After a long wait the new 500 is here. The €13,995 European Car of the Year is a homage to the past without the associated horrors of poor reliability.
The 500 is a truly tiny car, but inside four people can actually fit. The exterior is as true to the original as BMW's MINI is to Sir Alex's car. The one major difference is the engine is no longer air cooled and positioned over the rear axle. Like the modern VW Beetle, the 500 is front wheel drive with its engine mounted in the front.
Fiat has used lost of bits from the excellent Panda to deliver a funky and very retro car that is a must have for fashion conscious young things.
Inside the strict four-seater you'll find all the charming touches of the original. The exposed metal is now painted plastic but the 'vibe' is the same as the original. However what I miss is the 'squishy' rubber button used to wet the windscreen and the quirky choke and starter levers that were located down by the handbrake.
I used to drive my Mum's 500 (without her permission, of course) up and down our road with the car in first gear using just the starter lever and choke. The starting lever was a great device if you ever broke down as you could always move the car out of harm's way once you had bit of juice in the battery. By just sticking it in first and pulling the lever the car would chug forward at a couple of miles an hour.
One childhood memory stays with me; my Mum was dropping me to a Youth Club when the car conked out (back in the 70s Fiat stood for Fix It Again Tony). Mum decided to make the rest of the journey using the starter only. I slunk down in my seat as we very slowly passed some other kids who shouted out "Look, there's James Hunt!" My Mum broke out laughing while I went red with embarrassment. Mum still laughs out loud about it today.
Fiat generally has its work cut out to compete with the best Korean and Japanese budget offerings but with the 500 they have a car that is cooler than anything the competition can deliver. The 500 not only looks great but is also the strongest car in its class with a five star Euro NCAP crash test score. Seven airbags are standard in all Irish cars as is EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) that works with the car's ABS anti-locking brakes.
The 500 has a narrow track so cornering will never be as much fun as it is in the MINI but the little car is a hoot to drive and, like all small Fiats, features a 'City' button that make the steering as light as a feather at city driving speeds.
The new 500 comes in three engine sizes (two petrol and a diesel) and with three equipment specification levels called 'Pop', 'Lounge' and 'Sport'. Engine power ranges from 69bhp delivered from the 1.2 petrol unit up to 100bhp for the 1.4 litre petrol. The diesel powered 500 uses Fiat's acclaimed 1.3 litre turbo diesel, called the 'Multijet', which has a power output of just 75bhp but the puling power of a small train.
I've been averaging a little over 5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres travelled and that's pretty good. The Fiat 500 is an alternative the MINI and a car that made me smile in the week I had it and that's not easy to do.
Michael Sheridan
