• Uncomfortable, lofty driving position
• No steering wheel reach adjustment
• Clear dials and simple infotainment screen

How is the quality and layout?

The Abarth 595’s layout is a little unusual for a hot hatchback. Its seats are set far too high, so it feels more like you’re sitting on the car rather than in it. We found the knock-on effect of this is that you get thrashed around in your seat more when you’re hammering around corners. It would have been better if the seats were mounted closer to the floor.

And, like all good Italian cars, there are more quirks to the Abarth 595’s driving position. The steering wheel has no reach adjustment so, to get your arms a comfortable distance from the wheel, you need to set your seat uncomfortably close to the pedals. That makes you feel like you’re driving a clown car – especially if you’re tall.

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The rear-view mirror presents another problem for taller drivers. Once you’re comfortable, you’ll find it sits right in your line of sight, sometimes obscuring junctions and vehicles. We learned to live with it, though – we quickly adopted a habit of peering around it.

Infotainment and technology

Every Abarth 595 comes with a circular digital gauge cluster and a 7.0-inch infotainment system perched atop the dashboard. That almost sounds disappointing when compared to the space-age, circular 9.4-inch screen fitted to the latest MINI Cooper S or the 10.25-inch unit found in the Volkswagen Polo GTI – but we found the Abarth’s screen rather refreshing.

It doesn’t occupy as much of your field of view, which leaves more space in your vision for the road ahead. This is especially noticeable at night – the Abarth’s infotainment system just fades into the background. It isn’t like having the lighting rig from a Pink Floyd concert shone into your retinas.

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The touchscreen is starting to show its age, though. Abarth added the infotainment system to the 595’s line-up in 2017 – and it looks ancient when compared to the iPad-style unit found in the Ford Fiesta ST. It can also be a little slow to respond and the menu system looks rather cluttered.

Comfort

• Supportive front seats
• Very basic climate controls
• Cramped rear seats

Look, you don’t buy an Abarth 595 to be comfortable. You buy one because you enjoy driving. So we think it’s a little pointless to complain that the cabin isn’t as well-equipped as a Maybach’s and the seats are less squishy than a Range Rover’s. It’s a pocket-sized race car. It’s supposed to be uncomfortable.

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We touched on the car’s cramped driving position in the previous section, so we don’t want to whinge about it again here. That’s partly because, if you consider the front seats in isolation, they’re actually quite comfortable. They have a good amount of lumbar and lateral support, but they’re accommodating enough to give your head and arms full range of movement. They’d be even better if they were mounted closer to the floor. Then, your torso would act less like a pendulum in the bends and you wouldn’t need to brace yourself as hard against the wheel to stay upright.