and Style In The Name of the Scorpion

A New Year and a new 595 range. 2020 was a year of sporting and commercial successes that saw the launch of two new Special Series – the 595 Monster Energy Yamaha and the 595 Scorpioneoro. The news continues now at the start of 2021, with the Scorpion brand continuing to ‘sting’, by inaugurating the new 595 range. The icon of the brand that, as its history tells us, perfectly embodies the brand’s two souls: performance and style. 

The four versions of the refreshed range – 595, Turismo, Competizione and Esseesse – come alive with new colors, fine materials, new style details, advanced technology and great customization, to underline the nuances of the Abarth character. 

“Abarth 595 is a success story with a soul that has conquered and continues to engage thousands of enthusiasts around the world. Around the Scorpio brand, it has created a unique community in the automotive landscape that we are extremely proud of. In 2020, the year that just ended, the positive trend continued, the market share grew by almost 50% compared to last year, a success linked to the personality of this small supercar and the passion of many fans,” explained Luca Napolitano, Head of EMEA Fiat, Lancia & Abarth Brands. “A small supercar that can evoke a wealth of feeling on the road as well as on the track. Many are its secrets: the ‘explosive’ performance, the sound of the exhaust, its irreverent and playful style, but packed with style and personality and, clearly, the pleasure of driving. Today we present the new 595 range, completely refreshed, which makes the 595 even more current and distinctive. For our customers, both those more attentive to style and those who cannot do without performance, I’m sure they will appreciate the new solutions we’ve adopted, for all those details that make an Abarth a collector’s gem. Let’s start the year with four major new version so we can look to 2021 with great positivity.” 

Welcome to Abarth 595, Turismo, Competizione and Esseesse

Available in hatchback and convertible versions, the models in the Abarth 595 range are united by specific characteristics that underline their sporty disposition and contribute to the improvement of performance. The four trim levels come with power levels from 145 to 180 hp, all Euro 6D Final-compliant, which can meet our customers’ every need. 

Distinctive but accessible, the 595 version is the entry point to the Abarth world and offers as standard all the equipment needed to guarantee the fun and driving pleasure typical of the Scorpion cars, firstly the “Sport mode” selector, renamed “Scorpion mode” in the new range. Pressing the button on the dashboard affects peak torque delivery, power steering calibration and engine response to the accelerator pedal, making them sharper. In terms of technology, the 595 version includes as standard the 7” touchscreen radio and to the delight of Abarth enthusiasts, there is a new startup and shutdown screen. Setup for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto™* compatibility are available on request. 

Quick acceleration and efficient braking are the prerogative of sports driving and fun; the 595 is therefore equipped with a high-performance braking system specific to Abarth, providing maximum safety courtesy of the 284-mm front ventilating discs and the 240-mm rear discs”. The 595 Turismo and Competizione have also been refreshed, from a technical and style point of view, in the name of customization, to give customers two different ways to enter and experience the world of Abarth. 

If the 595 Turismo is linked to the values of style and comfort typical of Italian granturismo, it is therefore dedicated to those who like to stand out for their style, who love the city but want to live it boldly. 

On the other hand, the Competizione is aimed at lovers of performance and sportsmanship with no holds barred, those who want to enjoy themselves on the road the same way they do on the track, those who never give up turning a trip into an extraordinary experience. 

The 595 Turismo features refreshed interiors, starting with the exclusive leather seats with their new finishes, offering the option to choose from various colors, including the new Helmet Brown. 

Still in terms of colors, the major new feature of the 595 Competizione is the new Rally Blue, a matt color inspired by the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally of the 1970s, while the new 17” alloy wheels are a nod to those of the 1990s Lancia Delta Rally Integrale. To make the livery even sportier, the body color body kit specific to this version is available in combination with the new Rally Blue or Scorpione Black colors. Inside, in addition to the “Scorpion mode” selector with its new design, we find a new offer of content that characterizes the car, including dashboard in Alcantara, new leather seats and gear lever in carbon fiber. 

For the top-of-the-range version, the 595 Esseesse, the Abarth team of designers and engineers has designed and developed new titanium tailpipes for the Akrapovič exhaust system, providing pure emotion in sound on both the road and on the track, fun and driving pleasure – in short, a rush of emotions for the driver. 

All models are fitted with polyelliptical headlights and LED daytime running lights as standard. Alternatively, xenon headlights are available on request. The steering wheel is flat-bottomed, with a focal point, and has been designed to be more effective in sports driving. The instrument panel ensures excellent legibility. In addition, the pressure gauge is lit in white, to make it easier and quicker to read. 

Engines, transmission, mechanics

The new Abarth 595 range is equipped with the 1.4 T-jet engine, the same one on which the Italian and German Formula 4 cars are based. 

The engine is available in three output levels: The Abarth 595 runs at 145 hp, rising to 165 on the Turismo version, while the 595 Competizione and 595 Esseesse, at 180 hp, are the ideal cars for those seeking the adrenaline of the racing world, both in terms of performance and technical content. 

The Competizione and Esseesse are also equipped with the Garrett GT1446 turbine; mechanical self-locking differential, which improves traction under difficult grip conditions and uneven terrain; Koni FSD shock absorbers on both axles and Brembo brakes with fixed aluminum calipers. 

All variants of the 1.4 T-jet engine are paired with mechanical transmission, but can be fitted on request with an Abarth robotized sequential transmission with shift paddles. 

In addition, all the engines comply with the Euro 6D Final regulations. 

Infotainment

The new 595 range is equipped as standard with the Uconnect™ system with 7” radio, a fast platform that comes with a high-definition screen and DAB digital radio, with further options of Apple CarPlay setup, Android Auto™* compatibility and satnav also available. In the MY21, the infotainment system’s startup and shutdown screens are also new.

Finally, the refined and powerful BeatsAudio™ is also available, to satisfy even the most discerning and sophisticated music fans. Developed in collaboration with Beats by Dr. Dre, the BeatsAudio™ system has a total output of 480 W and features an 8-channel digital amplifier with an advanced equalization algorithm that can recreate the entire sound spectrum that an artist experiences during studio recordings. The Beats Audio™ system consists of two dome tweeters located in the front pillars; two 165-mm midwoofers in the front doors; two 165-mm full-range speakers in the rear side panels; and a center-positioned 200-mm subwoofer in the spare wheel compartment in the boot.

 The new communications campaign

“Tuned to your style” is the title of the communications campaign for the launch of the new Abarth 595 range. The ad, produced by the creative agency Independent Ideas, aims to give an account of the range’s two souls: on the one hand, performance related to their distinctive style, embodied by the 595 Turismo; on the other, performance to the max and their sporty disposition, represented by the 595 Competizione. 

The video begins with a detailed account of the exclusive design of the first model, to give the viewer a taste of the character of one of the Scorpion cars, immersed in a context of lifestyle. Along the way, the baton can be seen being passed from the 595 Turismo to the 595 Competizione, and with it a sudden change of style, both in the surrounding landscape and in the driver. Every element of that same context is transformed to become consistent with traits of pure sportsmanship, which this car has in its DNA.  The word ‘Tuned’ literally means ‘adapted to meet a specific condition’. Combined with the term ‘style’, it shows how Abarth offers its customers the opportunity to express their own personality, by choosing the model closest to their own style, from a refreshed and exclusive range.