Fiat has brought some fresh Italian sauce to the compact car market with the launch of the updated Fiat 500 range, priced from $14,000 ‘Driveaway. So for less money than a Suzuki Swift or Toyota Yaris you can now secure Italian pizazz, those cute-as-a-puppy looks and an automotive icon which ranks alongside the Porsche 911, Volkswagen Beetle and Mini Cooper.
Exactly 12 months since Chrysler brought the Australian distribution of Fiat – and Alfa Romeo - in-house, launch of the updated 500 range comes on the back of news that Fiat sales have increased by 50 per-cent in that time and Alfa Romeo sales have grown by 20 per-cent. And there’s more to come with the new Panda and Punto on the way for Fiat and of course the astonishing 4C sports car beckoning for Alfa Romeo (plus, if European spy shots are a guide, some Alfa Romeo compact and mid-size SUVs).
Fiat 500 Overview
The updated Fiat 500 range now covers eight variants, three engines and three equipment levels – ‘Pop’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Lounge’ – including hatchback and cabrio body styles.
Top of the totem pole is the limited edition (only 499 being produced, 40 coming to Australia) Abarth 695 Edizione Maserati with its 132 kW/250Nm turbocharged 1.4-litre engine, Brembo brakes, Koni shock absorbers and extensive Maserati kit including 17-inch alloy wheels, sand beige interior leather and dashboard from Jaeger. File this one under ‘D’ for desirable.
Also a limited edition (101 coming ‘Downunder’) is the Fiat 500 By Gucci. The result of collaboration between Gucci creative director Frida Giannini and stylists at Fiat’s Centro Stile, the upmarket 500 is finished in glossy pearl glass paint with glass beads to make the paintwork brilliantly shiny. Hatchback models run a Gucci green-red-green stripe over the roof while Cabrio models score a similarly-coloured web pattern print.
The Gucci stripe continues inside for the seats, seat belts and key cover while the alloy wheels feature the hallmark Gucci ‘GG’ symbol.
Inside are glorious exotic materials, satin chrome highlights, two-tone seats in Frau leather with ‘Guccissima’ graphics, satellite navigation and a six-speaker Interscope audio system.
Back in the mainstream, the entry-level Fiat 500 Pop employs the 51kW 1.2-litre, four-cylinder engine, mid-grade Fiat 500 Sport and range-topping Fiat 500 By Gucci use the 74kW 1.4-litre petrol engine while the Fiat 500 Lounge enjoys the remarkable 63kW 0.9-litre three-cylinder TwinAir with combined cycle fuel consumption of just 3.9l/100kms (the same as Toyota’s acclaimed Prius hybrid).
As you would expect from a European icon, equipment levels across the range are impressive with even the $14,000 ‘Driveaway’ Pop model including seven airbags, air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors and a height-adjustable drivers’ seat.
Stepping-up to the Sport model adds a sports bodykit including a 15-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler, sports seats with contrasting red stitching, a flat-bottom leather-wrapped sports steering wheel, front fog lights, larger brakes and tinted windows.
The Fiat 500 Lounge ramps-up further with a glass roof (with sun blind), climate control air-conditioning, 15-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels and fuel-saving auto start-stop.
The full range is:
Hatchback
500 Pop 1.2l manual $14,000 ‘Driveaway’
500 Pop 1.2l automatic $15,500
500 Sport 1.4l manual $16,900
500 Sport 1.4l automatic $18,400
500 Lounge 0.9l automatic $20,300
500 by Gucci 1.4l automatic $23,200
Cabrio
500 Pop 1.2l automatic $17,900
500 Sport 1.4l automatic $20,800
500 Lounge 0.9l automatic $22,700
500 by Gucci 1.4l automatic $25,650
Abarth 695 Edizione Maserati $60,000
Fiat 500 Engine
Entry-level 500 Pop is powered by Fiat’s high-tech 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. Boasting typical European engineering sophistication, including Marelli multiport injection and drive-by-wire throttle, the 1.2-litre delivers maximum power of 51kW at 5500rpm, peak torque of 102Nm at 3000rpm and combined cycle fuel consumption of 5.1l/100kms.
Fiat 500 Sport and Fiat 500 By Gucci score the 1.4-litre 16-valve four-cylinder petrol engine. Maximum power is 74kW at 6000rpm, peak torque is 131Nm at 4250rpm and combined cycle fuel consumption is rated at 6.1l/100kms. Fiat 500 Sport comes with a dashboard-mounted ‘Sport’ button which delivers crisper throttle response and firmer steering feel – perfect for those twisty roads over the Italian Alps on the way to Turin!
