Should you buy one?

That depends on two things – your practicality requirements and your willingness to endure discomfort. If you’re not burdened by family duties and you’re as resistant to cramped conditions as a Victorian chimney sweep, you’ll love it.

I’m smitten. The 695 might be noisy, impractical, uncomfortable and dated – but I’m happy to look past all those flaws for its intoxicating charm. It has one of the biggest personalities of any car I’ve ever driven, and I can’t help but adore it.

But if you need a car that is anything more than a B-road barnstormer, you’d be better served by one of the Abarth’s contemporary rivals. The Hyundai i20 N is far more mature and usable every day, while the Ford Fiesta ST remains the best all-round small hot hatch of its time.

What we like

The power, the noise, the savagery of the experience. It’s far faster than it has any right to be and you can hear it coming from the next parish which, in my opinion, is exactly how a hot hatchback should be.

What we don’t like

The driving position is laughably uncomfortable – and that’s coming from someone who owns an original Mini. I also find it frustrating that there’s nowhere convenient to put my phone and that none of the cupholders are large enough to hold my water bottle.