Some of you may remember the original Fiat 500. Indeed, a good few of you may have owned one. The diminutive car, designed by Dante Giacosa, was launched in 1957 and soon became one of the iconic cars of our time. Precisely 3,893,294 of the little beauties were produced until the end of line in 1975.

So it has been a while, but the new incarnation was well worth the wait. Absolutely jam-packed with Italian chic, just sitting in the car makes you feel as if the sun is shining, the sea is blue and you are ready to take on whatever the Italian roads have to offer, even if it is a rainy day in the UK.
Fiat tells us that the new 500 is not “a car that ‘looks like’ a 500 but, rather, one that ‘could be’ a 500 again. That said, at first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that Fiat had never ceased production of the 500 and that the new model is the simply the latest example and the result of natural progression.

The front end, with its short, snub-nosed bonnet, is now more in keeping with the rest of the modern Fiat range. It still retains the echoes of the past in the circular, upper headlights but now with separate ‘full-beam’ lights below and the cute, so-called, ‘whisker and logo’, badging, reminiscent of the 1936 Topolino - the first 500.

From the side, the blacked out B-pillars make the car look even squatter than it is, with the help of a low roofline. The rear view emphasises the wide stance, with a deep bumper that curves smoothly around to form the rearmost part of the muscular wheel arches. The tailgate sits between the small (by today’s standards) but high-visibility, taillights and features a hefty chrome handle bearing the ‘500’ logo.

The boot space may be easily accessed and has a capacity of 185-litres. By folding the rear seats, this can be increased to 550-litres. The folding function of the rear seats is a clue to how the designers at the Centro Stile managed to get so much rear legroom for such a small car.

Nb. Call for spec on other models.

FIAT 500 Review Road Test Data

Model Reviewed Fiat 500 1.2 Lounge

Body Type 3-Door Hatchback
Colour Cha Cha Azure

Performance ~ manufacturers figures
0 - 62 mph 12.9 Seconds
Top Speed 99 mph

Transmission 5-Speed Manual

Fuel Type Unleaded Petrol

Economy ~ manufacturers figures
Urban 44.1 mpg
Extra Urban 65.7 mpg
Combined 55.4 mpg

Insurance Group 4
Euro NCAP Rating 5

The car comes in twelve exotically named colours from the vintage super pale cha cha cha azure blue to the metallic black.

The dashboard consists of a neat instrument pod behind the chunky, multi-functional, steering wheel. The nacelle is compact, thanks to the arrangement of the dials in concentric circles around a central information panel. It looks rather like a tuning dial from an old radio; an impression that is bolstered by the central, high-level, air vents along with tactile audio controls set into the same panel. This panel is echoed by another, below, containing the climate control functions. Below the comfort control panel, sits the high-level gear selector pod.

The gearknob for the manual box vehicle fits nicely in the hand and the functionality of the change: whether it be 5- or 6-speed, is smooth and effortless. A Dualogic, automatic and sequential shift is available as an option on the petrol-engined versions.

The driver’s seat comes with height-adjustment to go with the rake-adjustable steering column. The seats are comfortable and well contoured with rather funky circular headrests with a dimple in the middle.

There are three trim levels; Pop, Lounge and Sport. There are also three engine options; a 1.2-litre, a 1.4, 16v, FIRE and a 1.3, 16v, Turbodiesel. There are nine models in the range but only three prices – ring for details. Incidentally, some of the old 500s still achieve the same prices.

For those who like to make their car stand out from the crowd, there is a list of optional extras, 100-items strong ranging from stripes and decals to much larger bits and pieces, many of which are dealer-fit.

As a starting point, the Pop specification offers the practical items such as ABS with EBD, seven airbags, hidden stowage under the front passenger seat, a one-piece folding rear seat, minus headrests and an MP3 compatible radio/CD player with six speakers.

The Lounge, as tested, adds air-conditioning, Luxury interior trim, 15-inch alloys, chrome exterior trims, body-coloured door mirrors. The rear seats get headrests and a 50:50 split and fold function and the leather-covered steering wheel gains Blue&Me controls.

Blue&Me is a Windows Mobile-based system and the result of a collaboration between Fiat and Microsoft. It is fully integrated and offers hands-free communication with voice recognition that doesn’t need priming and works with many Bluetooth mobile phones. The controls on the steering wheel enable scrolling through the mobile’s ‘phone book or it can be fully installed on the system and updated whenever the mobile is detected. Up to five different mobile phones and their ‘books’, can be ‘registered’ on the system at any one time. There is also a dedicated USB port between the front seats to alloy playback of music files, such as MP3, WMA, WAV, smart phones or a USB flash drive.

The Sport has much the same specification but swaps the Luxury interior of the Lounge for a Sports trim and adds dark-tinted rear windows, a spoiler and fog lights. It loses the fixed glass roof that comes with the Lounge but it is available as an option on the Pop and Sport trims, alternatively.

All three engines are Euro 5 compliant. The 1.2 and 1.3 Diesel both qualify for the new 100 per cent discount from the London Congestion Charge. On the other hand, the 1.2 petrol, engine emits 119g/km, which also puts it in VED Band B (currently £35). This unit has been used extensively throughout the Fiat portfolio and has had a few tweaks to make it more economical. It produces 69bhp (51kW, 70PS) at 5,500rpm and over 101Nm (75lb ft) of torque at 3,300rpm. With the 1.2 under the bonnet and not at the back as in the old 500, the car completes the 0-62mph sprint in 12.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 99mph, where legal. Around town, where the new 500 will feel right at home, the perceived tardiness will not matter a jot but the urban fuel consumption figure of 44.1 mpg will.

On the open road, this little engine is quite flexible, meaning you don’t have to keep going for the gear lever on country lanes and it takes on motorways with confidence. The extra-urban fuel figure is a happy 65.7mpg and the combined comes out as 55.4mpg.

The 1.3 Turbodiesel has more power (75bhp), more torque (145Nm) a higher top speed (103mph) and a sprint time of 12.5 seconds. The fuel consumption figures are 53.3-, 78.5- and 67.3mpg for the urban, extra-urban and combined cycles, with CO2 emissions of 111g/km.

Back to the town driving: as well as the frugality and cleanliness making life a little easier in towns, all Fiat 500s are fitted with Dualdrive electric power steering. Dualdrive has two settings; normal gives maximum feedback while pressing the ‘city’ button (one of the three on the dashboard) activates the second, making the steering lighter for easier manoeuvrability. The Sport has a Sport button on the dash which makes the steering less sensitive, giving more feel. The suspension is nice and firm but isn’t unpleasant and the handling and road-holding are good.

I have mentioned the presence of ABS with EBD but there are a few other options. The 1.4 versions have ESP as standard: for the others it is an option. It comes with either Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) or an Engine Torque Regulator (MSR), which cuts in during an abrupt down change of gear in low traction situations, to help to prevent the wheels locking. Also included in the package are Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA) and a Hill Holder system.

The Fiat 500 may be small but it has gained a maximum 5-star rating in the EuroNCAP safety tests, giving it pole position in this segment and a ‘first’ for this size car. It has already won a cabinet full of awards and, although it sometimes seems easy to doubt the winning choices, in this case the accolades are a valid indication of just how good this car is. Think of it as a blast from the past, brought bang up to date and a little ray of sunshine, all at the same time.
Car Pages Opinion - February 2008

Fiat 500 Road Test Conclusion