Fiat 500 2007 Review - International

Not so much
>> Feels underpowered
>> Gearchange not the slickest
>> Won't be cheap

It's not like it hasn't been done before. The New Mini and New Beetle have already been down the "let's recreate an iconic small car" route, but the hype -- at least in Italy -- surrounding Fiat's new-age 500 (or Cinquecento in the local lingo) has been staggering.

In the month of July, it was virtually impossible to walk through a piazza or travel in a suburban train anywhere in the country -- be it Florence, Rome or Pisa -- without being exposed to some form of marketing bumph for the cute-as-a-button 500.

And we're likely to be subjected to at least a portion of this marketing hype, as the 500 is scheduled to make its Down Under debut at October's Sydney motor show, prior to arriving in local showrooms in the early part of 2008.

Be warned, though -- small it may be, but the Fiat 500 won't be cheap. The 1.4-litre Sport version we drove (essentially a value-add experience for journalists attending the launch of the Maserati GranTurismo in the northern Italian town of Bolzano) is likely to be priced at around $25k in Oz.

For this money, you'll get a car that's smaller and less powerful than the Mini Cooper, but which packs more occupant and luggage space within smaller dimensions -- quite a clever feat of packaging.

As per the Mini, the 500 will trade primarily on its styling as the car from which it's spawned (Fiat's Panda hatch) is both larger and cheaper. Essentially, the 500 is part-conveyance/part-fashion accessory.

Consequently, its target market will be chiefly new-car shoppers in the 20-35 age bracket, although more mature buyers (influenced by nostalgia) are also likely to figure in the mix.

There's no denying the visual impact of the 500. During our brief pre-launch drive, a handful of examples were assembled in a carpark adjacent to a café in the foothills of the Tyrolean mountains, and they drew ample attention from passers-by -- many of whom were eager to peer inside and gain a glimpse of the cabin.

But what made this gawking truly noteworthy was that the same car park was also crammed with half a dozen Maserati GranTurismos (which prompted much rubbernecking elsewhere, but less so in the company of the pint-sized Fiats).

The Euro launch of the 500 has been carefully orchestrated, as it arrives exactly 50 years after the original car debuted, revolutionising the Italian motoring landscape in the process.

The original Cinquecento is undoubtedly of the icons of the car industry and, even today, they're a common sight on Italian roads (and many examples appear to be in pristine condition, even though production ceased in 1975).

Although the new-generation model is far bigger than its ancestor, it's still compact. Measuring 3546mm long, 1627mm wide and 1488mm tall, the 'nuovo Bambino' is 153mm shorter and 56mm narrower than the base-model Mini. However, it does stand 81mm taller than the latter.

Your Carsales Network correspondent had a brief stint (both as driver and rear-seat passenger) in the car, and in neither of these pews was there a lack of leg, elbow or headroom. This is in stark contrast to the Mini, which offers only token rear seats.

What's more, its luggage compartment (which displaces 185 litres) also trumps the 160-litre boot of the Mini. Put simply, the baby Fiat is easily the more practical of the two.

There's not much to fault in the area of build quality either, as the Fiat appears well screwed together and it imparts a more solid feel than most other cars of its size.

Just as its exterior styling is a masterstroke of modern-day retro design, so to is the layout of the interior.

Facing the driver is a stylish three-spoke wheel, and behind this is a large dial that contains the speedo on the periphery and additional displays (in digital format) within the central portion. It's an excellent example of how Fiat's designers have melded yesteryear styling with modern functionality.

The same goes for the rest of the interior, which has a distinctly 1960s feel to it, albeit with modern standards of fit/finish and ergonomics -- not to mention greater use of soft-touch plastics.

Rather than the normal spot between the seats, the gearlever sprouts from the dash's centre stack, freeing up additional space in the cabin as there's obviously no transmission tunnel.

So far, so good -- nothing much to fault in the areas of packing and presentation...

However, a brief drive showed the Fiat to be lacking in the grunt department, even though we were driving the range-topping (until the Abarth comes along) 1.4-litre petrol version. This engine is supposed to put out 100 horsepower (75kW), but it appeared as though 40 of the neddies had retired for an afternoon nap.

We should qualify this statement by mentioning that we were travelling four-up and ascending a fairly steep climb, but the car felt plain underpowered during our stint behind the wheel. Funnily enough, it felt a lot sprightlier coming down the hill.

The manual gearbox (a six-speeder, no less) is by no means recalcitrant, but it doesn't have the slickness of a transmission you'd find in, say, a Honda.

No shortcomings in the ride/handling department though, as the little 500 points quite well and offers a compliant ride -- even with four adults on board. That said, it doesn't feel quite as polished or sporting as the Mini, which is a particularly enjoyable drive in Cooper S form.

Perhaps we'll have to wait for the Abarth version of the 500 (which will reportedly pack a 110kW 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and beefed-up suspension, more here 2738447) to challenge the Mini in terms of pure driving dynamics, but, in the meantime, the lesser versions seemingly have enough to offer.

The Fiat 500 is a stylish and well-packaged car that doesn't purely rely on its cutesy-pie looks. There's substance there (in the form of practical interior design and a well-resolved chassis), and this is likely to come through in the ownership experience. But you'll have to wait until next year to find out for yourself...

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