TURIN, Italy – America’s relationship with the Fiat 500 has been rocky at greatest.
Skimming over the unique, pre-war mannequin, the second-generation 500 (the one with a rear-mounted engine) was briefly offered right here with funky headlights that caught out from the entrance finish like a bug’s eyes. Small and underpowered, although an incredible quantity of enjoyable to drive in its personal manner, it didn’t catch on and moseyed out of our market after a couple of brief years.
The third-generation 500 spearheaded Fiat’s return to america when it disembarked right here in 2012. It offered in addition to you may count on a European-flavored subcompact hatchback to promote within the Ford F-150’s bastion and bowed out in 2019, although it’s nonetheless offered throughout the pond alongside its meant successor. That may be the fourth-generation 500, unveiled in 2020, which stored the retro design however went electric-only.
Gross sales in america are scheduled to begin in early 2024, that means the cheeky hatchback might be about 4 years outdated by the point it turns a wheel on American pavement. Is it well worth the wait? I traveled to Fiat’s dwelling city of Turin in northern Italy to get a greater thought of what makes this fun-sized EV buzz.
There’s one level I want to deal with proper off the bat: what you see in our gallery isn’t precisely what you’ll get when the brand new 500 rolls into American showrooms with an “e” connected to the top of its identify. Fiat hasn’t detailed the American-market mannequin but, however it’s affordable to imagine a lot of the adjustments might be discovered on the specs sheet and on the checklist of normal and non-obligatory tools. Fiat can’t take a European-market automotive and ship it right here unchanged, however I’m not anticipating important updates to the outside or inside design — nothing suggests it’s going to morph into an outdoorsy four-door crossover.
Talking of design, it’s been the five hundred’s fundamental promoting level for the reason that last-generation mannequin made its debut in 2007 so Fiat’s edits have been fairly mild. I’d guess somebody who isn’t updated with what’s taking place on automotive planet won’t notice that they’re taking a look at a brand new 500, and that’s intentional. Nonetheless unabashedly retro, the mannequin stands out from its predecessor with a new-look entrance finish that options two-piece LED headlights and a giant “500” emblem, shiny beltline trim and a extra chiseled hatch. Its proportions haven’t modified, however it’s barely greater than earlier than: it stretches 143 inches lengthy, 66.3 inches extensive, and 60.1 inches tall, dimensions that make it about 3 inches longer, 2 inches wider, and a couple of inches taller than the final 500 offered right here. It’s supplied as a hatchback with two or three (!) doorways and as a quasi-convertible. I drove the two-door hatchback, and it’s too early to inform which variant(s) will come to america.
Greater adjustments are scattered all through the inside: the brand new 500e feels a lot nicer than the last-generation mannequin, each when it comes to match and end, and of apparatus (it even has power-operated door handles, Maserati-style). It additionally advantages from the identical enjoyable strategy to design that permeates a lot of the latest additions to the Stellantis portfolio. “FIAT” is stitched into the upholstery, the outdated 500’s define seems within the inside door pull subsequent to the phrase “Made in Torino,” and the Turin skyline is etched into the wi-fi charging pad’s mat. The driving force faces a two-spoke steering wheel and a refreshingly easy digital instrument cluster, whereas a ten.25-inch touchscreen dominates the dashboard.
The similarities between the last-generation 500 and the brand new mannequin are merely skin-deep; the 2 vehicles share nothing beneath the sheet metallic. Constructed on a brand new platform, the 500e ships with a single, front-mounted electrical motor that attracts electrical energy from a tiny, 28.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack to zap the entrance wheels with 95 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. This model suggestions the size at 2,601 kilos, and my crystal ball tells me we’re unlikely to see it in america. What we’ll doubtless get (although remember the fact that that is pure hypothesis) is the drivetrain European motorists must pay further for. It’s nonetheless constructed round a front-mounted electrical motor, however the battery pack’s measurement will increase to 42 kWh and horsepower jumps to 118, although torque stays flat. On this configuration, the two,843-pound 500e takes 9 seconds to achieve 62 mph from a cease versus 9.5 seconds for the bottom mannequin.
Driving vary relies on the place you drive and who you ask. Fiat quotes figures of 118 miles and 205 miles for the small and massive battery packs, respectively, however it notes that driving solely within the metropolis unlocks 257 miles and 291 miles, respectively. These numbers have been achieved utilizing Europe’s notoriously optimistic WLTP testing cycle, and the EPA figures might be decrease (assuming we get both battery pack).
