Abarth 595 vs Zeekr 7X

What's the difference?

It’s tough to be kind to the Abarth 595. Based on a platform that’s more than a decade old, the car has been left behind by its rivals in many ways, including basic ergonomics and its value equation.

The larger engine does work well in this smaller package, and its road-holding ability belies its size. However, only die-hard fans of the Abarth brand will be able to cope with the uncomfortable seating position and a complete lack of even the most perfunctory features that cars costing $10,000 less are able to offer.

The first thing that comes to mind in summing up the Zeekr 7X Performance is value. So much standard equipment for the money, stunning acceleration, top-shelf safety and a solid ownership package. It’s also practical, comfortable and the design inside and out is sleek. This electric SUV has thrown down a hefty gauntlet in challenging its existing opposition and there’s no doubt if you’re in this part of the market you should take a close look.

Despite being based on a design that’s a decade old, the Abarths still stand out. Based on the classic Fiat 500 shape of the 1950 and '60s, it’s more cute than cut-throat, with a narrow track and tall roof giving it a toy-like presence.

The Abarth attempts to beef things up with deep front and rear bumper splitters, go-fast stripes, new headlights and alternate-colour wing mirrors.

The 595 rides on 16-inch rims, while the Competizione runs 17s.

Inside, it’s definitely different to most mainstream cars, with colour-coded plastic panels on the dash and a very upright seating position, along with a dual-tone steering wheel.

It’s a love-it-or-hate-it proposition. There’s no middle ground here.

The 7X was developed at the Zeekr Design and Technology centre in Gothenburg, Sweden and arguably its most distinctive design element is the full-width band across the nose with standard LED headlights and DRL strip below. 

They’d be matrix units if we were in China and the black band would house Zeekr’s ‘Stargate’ panel capable of displaying words and digital animations. But ANCAP crash-test requirements put the kybosh on that for Australia and it’s been replaced by the black cover. But there’s still room to play with animations on the lights that remain, including musical accompaniment through internal and external speakers. 

Other than that, the car’s overall shape and proportions have a touch of Porsche Macan about them with a bulging mid-section and racy 21-inch rims filling the wheel arches.

There’s a slim, tail-light bar across the rear, a concealed wiper and an integrated spoiler on the top of the tailgate contributing to a smooth, clean look. No surprise, drag co-efficient is a slippery 0.25.

Inside, the fuss-free theme continues with a multi-layered dash design dominated by the 16-inch central media screen, compact digital instrument display and split-level centre console. And we’ll get to interacting with it all shortly.

Admirable restraint has been exercised in the simple surfacing and choice of trim materials with enough decoration to add visual interest.

This is another area where the Abarth falls down. First and foremost, the seating position for the driver in both cars is utterly compromised.

The seat itself is mounted far, far, too high, and has little adjustment in any direction, and there is no reach adjustment in the steering wheel column to allow a taller (or even an average height) driver to get comfortable.

The more expensive Competizione we tested was fitted with a set of optional sports bucket seats from racing company Sabelt, but even they are mounted literally 10cm too high. They are also ultra firm, and even though they look supportive, lack decent side bolster support.

The tiny multimedia screen is okay to use, but the buttons are miniscule, while there’s a complete lack of storage places in the front. 

There are two cupholders under the centre console, with two more in between the front seats for rear seat passengers. There are no bottle holders in the doors and no storage for rear seaters.

Speaking of the rear seats, they are the very definition of cramped, with little headroom for moderately sized adults and precious little knee or toe room. There are two sets of ISOFIX baby seat mounting points, though, should you fancy wrestling your wriggling toddlers through the narrow aperture.

The seats flip forward to reveal more cargo space (185 litres with the seats up, and 550 litres when the seats are down), but the seat backs don’t fold flat into the floor. Under the boot floor is a can of sealant and a pump, but no space saver spare.

In truth, it was a long day testing this car… at 187cm, I simply could not get comfortable in it at all.

So, before even getting in the car it’s worth talking about this Performance grade’s auto-opening doors.

The physical door handles are still present but inoperative (except in an emergency), so it’s a press of a button on the B-pillar, or a swipe card if you prefer, and open sesame. 

There’s ‘pinch protection’ for the windows on all side doors and impact avoidance which means it will stop short of denting your neighbour at the car park.

After a week of press-button experience I could easily live without this functionality but my significant other loved it. So, personal preference reigns supreme.

At close to 4.8 metres long, a touch over 1.9m wide and around 1.7m tall (with a 2900mm wheelbase) the 7X is a ‘large’ medium SUV and the interior reflects its generous external dimensions. 

There’s plenty of breathing space and a bright open feel thanks in part to the standard panoramic glass roof with power-sliding shade.

In the front, in terms of practicality, there’s a large, deep bin between the seats with a lid that opens from the left and right, another section with two swing-out cupholders and a roll-top lid, plus a big area in the lower console plus generous door bins. And there are handy flip-top boxes in the door armrests.

Worth noting on our test example, opening and closing the sliding cover over the cupholder section generated a groaning noise like oversize nails scraping down a blackboard, which didn’t exactly fit the premium vibe.

