Fiat 500X 2015 Review - International

Bigger in every dimension than the tiny 500, the 500X actually shares nothing with Fiat’s micro-car, aside from the name. In fact, it’s built on a completely different platform, one that also recently birthed the Jeep Renegade.

The Renegade also shares the same engines and transmissions as the 500, and are both made in the same Southern Italian factory -- but they’re not competitors, according to Fiat. Apparently it's a competitor for the smaller Nissan JUKE, Holden Trax and Peugeot 2008.

We’re not so sure. Parked beside any of those, the 500X dwarfs them. A closer match, in size at least, is the Nissan QASHQAI and Skoda Yeti and that, as we’ll see later, poses some interesting problems for the small Fiat SUV.

In any case, Fiat Chrysler Croup Australia's ambition for the 500X is that it will become its best-seller and snatch five per cent of the lucrative SUV segment. This means sales of the new SUV alone will help double the number of Fiats sold here every year.

It’s still not clear what specific models we’ll actually get when it arrives in late 2015, but the smart money is on the 103kW/230Nm 1.4-litre turbo, with both the six-speed manual and six-speed dual-clutch auto, as well as the 88kW/320Nm 1.6-litre diesel with the same trannies.

Top of the range will probably be the all-wheel drive 135kW naturally aspirated 2.4-litre petrol, which comes standard with the same nine-speed automatic you’ll find in other cars like the Range Rover Evoque.

Also in consideration is a 103kW/350Nm 2.0-litre diesel that also comes standard with the nine-speed auto and four-wheel drive.

Five trim levels are available – the Pop, Pop Star and Lounge, while the tougher dirt-loving models are badged Cross and Cross Plus.

Like its little sibling, the 500X will major in personalisation. It offers 12 different body colours, eight wheel designs and seven interior colours -- and that’s before you’ve considered all the official aftermarket options.

For our drive we sampled the 103kW/230Nm 1.4-litre turbo, the small 1.6-litre diesel and a 103kW/350Nm 2.0-litre diesel with the nine-speed auto.

Best of the bunch is the little 1.4-litre petrol turbo, which is far smoother and enthusiastic than the raucous 1.6-litre diesel. The 1.4-litre turbo is also fractionally quicker too, taking 9.8 seconds to sprint to 100km/h, compared with the 10.5 seconds that the diesel manages.

Fiat claims the small petrol will also have decent, if not class-leading, running costs with it capable of averaging 6.0L/100km.

On the tight-twisting Alpine pass we drove, the petrol also feels fractionally more agile than the diesel, resisting the urge to push on in tighter turns.

The dual-clutch auto, which is expected to be the best-selling transmission, wasn’t available for our drive, but the light-shifting six-speed manual was pleasant enough.

The big surprise of the test was how bad the nine-speed is with the 103kW/350Nm 2.0-litre diesel. Fiat badly needs to spend time recalibrating it, because the benefits of the nine-speed are immediately clear when a 110km/h cruise sees the 2.0-litre turn over at just 1750rpm.

Unfortunately, off the highway the 500X’s nine-speed feels like it’s always on the hunt for the right gear and is all too keen to hold onto ninth gear once it gets there. We’re hoping it will be a more natural match for the petrol 2.4-litre, because for our drive even in the least sportiest settling it felt frenetic, unresolved and distracting.

Another disappointment was how poorly the 500X rode. Even on the 17-inch wheels the Fiat struggled to filter out the road’s imperfections, while the 4x4 version on 18-inchers was downright uncomfortable, never settling down on smooth highways.

We blame the compromised rear semi-independent strut and torsion beam arrangement, which lacks rivals like the QASHQAI’s more sophisticated multi-link, fully independent set-up that allows both great cornering forces and ride comfort.

Off-road, the suspension issues seemed less of an issue and the 500X proved itself to be more capable than you might think. Shame, then, that Fiat didn’t fit it with the Jeep Renegade’s useful hill descent program that allows you to drive safely down the slipperiest slopes.

As well as offering all-wheel drive, there is also the option of something called Traction Plus on the Cross and Cross Plus models. This mimics a limited-slip differential in the front wheel drive models to help claw you out of a sticky situation.

Refinement is another high point of the 500X. Aside from the wind noise that’s generated around its huge door mirrors, the 500X does a good job of quietening even the uncouth diesel.

Inside, the 500X has easily the best cabin Fiat makes. If you buy into the Fiat 500’s retro pastiche of the original Cinquecento, you’ll love the unpainted metal finishes (actually plastic) and the clear uncluttered feel.

The 500X is also available with a new 5.0-inch or 6.5-inch sat-nav that, like some of its rivals, can harness the power of your smartphone, with the usual web radio and social media updates that entails.

Practicality also hasn’t been overlooked. The boot is just big enough (350 litres), and the rear seats fold and tumble while the front passenger seat folds flat — great for the inevitable IKEA run.

Fiat is confident the 500X will easily nab the full five stars for safety and be judged among the safest in its class. As well as the usual six airbags there’s also a long list of safety kit – some alien to the class, like autonomous braking, which works from 7-200km/h, monitoring the road ahead for obstacles, alerting you and even braking the vehicle to help reduce the severity of an impact.

Factor in what Fiat claims will be class-leading level of kit on all of the trims and 500X could be real contender if priced correctly – but here’s the sting in the tail.

How will it be priced? If it costs around the same as a Holden Trax (from $23,990), the Fiat will easily be our choice. If though, as we suspect, it will cost the same as a Nissan QASHQAI (from $25,850), Fiat will have its work cut out because QASHQAI is the better car.

It is even better to drive, has better interior and feels more sophisticated all round, but of course if you’ve already bought into the way the 500X looks you’ll probably buy it anyway and that will be a big result for Fiat.

Also consider:
>> Holden Trax
>> Ford EcoSport
>> Nissan QASHQAI