There’s quite a bit to love concerning the 500e from the motive force’s seat. It’s extra spacious than you may assume given its dimensions, the entrance seats are moderately comfy, and the digital instrument cluster is refreshingly easy. It’s primary, which is a pleasant change from a number of the IMAX-like shows firms are more and more stuffing into their vehicles. And, in a manner, it’s additionally retro: the outdated 500 got here with a quite simple instrument cluster as properly. The supplies on the dashboard really feel good contemplating the section this automotive competes in, although you don’t must poke round for very lengthy to search out rock-hard plastics, and the gear selector buttons save house however are clunky to make use of. Out again … properly, it’s a 500, a mannequin that has by no means, ever been admired for roominess. It’s tight, and the trunk is small, however anticipating to suit NBA gamers within the rear seats and a cooler within the trunk is like anticipating to zig-zag throughout central Rome in a Chevrolet Tahoe.
Fiat will make some adjustments to the 500e earlier than launching it in america, as talked about above, however I’d say the inside is nice to go as-is … with one exception. The lone, itsy-bitsy cupholder that flips out from the underside a part of the middle console is just not going to chop it within the land Massive Gulpuccinos.
One of many extra attention-grabbing and surprising takeaways from my time behind the wheel is that the 500e drives quite a bit like its gasoline-burning predecessor. It’s faster because of the electrical motor’s on the spot torque, and it’s clearly quieter, however it doesn’t prefer to be hustled (that’s what the Abarth-branded mannequin is ostensibly for). Whereas the battery pack is built-in into the chassis and straight beneath the seats, its comparatively small measurement prevents the 500e from feeling as planted and bottom-heavy as different EVs.
The place this automotive actually shines is within the metropolis. It effortlessly and silently glides from mild to mild and darts into gaps in visitors. It’s straightforward to park, too, because of a comparatively tight turning radius and a light-weight steering system. It’s additionally at dwelling on nation roads and even on the freeway, although the steering is equal components fast and obscure and the suspension is surprisingly harsh. I think about that’s one of many adjustments that Fiat will make earlier than giving the 500e permission to journey to america; global-market vehicles typically include a firmer suspension in Europe than in america attributable to completely different purchaser preferences.
One of many infotainment system’s menus exhibits the ability circulate, which isn’t uncommon in a contemporary automotive no matter powertrain sort. What’s cool right here is that, along with the motor’s real-time energy consumption, it shows how a lot juice the local weather management system is drawing. This takes a substantial amount of the guesswork out of driving an EV — in case your vary is free-falling, it could assist you determine why. In my case, I misplaced extra vary than I lined distance. It was pretty chilly on the foot of the Italian Alps, so I had the heater on for a lot of the drive (my tester didn’t have heated seats). Your mileage might actually differ.
Fiat programmed three driving modes known as Regular, Vary and Sherpa, respectively. The primary mode is self-explanatory, however an vital element is that there’s no perceptible brake-energy regeneration. Raise off the accelerator pedal and the 500e coasts with none resistance. Vary feels quite a bit like Regular however it brings a robust quantity of regen; you may come to a full cease by lifting your foot off the accelerator. Final and, on this case, least, Sherpa limits the highest pace to about 50 mph and disables the air con system in addition to the heated seats (if geared up) to avoid wasting as a lot vary as potential. In a doubtful manner, that is one other retro contact: with Sherpa mode, you’ll be scorching as hell in the summertime and by no means attain freeway speeds, identical to in a 1957 500 with an air-cooled, 13-horsepower two-cylinder engine.
The one-pedal driving mode is an actual boon in metropolis driving, and it provides a little bit little bit of vary to the battery pack each time you are taking your foot off the accelerator pedal, but when I might return and intervene within the design course of, I’d add an intermediate mode. Because it stands, it’s all or nothing, and the regeneration you get in Vary mode is comparatively aggressive. The 500e would profit from, say, a Vary-Mild mode.
There are two methods to have a look at the 500e. On one hand, it’s an entire lot much less helpful and an entire lot dearer than its gasoline-powered predecessor. The restricted driving vary will relegate it to second-car standing for many households and, whereas pricing for the American market hasn’t been launched, it gained’t be low-cost. Pricing begins at €29,950 for the 95-horsepower mannequin and €33,150 for the 118-horsepower model in Italy, figures that symbolize roughly $31,800 and $35,200, respectively, although the conversion isn’t so simple as Google makes it out to be. Alternatively, there’s a subset of the inhabitants that may welcome the 500e as the right automotive. It turns heads even in its dwelling nation, it has top-of-the-line interiors in Europe’s crowded city-car section, and it’s tailored for big-city life. How that interprets again in america might be attention-grabbing to see.
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