The glove box is opened with a button on the dash, which feels overly complicated. But then, in terms of power and connectivity there are twin 50W device charging bays and two USB-C sockets in the lower console.

In a big win for parents loading small kids into car seats, the rear doors open to 90 degrees. Then for storage, you’ve got map pockets on the front seat backs, decent door bins, two cup or bottle holders and a lidded box in the pull-down centre armrest, a small oddments tray at the back of the centre console and a pair of drawers under the seat.

And in the back, in terms of space, sitting behind the driver’s seat set for my 183cm position, I’ve got ample headroom, legroom and more than enough foot room. 

There are power window shades, individual ventilation outlets in the B-pillars to manage the climate control for the rear section as well as one USB-A and a USB-C socket in the armrest box.

And then, there’s the Occupant Monitoring System, a camera view of the rear seat which instantly does away with the awkward 180-degree parental head turn from the front seats. A small camera in the B-pillar is activated by a dash-mounted button for a wide-angle, picture-in-picture video image on the main media screen. 

And don’t worry, if you’re in the back and don’t appreciate the attention, a simple sliding cover over the lens can block the shot. 

With the 60/40 split-folding rear seat upright the 7X boasts 539 litres (VDA) of boot space, which is pretty handy, and that number expands to a hefty 1978L with the back seat down. 

There’s a load-through hatch, tie-down anchors, multiple bag hooks, specific lighting, a 12-volt socket and two storage compartments under the floor. The height of the power tailgate is adjustable but there’s no hands-free function.

Braked trailer towing capacity is 2.0 tonnes (750kg unbraked) and it’s worth noting vehicle-to-load functionality (using a specific discharge cable in the main charge port) is onboard.

But there’s no spare tyre of any description, with a repair/inflator kit your only option, which in this market isn’t good enough.

The Zeekr 7X starts at $57,900, before on-road costs, for the Single motor RWD version, rising to $63,900 for the Long range RWD and $72,900 for this Performance model.

At that money the 7X Performance lines up against a diverse group of primo EV SUVs like the Cupra Tavascan, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV5, MG IM6, Skoda Enyaq, Subaru Solterra, Tesla Model Y, Toyota bZ4X and VW ID.5. Not to mention its corporate Geely twin under the skin, the Polestar 4.

But cost-of-entry is one thing. The number of included features for the price is another and this car is properly loaded.

Aside from the performance and safety tech we’ll get to shortly the highlights are Nappa leather trim, 14-way power-adjustable front seats (with memory, heating, ventilation and massage functions), a leather-trimmed, heated and power-adjustable steering wheel, heated power-reclining (to 10 degrees) rear seats, a rear seat ‘Occupant Monitoring System’ (more on this later), a 16-inch multimedia display, 36-inch head-up display and digital instrument screen.

There’s also 2160-watt, 21-speaker audio, three-zone climate control, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, multi-colour ‘Ripple Effect’ interior ambient lighting, all LED exterior lighting, auto door opening, a panoramic glass roof (with power sunshade), a power tailgate, heated and power-folding exterior mirrors, rear privacy glass (plus power sunshades) and 21-inch forged alloy rims. 

That’s heaps and there’s even more. Enough to put serious pressure on the competitors mentioned above.

The Abarth 595 pair use the same 1.4-litre 'MultiJet' four-cylinder turbo engine in differing states of tune. The base car makes 107kW/206Nm, while the Competizione makes 132kW/250Nm, thanks to a freer-flowing exhaust, a larger Garrett-branded turbocharger and an ECU re-tune.

The base car can do 0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds, while the Competizione is 1.2 seconds quicker; the optional 'Dualogic' automatic is 0.2sec slower to the mark in both cars.

A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, and neither car is fitted with a limited slip diff.

The Zeekr 7X Performance is powered by dual electric motors, asynchronous magnet on the front axle and permanent magnet at the rear. Combined power is 475kW with peak torque at a grunty 710Nm.

That amount of muscle is up there at the top of the category with the likes of the MG IM6 Performance (572kW/802Nm), Tesla Model Y Performance (461kW/741Nm) and even the track-ready Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (448kW/740Nm).

Over 150km of testing, the Competizione consumed a dash-indicated 8.7 litres per 100km, against a claimed combined fuel economy figure of 6.0L/100km. Our brief test of the 595 revealed a similar number, against the same claimed figure.

The Abarth will only accept 95 octane fuel or better, and its small 35-litre tank is good for a theoretical 583km between fills.

The 7X boasts an 800V electrical architecture which means it has 420kW charging capability and even though the max public charging output currently available here is 350kW, at that level you can expect the 100kW NMC battery to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in around 13 minutes. AC charging is a handy 22kW for 10-100 per cent charging in four hours.

Claimed (WLTP) range is 543km and on test we saw average energy use of 18.8kWh/100km, which is in the middle of Zeekr’s claim of 17.7-19.9kWh/100km for the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle and more than acceptable for an EV of this size and weight.

