Our new car: Fiat 500 Abarth 595 Competizione

Loud, mostly. Despite the bight yellow paintwork, black stripes and bulbous bumpers, it the noise that’s most obvious about the new Abarth 595 Competizione.

The new, facelifted 595 Competizione has been updated with the current Fiat 500’s coloured centre rear lights and some new, more sculpted bumpers. But the 595 still retains the 500’s cute looks and diminutive proportions, which are a huge contrast to the big, aggressive noise it makes.

It’s in the details where the 595 discovers its identity, though. Everything within the 595 has been finished exquisitely. The parcel shelf is covered in leather with ‘Competizione’ embroidered onto it, there’s an abundance of carbon fibre (including carbon backed Sabelt seats), there are scorpion badges everywhere, Abarth is written large in the front grill and there’s a machined aluminium plug to replace the black plastic aerial.

This new Competizione is equipped with a mechanical, limited-slip differential from the 695 Biposto. That signals just how focused the 595 Competizione is, and when you start to explore the Abarth’s spec sheet it’s equally as impressive: Koni FSD dampers and four piston Brembo brakes with 305mm drilled and vented discs.

The 595 has the turbocharged, 1.4-litre, four cylinder engine found in every Abarth. In the 595 Competizione it puts out 178bhp which is good for a 0-62mph time of 6.7sec.

You can have the 595 with a sequential, automatically operated manual gearbox. However, the car we tested had a conventional, H-pattern manual. The position of the gear lever is excellent; it’s up high and close to the steering wheel. But the action isn’t as delicate or as snickety as the linkage in the Honda Civic Type R, which has a similarly high-set lever. Although it isn’t perfect, it’s still satisfying to bang through the gears as the exuberant exhaust cracks on up-shifts.

The engine seems delightfully unhinged too, exhibiting all the traits that made old-school turbos so exciting. It’s easily bogged down in the lower reaches of its RPM, but wind it up and it lurches forwards on waves of boost. The Abarth isn’t fast enough for it to feel like you’re having to hanging on, desperately trying to tame a wild beast, but it’s still thrilling.

The boisterous noise adds to the excitement, creating some real theatre when you rev the little Abarth to the red line. It’s also quite vocal as it decends through the revs too, popping and banging like a rally car with anti lag. This sort of behavior – and the crackles when you change gear – can feel too juvenile in many cars, but it seems as correct on the fun-filled Abarth as inappropriate as it does when on a Jaguar or Mercedes.