2018 Fiat 500 Abarth 595 Competizione Fast N' Feisty

This rorty pocket rocket offers an entrée into Italian sportscar ownership and is most definitely as fun as it looks — and sounds

- Imran Malik

Dammit, now I want to buy an Abarth again. This happens every single time! I hooned the bright yellow 595 Competizione all of last week (speeding tickets are waiting for me...) and welled up when it was time to give it back. Small cars, generally speaking, do not do it for me whatsoever. I understand their reason for being of course; they’re ideal for congested cities and blah, blah, blah whatever. They’re not the most exciting to drive and nor do they look particularly fetching. However, this 500 bucks that trend and is easily the most enjoyable car I have driven this year. In fact, I may be hard pressed to find something that’s more of a hoot than this.

The regular Cinquecento is a bit of a Plain Jane but thanks to a lower, wider stance, the scorpion badges, 17in alloys, beefier shocks and dual pipes, the 595 Competizione exudes an overtly sporty persona and is ever so endearing. The fascias have been redrawn too; the new front and rear light clusters are equipped with poly elliptical headlights, LED daytime running lights and Xenon headlights while under the revised rear bumper is a more pronounced and effective diffuser in a tar cold grey finish.

The interior gets a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a brand-new sports instrument panel, a new for 2018 7.0in Uconnect infotainment touchscreen and plenty of cool design elements, my pick of the bunch being a cheeky boost gauge which sprouts from the dash.