2024 Abarth 695 pricing: Abarth 500e's half-price brother

Abarth has announced the 132kW petrol-powered 695, still based on the Fiat 500 launched way back in 2007, will soldier on for a while yet.

The MY24 695 will be available at dealerships from November with a $37,900 price tag (excluding on-road charges). Seems like a hot deal, when you consider the the new Abarth 500e is over 50 per cent more expensive at $58,900.

Other small hot-hatch competitors are few and far between, these days, and the 141kW Mini Cooper S is $53,387 drive away.

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MY 2024 Abarth 695 (with optional two-tone paint)

The 695 will be offered in a single Competizione trim level, and it remains decidedly old-school in continuing with a six-speed manual as standard.

Options are limited to premium paint, two-tone (roof) paint, and Beats premium audio packaged together with 17-inch Competizione alloy wheels.

A Dualogic automatic transmission can also be optioned, and in keeping with the old-school theme, it's a robotised single-clutch five-speed manual!

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17-inch Competizione Alloy Wheel, optional on the MY24 Abarth 695

Standard equipment over and above the basic is pretty rich, with a 7-inch TFT instrument cluster, 7-inch radio with DAB+, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel.

It might not be the last word in modernity, refinement or finesse, but in a world of $30k+ light cars, the little Italian with a sting in its tail appears to represent surprisingly good value.

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