And Fiat 500 Lounge gets the world-acclaimed 0.9-litre Fiat TwinAir three-cylinder petrol engine. MultiAir is an electro-hydraulic valve management system which reduces fuel consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves (without using the throttle). Fiat says the TwinAir system provides the 0.9-litre Fiat 500 10 per-cent more power and 15 per-cent more torque at low engines speeds compared with a normal engine of this size. For the latest Fiat 500, maximum power is 63kW at 5500rpm, peak torque is 145Nm at just 1900rpm – that beats Volkswagen’s much-hyped three-cylinder Up with 55kW/95Nm - and combined cycle fuel consumption scores 3.9l/100kms.
Drive is to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission (1.2-litre engine), a six-speed manual (1.4-litre engine) or a Dualogic automatic transmission.
Fiat 500 The Interior
Like the Volkswagen Beetle and MINI, inside the Fiat 500’s style is a modern interpretation of the classic original. And, also like the Beetle and MINI, this time it works and it’s practical.
Seats are modern and supportive but in looks are throwbacks to the original. Ditto the dashboard with the large circular speedometer cleverly including secondary information displays.
The three-spoke steering wheel is classically Italian in its styling but only adjusts for height. Buttons on the spokes (audio, phone etc) definitely weren’t on the original. Height adjustment for the drivers’ seat (except on Gucci models) helps, but the driving position is the typical Italian short leg-long arm (you soon get used to it).
To the left is the nicely-shaped gear-lever and compact center console with the air-con controls – all beautifully-styled in the Italian way. Centre mounted on top of the dashboard is the audio system which is slickly integrated into the curved dashboard shape.
The Fiat 500 comes with Fiat’s ‘Blue&Me’ hands-free phone system with voice recognition which can manage up to five mobile phones simultaneously. Jointly developed with Microsoft, Blue&Me includes USB music player connectivity.
Like other compacts the Fiat 500’s rear seat isn’t massive and access is a tad tight – but once you get there comfort is surprisingly good.
Luggage space for the hatchback is 185-litres with the rear seat in-place or 550-litres when folded. The Fiat 500 Cabrio offers 182l/520l. If luggage is important to you, the Abarth 695 Edizione Maserati model offers an optional tailor-made set of leather luggage by Tramontano…trust the Italians.
Fiat 500 Exterior & Styling
It goes without saying the Fiat 500 is the style leader of the compact car segment. Trust those Italians. That classic bubble shape has stood the test of time and is perhaps a closer interpretation of the original than either the Beetle of the Mini.
Fiat 500 Sport scores the sports body kit and spoiler plus front fog-lights, dark tinted windows and 15-inch alloy wheels with red-painted calipers for the Brembo brakes. Pop and Lounge models add chrome exterior highlights
And the cabrio version is nothing short of remarkable with a high-tech and sophisticated execution of the rag top.
Fiat 500 On The Road
We’re hoping to score other Fiat 500 models for our usual week-long tests in coming weeks but at the national media launch we restricted our driving to the $14,000 ‘Driveaway’ entry-level Pop model (five-speed manual). And the drive program covered mostly city driving (the natural environment for these cars).
Obviously the Fiat 500 isn’t the Alfa Romeo 4C and the 51kW 1.2-litre, four-cylinder isn’t the most powerful in the compact car segment. But whoa! it loves to work, sounds great when you crack the whip and, combined with a slick-shifting five-speeder, gets things percolating nicely.
So freeway merging is OK and we easily maintained pace with the peloton.
In the typical European way, the Fiat 500’s steering provides reassuringly connected feedback and the suspension is pleasingly taut and precise (not always the case in this segment). And refinement levels match the best compacts.
Fiat 500 Verdict
There are lots of European compact cars on offer in Australia, but only one is Italian – the Fiat 500.
When Chrysler Group assumed local Fiat/Alfa Romeo distribution, then CEO Clyde Campbell said re-pricing and re-specification was called for across the range. We suspect the Fiat 500 was in his sights from day one.
Now priced from $14,000 ‘Driveaway’, some would say this ridiculously stylish Fiat is priced where it should always have been.
A compact car bristling with technology and safety (including seven airbags), showcasing head-turning Italian style gets our vote. We’ll have a Fiat 500 thanks with our latte and pasta (the Car Showroom budget doesn’t stretch to designer Italian suits but you can see where we’re headed here…)
Fiat 500 The Competition
Mazda2 rules the top of the compact car sales chart and, priced from $15,790 you get a lot of car for your coin. Typical Mazda quality and practicality make the ‘2’ a winner.
Same for the Toyota Yaris – everything you expect from Toyota in a small package. $14,990 gets you started (three-door YR).
Volkswagen’s Up has attracted plenty of media coverage but so far sales haven’t been spectacular. $13,990 starting price for the Up three-door.
Perhaps more so than any other segment, in compact cars we recommend you check the detailed specifications of cars you’re comparing – the Fiat 500 is highly specified as standard but some rivals are not.
