Technology, music and David Beckham’s haircut may have changed drastically over the years,
but Fiat’s 500 city car has actually changed very little, at least in terms of its compact,
city car personality. But the new 2015 model does bring with it
some notable differences – and Fiat actually says that this latest model has 1,900 new
components. On the outside there’s a new 3D-effect grille at the front, a new chrome
strip on the rear bumper and an array of new colours and body decals, which Fiat calls
its “second skin” options. And its things like this that make it a competitor
to the Vauxhall ADAM and DS 3. The interior certainly fits the bill if you
are after style, with this body-coloured dashboard inlay, which nicely draws your attention to
this new five-inch touchscreen and functionality wise this is really good, but it is very small
and quite difficult to reach when you’re in your driving position.
Kit wise we have the flagship Lounge model, but this is actually expected to be bestselling,
with rear parking sensors – great for the city – air-con, Bluetooth and LED daytime
running lights. We also have a few optional extras like the £350 DAB digital radio and
Tom Tom sat-nav. The biggest problem I have with the interior
is the driving position as I’ve found it difficult to get comfortable, because the
steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach, so you might find that you’ll have your
pedals sorted out – but then you can’t reach the steering wheel. One other thing
which I find a bit strange is that the lever to adjust the height of the driver’s seat
is right next to the handbrake… This is a city car so you are unlikely to
be chauffeuring people around in it, which is lucky as there isn’t much space in the
back. The boot is also so so with 185 litres, enough for a few high street bags but possibly
not for a weekly shop – for that, you may have to fold these seats down.
I want to just start off by saying, in my opinion there is only one engine you should
go for and that’s the 0.9-litre TwinAir petrol. There is a 69bhp 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated
petrol available, but it really lacks power and I don’t think it does the 500’s peppy
city car personality justice. Go for the TwinAir however, which is available
with either 84 or 104bhp, and you get the added oomph of a turbo and with the 104bhp
output it’s capable of completing the zero to 62mph sprint in just 10 seconds. But this
isn’t your usual small petrol engine, because when it comes to cylinders there’s not 4,
there’s not 3, but 2 of them. This means it’s got a raspy, motorbike-like sound to
it. CO2 is impressive though at just 99g/km and
when it comes to fuel economy, we’ve been getting an average of just under 50mpg.
In terms of its drive, the steering is nice and light, although it weights up at higher
speeds, the suspension is very comfortable and although it’s not fun to drive in the
strictest sense of the word, you do get a buzz when nipping in and out of busy traffic
in the city – which is its ideal habitat. The 500 is pitched as a premium city car and
for that reason you will pay around £2,000 to £3,000 more than you would for a Volkswagen
Up or Hyundai i10. But if premium and different is what you’re after, then the 500 is actually
one of the cheapest on offer, that is to say it’s cheaper than the Vauxhall ADAM and
DS 3. Fiat has openly said that it hasn’t tried
to fiddle around with the 500’s design too much – and fair enough, it doesn’t really
have to, I mean in Europe it already sells more than the VW Up, SEAT Mii and Skoda Citigo
combined. Again, my only real complaint is the driving
position, but for people who nipping in and out of the city, this may not even phase them.
But could you see yourself owning a Fiat 500? If so, what colour would you go for? Let us
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