When the Fiat 500 got a facelift last year, I had expected more drastic changes. This year, the retro model has 10 years behind it, and only minimal changes have been made along the way. The explanation is simple. The Fiat 500 is only selling better and better. You do not change your favorite horse as long as it wins the races.
Today's Fiat 500 is one of the most successful car designs - ever. Fortunately, last year's facelift was of the mild variety. I note that "my" new Fiat 500 has been given an extra horizontal chrome strip in the front and an extra grill between the fog lights. I also see that the front running lights have become larger and the rear lights have been changed. Inside, there is an infotainment system with a touch screen, which you expect to find on new cars. The panoramic sunroof lets a lot of light into the cabin. It gives a good feeling of space, but the digital display inside the speedometer becomes difficult to read in bright sunlight. Sometimes impossible without shadowing with one hand.
The appearance of the Fiat 500 oozes class. It fits naturally over everything. On the street with tagging on the walls, at the city's cafes between the Vespas, - as well as in front of the city's luxury villa. I think the burgundy Italian brightens up my street scene, where I live in the south of France.
"- I like the car a lot, me", says my wife. "But it looks a little small with you behind the wheel". I realize she is right. You don't expect to see a large northerner behind the wheel. However, the physical internal measurements are perfectly OK for me - who is 1,88 meters and wears 46 in shoes.
Down here there is a far greater proportion of mini cars than at home. This is mainly due to two things - insurance rules that make it practically impossible for young drivers to drive anything but the smallest cars, and the fact that the city streets are narrow. The fact that a large man drives a small car does not create any status-related negative attitudes from fellow road users. Everyone knows that a Fiat 500 can easily come from families with more than one vehicle, - maybe even a Ferrari, or something like that.
I note that the driver's seat provides good thigh support when I jack it down at the rear, which is the only height adjustment option. I'm thinking that if you have shorter legs than me, you may be forced to sit quite high - or close to the steering wheel - to reach the pedals. The steering wheel can be adjusted in height, but not in length. If you have short legs and a long torso, it may be difficult to find a good sitting position - but this is only speculation. I sits comfortably, but seems that the pedals, especially the clutch pedal, are pulled a little too much to the right. This has been done because of the wheel arch that extends in and steals space in the passenger compartment.
I like the steering wheel and controls. The interior colors are tough, with a white leather steering wheel, white center console and insets in the dashboard. I also like that the interior picks up the paint color of the car. You can have solid operating levers even if the car is small. Fiat has understood this. I must still admit that on a couple of occasions I have pulled the trigger too the seat height adjustment instead of the handbrake. The two "handles" can be easily confused.
The Fiat 500 drives like a regular, modern car. It was surprisingly stable on the highway. I have driven a lot on mountain roads with bumpy surfaces, tight turns and steep climbs. I have found nothing to complain about the car's ability to handle different surfaces under different conditions.
However, I could wish for a different engine.
"My" Fiat 500 has the simplest engine option, a 1,2 liter engine (SMPI VVT) of 69 horses and torque of 102 Nm/3000 revolutions. The engine is what it says on paper - nothing more, nothing less. It "lugging a bit" when applying gas. I think it is because the car only had 1000 km on the odometer. Another factor is that the air conditioning probably took a lot of effort. The temperature gauge is between 35-38 degrees here right now.
To keep up with the local drivers along the mountain roads, active use of gas and gears is required. The 5-stage cash register was easy to work with. With a high-positioned gear lever, you hardly need to take your hand off the steering wheel to shift gears. But, in holiday mode, we rather chose to take it easy and waved the local cars past, who acknowledged with two short blasts of the horn.
In holiday mode, the 1,2 liter is no problem. It is 4-cylinder and very quiet on southern motorways up to 120 km/h. Only towards 130 km/h is the engine whirring heard faintly. It surprised me a little that as long as you are on the road there is nothing to remind you that you are driving a minicar.
One of the smallest on the market.
The space in front is good for two adults. The back seat has room for two. In fact, surprisingly good space, since you can sit quite upright in the front seats. Two tall people will hardly sit comfortably in the same longitudinal direction. You cannot expect that in a three and a half meter car. I am also pleasantly surprised by the luggage compartment. It holds more than you might think, but requires smart packing.
Safety
The Fiat 500 has been tested by NCAP. The results are not up to par with competitors such as the Volkswagen Up! and Citroën C1. The Fiat 500 is penalized because both the driver dummy and the passenger dummy were measured for severe deceleration at the heads. Although there were no physical injuries to the heads, NCAP considers that there may be a risk that the people inside the car could be injured internal head injuries. In the lateral collision test and sideways against a pole, everything worked well.
Economy
The Fiat 500 is considered a relatively expensive car for its class. It has been produced almost unchanged for 10 years and holds its value well. Better than most other cars on the market. It is known that Fiat experienced a negative net profit after "The happy 80s". There were bankruptcies in the importer and dealer network, and the cars in this period were plagued with many faults. The problems were exacerbated due to a failure in finishing and follow-up by the then importer/retailer. This is probably something your father likes to tell you, as he admonishes you against buying a Fiat. Today's Polish-built Fiat 500 has proven to work well ever since its launch in 2007 and the Fiat players of the 80s are not following suit, so to speak.
The fuel economy has not yet been fully measured, but with mixed driving on mountain roads and motorways, our mileage was 0,61 litres/mile. Then we have driven one tank. I don't think that consumption will ruin anyone, but if you choose the TwinAir engine, you will get consumption among the very best.
Conclusion
The Fiat 500 fits in everywhere. It has a wonderful appearance. I am pleasantly surprised by the space and comfort. Driving this car for hours on the highway is no problem. The tested 1,2 engine is no longer sold in Norway. I have yet to test the two-cylinder 0,9 liter TwinAir turbo engine.
I have driven "my" Fiat 500 for a few days in Southern Europe, and will use it for many more days. I might have said that if you're more than average into driving, the Fiat 500 might not be for you - at least not with the 1,2-litre. But that is not entirely true. I myself am more than average interested in driving a car, and I have already covered more kilometers in the Fiat than many larger cars I have had down here...
Maybe it's because I'm in vacation mode?
Facts about the Fiat 500 Lounge 1.2
Engine: Sequential Multipoint Injection – Variable valve timing – 4 cylinders
Power: 69 HP/51 KW at 5500 rpm. Torque: 102 at 3000 rpm. The torque curve remains almost flat between 2750 – 4000 revs.
Own weight: 865 Kg.
Luggage compartment: 185 Kg.
The tested engine variant is no longer carried by the dealer network, but will probably still be taken in via alternative import channels.
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