Abarth 595 review: a pocket rocket that needs a Fiat specialist on speed dial in Bahrain
3.1/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
The Abarth 595 is the most fun a Fiat sells in this segment, and it earns that reputation on any twisty road. In Bahrain it is strictly an enthusiast's purchase: buy it from someone who documented every service, budget for performance parts that will need to be shipped in, and accept that the firm suspension will find every rough patch of tarmac before you do.
Pros
- 165 hp turbo four makes it genuinely quick and entertaining on a good road
- Distinctive exhaust note and sharp turn-in for a car this small
- Front-wheel-drive chassis rewards a keen driver on twisty routes
- Compact size still parks and manoeuvres like a standard 500
Cons
- No Fiat or Abarth factory presence anywhere in Bahrain
- Performance-specific parts are hard to source and usually need shipping in
- Firm suspension is punishing on Bahrain's rougher back streets and speed bumps
- Resale is a very small circle of hot-hatch enthusiasts
Underneath the cheeky styling is a genuinely committed hot hatch: the Turismo's 1.4-litre turbo four makes 165 hp, enough to make the little 500-based body feel properly quick, with an exhaust note that is louder and more theatrical than the car's size suggests. Front-wheel drive and a firm suspension setup mean it changes direction with real enthusiasm, at the cost of ride comfort.
What ownership actually costs
None of that changes the fact that Fiat, and Abarth with it, has no factory presence in Bahrain. Performance-specific parts — the Abarth-tuned suspension, the exhaust, anything beyond what a standard 500 shares — are harder to source than mainstream hot-hatch parts, and most will need to be shipped in rather than picked up locally. A pre-purchase inspection from a specialist who already knows Fiat's turbo engines is worth the cost before signing.
The firm ride that makes it fun on a good road becomes a genuine downside on Bahrain's rougher back streets and speed-bump-heavy residential areas, where the suspension transmits every imperfection rather than absorbing it.
This is a car bought for the driving experience by someone who already accepts the ownership trade-offs, not a first small-car purchase.