New Fiat 500 review

How does Fiat's first European electric car stack up in the ever wider range of small EVs?

23w ago
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Welcome to the newest member of the legendary 500 family. The styling still shows connections to the 2007 Fiat 500 and of course the original 1957, rear-engined model, but unlike both of those and for the first time in Fiat's European history, it's powered by an electric motor.

The motor in question puts out 118 of the finest Italian electric ponies and 220 of their Newtonmeters. This is more than enough for the city, as well as the motorway, as the car is very stable even at higher speeds, due to the floor mounted battery. You do get quite a bit of wind noise, especially through the glass panoramic roof, which is standard on this La Prima model. To help you along on longer journeys, the car features the whole suite of assistance systems. Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, 360 degree parking sensors, rear view camera, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and automatic high beams are all fitted to the car as standard. What's even better, is they all work brilliantly. Yes the camera could be clearer, but the adaptive cruise control, for example is almost on par with the likes of VW. Good job Fiat! Since we're talking about standard equipment, I should probably also mention the LED headlights and taillights, that both help complete the 500s more premium look. Where the car really shines, is of course the city. Thanks to its electric powertrain, it feels zippier than ever before, the electrically assisted power steering is properly light, which combined with the all around parking sensors, the car's just 3.6m length and a parking camera, makes maneuvering a doddle even in the tightest of spaces.

Speaking of tight spaces, the interior. To be fair, even though the new 500 has grown by less than 10cm compared to the old one, it feels much roomier inside, possibly thanks to the all white interior and the glass roof. The car is still available only as a two door, so getting to the rear seats is quite a challenge, for those of us above the 6ft mark. Not that you'll be in much of a hurry to get back there, as the space is really only useful for children or as storage. And you'll want to use it as storage, because the boot only has space for 185 litres of your belongings.

But enough of the rear, where this car has made the biggest leap over its predecessor, is in the front. It's dominated by a wide 10.25 inch touchscreen, that unlike Fiats of old, is bright, clear and responsive. Its Sat-nav is also much better than before, allowing you to search for businesses' names, not just their addresses, much like Google Maps. If phone mirroring is more to your preference, there are also wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto. In place of your dials, you have another bright and clear screen, that is very customizable and can display a ton of information at once. In front of the screen is the beautiful two spoke, two-tone steering wheel with media controls on the front and back. It may take some getting used to, but it does clean up the wheel's face, leaving more room for your cruise control and menu buttons. Featured in this top of the range La Prima model, are the equally beautiful white ''eco leather'' seats, with Fiat monogrammed on them. The leather is soft, the seating position is a bit too high and the seats aren't the most supportive, but then this isn't a sportscar, so they do the job of keeping you comfortable over cobbled city streets very well. An added plus for people with children, you can find three ISOFIX mounting points in the car, with the third mounted on the front seat.

Let's talk a little bit more about the car's drivetrain. The aforementioned electric motor sends its power through a one-speed transmission, controlled by physical buttons under the infotainment screen. Until you realize they require a long press and not just a quick tap, switching from Drive to Reverse will be an infuriating experience. What's definitely not infuriating, is how the car handles corners. You certainly feel the weight as the car rolls through the corner, but less than you would expect, thanks to the low center of gravity and firm suspension. The car also features three drive modes, Normal, Range and the wonderfully named Sherpa mode. The last two offer true one pedal driving, while Sherpa turns off things like the A/C and decreases power output, to increase the range from WLTP's 320km, to 460km of city driving. The battery supporting this range has 37.3kWh of usable capacity and can be charged to 100% in 4 hours 15 minutes on an AC charger and to 80% in 35 minutes on an 80kW DC fast charger.

The new Fiat 500e is a car anyone would be hard-pressed to dislike. It's brimming with italian character and style, like many before it, but unlike its older brethren it finally has the quality and technology to back that character and make this an incredibly easy car to live with. One thing I haven't mentioned yet, but is in my opinion what makes this car so special is all of the details found inside and out, starting with the key, which was designed to look like a smooth pebble. And it does!! You can look through some of these details in the gallery below.

All of this Italian goodness doesn't come cheap. The current entry model called Icon, starts at just under 35.000€ before government incentives, although cheaper models are coming in the future. This price starts to place the 500e next to cars, like VW's ID.3 or the Hyundai Kona, which offer a lot more space or even performance. But if you're after a small, well equipped and good looking car, you can't go wrong with the Fiat 500e.

What do you think of the new Fiat 500e? Let me know in the comments below!

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