What’s not?
- The 0.9 Twin Air engine is almost too keen when you hit the open road, its free revving nature meant we found the rev-limiter too often.
- The steering is better than we remember, but in every other aspect, the new 500 feels exactly the same to drive as the last. This means an unsettled low speed ride, that’s made worse by the Lounge’s standard fit new 16-inch alloys. There’s also a fair bit of body roll in corners.
- The five-speed manual is light but we feel it could be slicker and doesn’t like to be rushed.
- Yes, the 500 feels well screwed together. However, considering the range-topping Lounge 105bhp’s £14,420 price, the cheap, hard plastic finishes and sometimes inconsistent exterior paint finish – both carried over from the old model are a disappointment.
- There are many options for the 500 and they soon add up, making a costly car very expensive – tread carefully!
Verdict on the Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir Lounge 105bhp
Fiat seems to have gone with the theory ‘that if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it’, with the new 500 as the updates although significant, have had very little effect on how this smart supermini drives and as such it surely can’t be new.
Still, considering what a success the current 500 has been for Fiat, the fact there are such small changes are not a surprise, as they obviously wouldn’t want to scare away their core buyers.
Sadly, the lack of changes means that although charming, the new 500 suffers from the same faults as the last. This means an average drive and patchy build quality – which is disappointing as at £14,420, our range-topper isn’t cheap. For the same money you could buy the best-selling Fiesta three-door in Zetec trim, or the impressively made Volkswagen Polo, also in three-door form and in SE Design trim.
Flaws aside, business buyers are sure to be tempted to buy the new 500, but perhaps not this model but the promised greener version of the 1.2 four-cylinder promised with its 89g/km CO2 figure .