Ergonomics aside, the combination of torquey engine and lightweight car is always a good one, and the 1.4-litre turbocharged four is a good match with the front-drive Abarth.

There’s always enough mid-range urge to give the Abarth the hurry-up, and the longer-legged five-speed gearbox is a good match for the engine.

It also grips and turns surprisingly well, despite the Sport button adding too much artificial weight to the Abarth’s steering feel. 

That same button also firms up the front dampers on the 595 and all four on the Competizione, which works well on smoother terrain, but stiffens it too much over more undulating surfaces.

Around town it can be hard to strike a good balance between ride and comfort. The difference between soft and firm is much more pronounced in the Competizione, but it will still get tiring if your commute is a bumpy one. 

The turning circle, by the by, is ridiculously large for such a small car, making u-turns - already compromised by the lower front bumper - unnecessarily fraught.

The Monza exhaust on the Competizione gives it a bit more presence, but it could easily be louder (or at least more crackly) again; you’re not buying this car to be a wallflower, after all.

So, even at around 2.5 tonnes, with all that power and torque under your right foot, the 7X Performance can rocket from 0-100km/h in a supercar-like 3.8 seconds. It is properly quick.

Suspension is by double wishbones at the front and a five-link set-up at the rear and the hefty body is well-controlled in the main, although you can feel modest lateral movement on quick changes of direction. 

The ‘Continuous Control’ air suspension has three settings - Comfort / Standard / Sport - with a distinct difference between them.

In Comfort, small bumps and ruts still make their presence felt, but overall ride compliance is impressive. Hot tip is to avoid the Sport mode unless you’re determined to press on through your favourite set of corners, or (implausibly) line up for a track day.

The 7X rides on Zeekr’s ‘SEA’ (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform which features an integrated alloy diecast rear section which seemingly makes a ‘solid’ contribution to overall refinement and noise reduction.

Speaking of which, wind noise is close to imperceptible even at freeway speeds, helped in no small part by the car’s slippery drag coefficient.

The accurate speed-sensitive steering delivers good road feel, which isn’t always the case with larger EVs, and the big 21-inch (265/40) Continental EcoContact 7 tyres are pleasingly quiet while gripping with reassuring determination.

Braking is by ventilated discs all around with chunky four-piston calipers up front. There are two levels of regenerative braking and a ‘single-pedal’ setting, although the latter is best treated as a third regen level because it seems reluctant to bring the car to a full stop quickly enough, even in slow-moving traffic.

Important to mention crash-avoidance safety aids like lane-keeping assist and driver fatigue monitoring don’t intrude unduly. There are subtle occasional vibrations through the steering wheel and only when necessary. 

You’ve also got a 360-degree overhead view and a good quality reversing camera, both of which are super-handy when manoeuvring. Or if you want some real assistance ‘Automatic Park Assist’ will help you slot the car into the space you’re aiming for, as well.

Ergonomically speaking, while there’s a physical control for audio volume something like exterior mirror adjustment for example is via the combination of a screen slider and a steering wheel control which is fussy. That said, progression through screens and functions for media and car settings is logical and quick thanks in part to a grunty Qualcomm Snapdragon chip platform.

Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, an 11.6m turning circle is useful for a car of this size, the mega audio system cranks (with the driver’s headrest speaker a highlight) and the adaptive cruise works well, picking up acceleration rapidly when pulling out to overtake a slower-moving car in front.

While the 7X hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP yet it’s fair to assume a maximum five-star result sooner rather than later, in line with its Euro NCAP score. 

And crash-avoidance safety tech is through the roof. Fifteen key ADAS functions including adaptive cruise, auto emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, a parking assist system and more. There are 12 hi-def cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars and a millimeter-wave radar on the job.

The airbag count runs to seven, including a front centre bag, and there are three top tethers for child seats across the second row, with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions. And a big tick for ‘Post-Impact Braking’ designed to minimise the chances of subsequent collisions after an initial crash.

Suffice it to say the 7X Performance sits on the top safety shelf.

A three-year/150,000km warranty is offered as standard on the Abarth 595 range, with a suggested service interval of 12 months or 15,000km.

Abarth importer Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia offers three fixed-priced services for the 595 range at 15,000, 30,000 and 45,000km, with the first costing $275.06, the second $721.03 and the third $275.06.

The 7X Performance is covered by Zeekr’s five-year/unlimited km warranty, with eight-year/160,000km cover for the drive battery, neither of which are exceptional for the category. But there’s also five-year corrosion and paintwork warranty cover, with roadside assist included for the same period.

Recommended maintenance interval is two years/40,000km with optional health checks in between. Stick to the basic schedule and you’re looking at $1755 over the first five years.

Go for the complimentary first year service plus two other optional health checks and the figure is $2385, or an average of $477 per workshop visit over the same five years. Far from over the top for an EV in this part of the market.

The Zeekr dealer footprint currently takes in multiple sites in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney with additional locations in Canberra and Perth as well as The Sunshine Coast and Geelong, for a total of 14.

Some are currently ‘pop-ups’ with the intention to transition them to permanent status, with all dealers able to facilitate servicing (on site or at a separate location).