La Dolce Vita translated from Italian, means to enjoy the small things, taking time to pause & appreciate everyday moments & generally to live life to the full. Fiat are using this moniker for the Fiat 600 which we tested recently. As my first car in 1988 was a Fiat Uno 55s, I’d like to think that it offered me a little bit of this, but as we found out the 600 definitely does.
Tell me more
The 600 is 1 metre longer than the hugely successful 500. Fiat have tried several times to produce a larger 500 with the X & L but neither model was quite on the money. The 600 hybrid goes some way to putting that right with Fiat’s engineers sprinkling a bit of magic pixie dust on the 600 to offer a car which is more family friendly, whilst retaining the cuteness of the 500 range.
Model choice
Fiat made of point of telling us at launch that the 600 would be a simple customer proposition. So there are just two models, Hybrid & Hybrid La Prima.
Engine
Two hybrid powertrains, a 100hp option that we tested or the more powerful 136hp version both built on the advanced CMP2 platform. The system integrates a 48V powertrain with a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 0.89kWh. Under certain conditions this can be recharged. It’s mounted under the front passenger seat, maximising boot space as well as handling.
The battery combines with a 1.2 litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that’s coupled to an electrified six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission (e-DCT6). A permanent magnet synchronous electric motor is integrated into the gearbox & produces peak power of 21kW (28HP) & maximum torque of 55Nm.The powertrain is particularly effective in city traffic, as the electric motor allows short distances of up to 1km to be driven on electric power alone under low torque requirements.
Emissions & MPG
CO2 emissions are 109g/km & fuel consumption is 57.6mpg on the WLTP Combined cycle.
Performance
Top speed on the 100hp version is 114 mph with a 0-62mph time of 10.9 seconds.
Driving modes
There’s no gear lever as such, rather four buttons located in the central dash for P, R, N & D.
Outside
Think 500 but with four doors, almost an amalgamation of the petrol 500 & 500X.
Inside
The 600 features an oval dashboard front coloured ivory with grey, with black & chrome plastic elsewhere. The magnetic cubby cover & steering wheel are soft touch whilst elsewhere, there are rather sensible, tough looking finishes. Beneath the touchscreen, you a get large cubby hole with the magnetic cover, the electric handbrake & a square of 4 buttons under the touchscreen. These are for the home screen, car functions, hazards & to lock/unlock the 600 with a line of short cut buttons underneath.
Steering wheel buttons for the adaptive cruise control are on the left with those to access the hands free telephone, increase volume & switch between audio functions located on the right. Lower down on the dash front right are headlight adjustment & heated windscreen switches.
The 600e also has an oval shaped 7″ TFT digital drivers information cluster which feeds the driver their speed, driving range & battery range.
Infotainment
At 10″ the touchscreen is a good size. A tick for the easy Apple CarPlay wireless connection to our i-Phone. Another tick for separate climate controls & separate volume control. The graphics are clear & response times pretty good. The menus are straightforward although as we found when we drove the Avenger, some of the icons are quite small. And Fiat’s SatNav isn’t the greatest visual wise.
Specifications & safety
Hybrid is decently kitted out with the 10″ touchscreen, 7″ TFT digital cluster, automatic climate controls, Keyless Go, cruise control, electric front & rear windows, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, rear parking sensors, an electric parking brake, LED front & rear signature lights, LED front turn indicator & position lights & 16″ steel wheels with bi colour covers.
Hybrid La Prima adds a rear view camera, 6 speaker audio, Autonomous Driving Level 2 with Stop & Go lane centring, Autonomous Emergency Brake, Blind Spot Detection, privacy glass, LED fog lights with cornering function, a hands free tailgate & power adjustable drivers seat with lumbar support.
Practicality
At a metre longer than the 500, there’s definitely more space in the cabin. Front seat passengers have good head & leg room with on La Prima the bonus of driver electric lumbar support & three-stage heating on the cream synthetic leather upholstery.
The bin between the front seats comes with a very useful 15 litres of storage, the fold-back magnetic storage cover hides more space with twin USB’s inside, there’s a smallish glove box, a dashboard opening that’s perfect for your keys & decent front door pockets. Rear headrooms pretty good & although if you’re tall you may struggle for leg room. In the back you get seat pockets & a single USB but no door pockets.
La Prima also comes with a hands-free power tailgate & 385 litres of storage with all of the seats in place, expanding to 1,256 litres with the rear seats down. The boot space can be increased or decreased with a moveable base. This easily swallowed our weekend luggage & outdoor gear.
Prices
600 Hybrid 100HP 6-Speed Auto £23,975
600 Hybrid La Prima 100HP 6-Speed Auto £26,975
600 Hybrid 136HP 6-Speed Auto £24,975
600 Hybrid La Prima 136HP 6-Speed Auto £27,975
Driving
Our first few days saw us drive 75 miles locally over short distances & the 600 is most definitely a city whizz kid. It’s short enough to manoeuvre & to park but is also nippy enough to deal with the urban crawl.
Connecting wirelessly to Apple CarPlay meant easy access to Waze & to my podcasts & although the touchscreen itself is quite small, it’s very easy to work with, being bright quick to respond to inputs.
From start off you’ll find that the 600 wants to pull away fast & you’ll need to be wary of this by using a light right foot. After a couple of days you get used to it but it’s certainly interesting.
Elsewhere, on twisting undulating roads with the light steering aiding, it handles really well & offers a little bit of small car fun.
On a 260 mile round trip to North Wales at speeds of up to 70mph I’d expected the 600 to be noisy. It wasn’t & my colleague & I had an audible conversation both there & back. We came across some muddy & slippery road surfaces near Abersoch which were handled with aplomb. Parking in the town was simple thanks in part to the 10.5 metre turning circle & the light steering, although it’s worth noting that all around visibility is partially hampered by the C pillars as we discovered on a sloping road exit.
On the motorway we selected cruise control & with the option of adaptive cruise control or autonomous driving on La Prima, the hard work is taken care of . At motorway speeds it’s really quiet which was a nice surprise & we both found the front seats comfortable & pliant even when finished in synthetic leather. I climbed in the back & once you’ve adjusted the rear headrest it’s a comfortable space to be sat in, although it’s definitely not big enough for three.
Pros
Cute looks, decent cabin space, clever Italian design, quiet & comfortable, automatic gear box, it’s ticking most of our boxes.
Cons
Not as spacious in the rear as some competitors. Some internal finishes are a little disappointing.
Conclusion
Fiat have pulled it off with the 600e. They’ve built a 500e but bigger. The Italian touches are most welcome & we salute Fiat for the fact there isn’t a grey colour offered either. For a smallish-car it’s a surprisingly quiet & comfortable car to be in & even the 100hp model offers decent performance. The infotainment & safety features are outstanding & front passenger space is excellent. Our only real criticism is the rear leg room which isn’t fantastic& that some lower down finishes feel a bit cheap. Otherwise the 600 is a resounding success.
An Azzuri 4.25/5
