Fiat 500 by DIESEL

Several iconic compact cars have leveraged the considerable power of popular fashion houses in the past. Fiat is the latest to introduce a model that won't be out of place on the catwalk. The Italian brand will be hoping the new 2011 Fiat 500 by DIESEL can repeat the success of its peers.

Who could forget the 1990 Nissan Pulsar Reebok, the1992 Holden Barina Sportsgirl or the 1985 Carla Zampatti Ford Laser? All much-loved cars that showed fashion and cars can merge with potent results.

Priced at $25,990 for the manual version and $27,990 for the Dualogic model, the Fiat 500 by DIESEL is a special edition car that features several of the Italian fashion house's logos peppered throughout the car.

Above and beyond the standard Fiat 500 models, the DIESEL edition is offered in "DIESEL Green" and "DIESEL Indigo Blue" body colours, and is packaged with 16-inch DIESEL embossed alloy wheels and DIESEL B-pillars finished in satin steel.

DIESEL's 'Be Brave' logo appears on the rear badges, wheels and inside the car on the gear shifter and door scuff plates. Other additions to the interior include trendy DIESEL brand denim cloth upholstery. Eagle-eyed Fashionitas will also note the small jeans-like pocket on the sides of the front seats, which is supposed to mimic the fifth pocket on DIESEL jeans.

Power for the little bambino comes from a 1.4-litre petrol engine that grinds out 74kW/131Nm, enough pepper to get the car to 182km/h should a fashion crisis arise, needing immediate attention.

The asking price also buys a fair whack of standard equipment, such climate control air conditioning, front electric windows, remote central locking and boot release, a glass electric sunroof, and for the first time in Australia Fiat's new Blue&Me Telematics system, which comprises voice activated Bluetooth connectivity and satellite navigation system.

While the Fiat 500 by DIESEL will never struggle for admirers, it's also unlikely to become lost in the chic urban jungles thanks to its Tom Tom SatNav technology. Priced at $595, the Tom Tom system is being touted as the ultimate solution for owners, largely because it can be detached.

"The problem with traditional built-in Sat Nav systems is the cost and they cannot be disconnected from the car for use across the street or across the country," explained Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager of Fiat Australia.

"Equally, pure portable units need to have cables trailing across the dashboard, mounts stuck to the windscreen and cannot work with the car's systems, such as the Bluetooth telephone system and the car audio. The new Blue&Me Nav system resolves all of these issues and uses Tom Tom, the world's leading SatNav company to achieve it.

"With the fully equipped Fiat 500 Blue&Me Nav system, the Fiat 500 will tell you how to get to your destination, allow you to communicate hands free, link into the all latest iPod and MP3 players and even, with EcoDrive, teach you how to save fuel en route to that destination. It is a remarkable combination of intelligent, common sense technology that is a delight to use – rather like the Fiat 500 itself!" opined Zaitzev.

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