Fun is its forte

More efficient
The new Fiat 500 was relaunched in the summer of 2015, and is a refreshed version of the car which brought modern retro motoring to the masses nine years ago. The previous model was a sales success, and at first glance, Fiat hasn’t tinkered about too much with its town tiddler. However, over 1,900 changes have been made, and while the external appearance of the car looks much the same, new headlamps, brightwork, LED daytime running lights, and ‘empty’ rear tail lamps lend a refreshed look.

The interior now gets Fiat’s ‘Uconnect’ infotainment systems, as well as detail changes to offer more comfort. Arguably the biggest fettling has gone on under the little Fiat’s equally diminutive bonnet: the car’s range of engines has been given a thorough going over and has resulted in a more efficient and environmentally‑attuned range of units. The new 500 is safer than the old one, too, with seven airbags and a host of active safety systems fitted as standard. Just before our Lounge TwinAir 105 test car arrived, we also spent some time in its 1.2-litre-engined sister. Normally aspirated and with 69bhp, the larger capacity engine is less frenetic – even with its five gears, one fewer than the TwinAir – but we prefer the buzzy nature of the turbocharged car.

Unusually, even though it boasts 36bhp more, the turbocharged TwinAir is greener, its 99g/km stacking up more favourably in the VED stakes than the 1.2’s 110g/km. Yes, it is more expensive to buy in the first place, but it may cost less to run, although the new ‘Eco’ version of the 1.2 (see panel) may well prove to be a formidable sibling with its lower tax rates and improved economy when compared to the standard car. A diesel-engined Fiat 500 is also now part of the new range. The 1.3 MultiJet 95 offers the same 88g/km of CO2 emissions as the TwinAir 85 Turbo Dualogic petrol, but has a stated combined cycle fuel economy of 83.1mpg, the thriftiest of the new Fiat 500 range. Along with the Fiat Panda, the 500 MultiJet is the only city car available in the UK with a diesel engine. The speedometer information system is very comprehensive and mirrors data on the central touchscreen, but some of the data on doesn’t correlate between the two, which could be an issue when keeping one eye on economy.

Sense of fun
There’s no denying the new Fiat 500 is a stylish little car, made all the more so with our TwinAir’s £500 optional ‘Avantgarde Bordeaux’ metallic paint, which is also seen on the coloured panel which stretches across the dashboard. Inside, as before, the new 500 takes inspiration from the Nuova 500 from the 1950s, and the cabin, like the car’s overall demeanour, has a sense of fun.

Space is at a premium, though, the new car seemingly not quite so space efficient as that original 1957 ground-breaker. The electric sunroof fitted to our car did lend a more spacious feeling, though, but the one thing it couldn’t do is extend the amount of tight legroom in the rear. However, if it was made any larger, the small Fiat wouldn’t be able to scoot through the city streets quite so easily, and that it does extremely well. 

As with the 1.2, the TwinAir 105 feels nippy and darty in the urban landscape with its light steering and small dimensions. Both versions can handle situations out of it, too, which is something their classic predecessor had issues with, but they are ultimately at home in the city cut and thrust.

Yes, the TwinAir’s two-cylinder engine emits a fair bit of noise and the six-speed gearbox has a fair amount of transmission ‘whine’, but they give the new 500 a character similar to that of the original. The engine actually sounds a little like the early car’s rear-mounted – also two-cylinder – air-cooled unit. The manual car’s gear change is very slick, too, and the high-placed knob makes for easy shifts.

‘Eco Index’
The 0.9-litre turbocharged engine picks up well once on the move – even in top gear – and emits a rorty growl upon acceleration. An ‘eco’ index on the right-hand side of the speedo of both cars informs of how economical the car is being driven at any given time: a more economical driving style sees the counter move higher towards the ‘100’ marker – at which point it turns green – the ultimate destination for eco-minded enthusiasts. It’s not all parsimonious fun, though: press the ’Sport’ button on the TwinAir and the (optional) seven-inch TFT screen and ‘dials’ ahead of the driver change from displaying an ‘Eco Index’, and show a ’Turbo’ gauge. The markings change to red, and the speedometer numerals change from roman to italic – now, the TwinAir shows its less fuel-efficient side, and has a briskness the 1957 car could only dream of. 

Back with eco-mindedness, a Start & Stop system is standard on all new Fiat 500 models and it works well. The Italian company quotes 67.3mpg on the combined cycle for the turbocharged TwinAir: during our 339-mile test, we saw a real-world average of 46.1. The 1.2 was 3mpg more economical over the 334 miles we spent with it, not hampered by the TwinAir’s narrow power band and more frenetic gear changes. Around town, our TwinAir’s ride felt slightly bouncy and lumpy, no doubt a result of its £180 optional 16-inch wheels. As standard, the Lounge TwinAir 105 comes with 15-inch alloy wheels (shared with the 1.2) which we suspect would make the ride a little more comfortable. Other options on both cars included an upgraded navigation TomTom navigation system, an electrochromatic rear view mirror, and automatic climate control. All of which took the TwinAir’s price £70 short of £17,000 – a lot of money for a city car. 

Tax and economy savings
The cute and convivial Fiat 500 has proved extremely popular since its rebirth in 2007. Over 1.5 million have been built at its factory in the aptly-named town of Tychy in Poland. The little Italian car has found more than 257,000 buyers in the UK, while the 500 is now on sale in more than 100 countries around the world. The reborn 500 has not just found favour with buyers, either: Next Green Car, friends of GreenFleet, awarded the TwinAir 85 the City Car prize in its 2015 awards, just one accolade the new Fiat 500 has won since its arrival. 

Although the addition of the ‘Eco’ and MultiJet diesel models broaden the new Fiat 500’s range and environmentally-friendly offerings still further, the performance of the turbocharged versions is both more accessible and ultimately more enjoyable. The extra pep and character – as well as the lower tax costs – of the pair of TwinAir models make the turbocharged cars more enjoyable than the 1.2. The larger-engined car did prove to be more economic on our test, although the Dualogic variant of the TwinAir 85 is cleaner and sits at the lowest-emitting end of the new 500 range. Whichever version of Fiat’s city car you go for, study the pricelists carefully: numerous options can make for a pricey town tot, and that would perhaps negate any promised tax and economy savings.

Further information
www.fiat.co.uk