Fiat have gone backwards to move forwards by launching a hybrid version of their iconic 500, with a six-speed manual gearbox. Built for the city it’s a new direction for the 500 which in the current form has only been offered as an EV. CC&V popped down to Crumplebury to try one out.
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Both the hybrid 500 hatchback & convertible sit on the same platform as the 500 Electric. So looks wise they are almost identical even inside, except where the automatic EV gear buttons are located in the hybrid is a gear stick. Power comes from a 1.0 litre 3-cylinder petrol engine with a 12v mild hybrid system & a six-speed manual gearbox.
Prices
The Fiat 500 Hybrid is priced from £18,995 OTR for Icon or £20,995 for La Prima.
Model choice
Two versions are offered, entry level Icon with 16” alloy wheels, air-con, rear parking sensors, wireless CarPlay & Android Auto, LED headlamps, two-tone monogram fabric seats in Black & Ivory, a body coloured dashboard, a 10.25” touchscreen with a soft-touch black steering wheel.
La Prima tops the range adding 17″alloys, a panoramic glass roof, tinted rear glass, eco-leather seats in Graphite & Ivory, a 2-tone steering wheel, a matt ivory dashboard, JBL premium audio, SatNav, a wireless charger, heated front seats & rear parking camera.
Outside
This Cinquecento is a clever nod to the original & is arguably the finest attempt by any car maker to introduce an icon of old, in this case the 1957 original. Round light clusters on the front & the familiar tailgate are unmistakably 500. Now with LED light front & rear, flush door handles & in our test car’s case finished in metallic Rose Gold.
Inside
The Hybrid may be new, but it’s reassuringly a Fiat 500. Our Icon test car featured Ivory seats with the Ivory & Graphite dashboard, with the build quality improved over the previous version.
The dashboard itself is clutter free, with most of the functions accessed via the centrally mounted 10.25″ touchscreen, which features pin-sharp graphics. The heating controls are separate though, sitting beneath the screen. The gearstick sits smack bang centre & is large enough not to be missed. The push button start & a single USB also sit in the centre of the dash.
The steering wheel features controls, that allow access to the hands-free telephone & multi-media, as well as the cruise control. In front of the steering wheel sits a TFT 7″ digital instrument cluster. It’s bright & easy to read. Interestingly, there’s no door handles, rather a button located on the door which you push to open. There’s a nice touch on here too, with a ‘Made in Torino’ logo on the inside, denoting the cars manufacture, in the same Turin factory that built the original 500.
Infotainment
Bright & easy to use, it’s actually a touch on the small size. But, with useful buttons below , for climate for example, the screen doesn’t control absolutely everything which ha stop be a good thing. We connected to CarPlay easily & the small JBL speakers offered an excellent sound whether for the DAB Radio or Spotify as we tried both
Cabin & boot storage
In-between the front seats there’s a storage area which contains a second USB input, a 12v socket & as an extra fitted to the Icon, a wireless charging pad. There’s room for a cup behind this. The door pockets are narrow & quite hard to reach, although the glove box is a good size. Access to the rear seats is fiddly & the space on offer is tight.
The boot lid opens nice & high making access easy. And the rear seats fold down 50:50 creating a decent space of 440 litres up from the small 185 litres offered with the seats up.
Engine & performance
The 1.0 litre 3-cylinder engine develops 65 hp for a casual romp to 62mph of 16.2 seconds.
Safety
The Fiat 500 features a comprehensive suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for a safe & convenient driving experience. These include Parking Assistance with rear sensors (including front sensors & rearview camera on La Prima), as well as assisted driving features like Cruise Control, Speed Limiter, Active Safety Brake & Lane Keeping Assist.
On the road
We loved the old Twin Air version of the 500, loud, quick & tremendous fun, but sadly the new Hybrid is none of these. With two of us on board it was ponderous especially when going up an incline. Fun was had manually changing gears which at least gives you control over the revs & when to change. Better is the incredibly light steering & with it’s pocket-sized dimensions, it has brilliant built in agility making it a cinch to drive in town.
Our hilly, country driving route didn’t really show the Hybrid in its best light. Really, it’s a city-slicker that will cruise comfortably on the motorway when required. The on-board tech is excellent, short-cut buttons are very good news especially for turning off some annoying
In truth the Hybrid is a throwback. My first car, an A reg 1.1-litre Fiat Uno was similar coming with just 58 hp & a 0-60mph time of 15 seconds. This was a perfect first car, powerful enough to get you from A to B & frugal too. Although blowing the big-end on the M56 on Easter Sunday 1990 did for mine, I have fond memories & I totally get what Fiat are doing with the Hybrid.
It’s striving to offer cheap motoring with a low entry price & excellent fuel economy of 54.3mpg. And with fuel prices on the cup this has to be good news all around.
Company car friendly ?
Definitely as it comes with BIK of just 4% !
The good
It looks fantastic both inside & out. Infotainment & safety features are a big step up from the previous 500. A sub-19k entry price means there’s a 500 Hybrid for everyone. And for company car drivers 4% BIK makes it a complete steal !
The bad
It’s cramped in the back & the boot is tiny. It doesn’t offer much in the way of driving thrills.
Verdict
Fiat are to be applauded for finally offering the latest 500 with a petrol engine. After all, not everyone can make an EV work for them. A manual gearbox is a throw-back & may take some getting used to if you’re under 35. Looks wise it’s perfect & we can forgive it almost everything else because it’s Federico Fellini’s LA Dolce Vita with four wheels !
An Anita Ekberg 3.5/5
