Two seats and and loads of fun: test driving the new Abarth 695 Biposto

I must admit I quite love the new Abarth two seater hot hatch. It's a properly fun little car that puts a big smile on your face and promises to turn your daily commute to the grocery store into something more...well more entertaining. 

Having recently driven mostly automatic gearboxes with paddles, the manual Biposto is something of a relief. Sadly it was not the dog ring 'box I wanted that I have tested, the one with the proper alluminum Ferrari like grill and inverted selection movements (to engage first, which is in the hi left position you need to pull the stick towards you) but a regular manual. 

The interior design is something you would expect from any 595 Abarth out there, but Abarth have kicked things up a notch: the rear seats are gone missing, replaced by a titanium roll bar, plenty of carbon fiber and no arm rests: a tiny red piece of cloth is all you need to close the doors. The dials are condensed into a single round cluster of new design and graphics. It  also shows you the turbo boost in bars . A touch of "performance awareness" if you want and it is now in front of you and not concealed by the thick steering wheel like on current Abarth cars.

Seats are quite comfortable too and I find them to be decently supportive during high cornering.

Carpets and sound isolation is not an option, so we rest our feer on the elegantly worked alluminium floors.

The sound of the Akrapovic exhaust is properly loud in the limits of sreet legality, and they offer a pleasing tone, never to mention the slovenian two stage piping which offers a good amount of high flux efficiency. 

As you would expect, inside the car the is a sound that is considerably louder than most cars and to me is a good thing, as I can finally properly listen what the engine is doing without constantly looking at the rev counter.

The car I tested was not loaded with options tough: the central racing dial was not installed, as were the Sabelt carbon seats and belts and the windows were not policarbonate. Nevertheless, it looked pretty good with the simple carbon fiber door panels: no switches and just a red cloth handle to close the door. Let's hope to have a go in the future in a fully loaded one, just for the fun of the alluminium racing shifter being used on the street!

On a twisty track like Castelletto di Branduzzo, the Abarth Biposto feels like a rollercoaster ride. I am impressed with the smooth and consistent power delivery wich remind me of the 4c acceleration: a brilliant 1.4 liter straight 4 with 190 hp that definitely feels to deliver just above 200. Low rev torque is a great ally in torque steering the car in slower corners. Definitely the Biposto is not as fast as the mighty 4C, as we propel the little hot hatch to 80 mph at the end of the short straight (the 4C went 95 mph) but you have the sensation that the car is definitely faster than it really is, even if a quick look at the dial won't leave you disappointed.

Fast turns show the perfect combination of the short wheelbase, Macpherson strut suspension, and the self-locking differential: these elements are so cleverly put together that make the car composed and acting almost as it was wheel drive. As a matter of fact, it does not have the tendency to swing the nose when accelerating trough corners as most front wheel cars do. During high-speed cornering the car is agile and precise: you just point an angle when entering a turn and it allows you to follow the ideal racing line with ease and make an excellent use of the accelerator pedal. It is also a light car, weighing a little over 2000 pounds (997kg) and this factor definitely increases its track capabilities. 

The rear end has a tendency to lighten when provoked, but it does not become overly unstable to affect the good handling. Steering is light and responds quickly to any input and guarantees precision in the fast direction changes. 

The weight distribution is good too and despite we sit high in the car, the Biposto always maintains all 4 wheels firmly on the ground and you have a good feeling of what the car is doing.

The gearbox lacks a bit in mechanical feel, but gear changes are smooth and easy even during fast shifting. I truly enjoyed the buttery feel of the shifter and gear ratios are, in my opinion, perfectly matched for some fun driving in the hills or any narrow twisty road. What I did not like is the close position of the second and fourth gears: in downshift you can easily engage the fourth when it is the second you need. They're placed so close together you need to push the stick with conviction, clearly telling the mechanism that is second that you want. This feature can be frustrating at times and I wish Abarth would correct it, but, a precise movement will guarantee second with almost no mistake.

The pedals feel great too, and they're the perfect match for heel and toe. When braking, just flick the right foot to the accelerator pedal and the rev-happy engine will power up to the rpms you need for the downshift. Clutch is light as you would expect from a modern day manual, and the brake pedal feels great and allows you to control the amount of braking power you need.

What I did not like is the high mounted position of the pedalboard, another typical Fiat feature, and I have some problems in taking my foot away from the clutch when I am not shifting. In some way, I am forced to drive with the foot on the clutch which is not a great driving tip. But other than that, the angle of the pedals is just about right and perfectly matched with the brilliant spirit of the Biposto.

In the end, my opinion of the 695 Biposto is very positive. It is a funny little hatch offering serious driving dynamics to the driver. Getting out of it you feel like you've driven a proper modern car and you just wish you would drive more, maybe on a long trip, just for an excuse to have more fun in it. On the market the Biposto is something unique and special: no other manufacturer offers such an extreme package. Price is not a cheap one, but if you'd like to have a perfect complement for the daily routine that would sit happily next to your 458 speciale, well, you won't be disappointed by this little fun car. Well done Abarth!