The average production life of a car these days is around six years. By the time a model is replaced, you can be pretty sure that things will have moved on not just in terms of legislative requirements around such things as emissions and safety but also customer expectations on the technology some of which cannot easily be incorporated into an existing design easily or even at all. So to get a volume car that is still doing extremely well on the market not six years, or even double that, but a full 15 years after launch means that the car in question must have a pretty special appeal. There’s only one car on the market that can boast this longevity and that is the diminutive Fiat 500. Elected European Car of the Year soon after its production launch in mid 2007 the Fiat 500 had “want one” written all over it and in the early days there were waiting lists and people prepared to pay a premium simply to get their hands on. Once again, Fiat had found a market winner with a small car. The styling is a huge part of the appeal, with its cheeky looks being the most successful of all the retro-inspired cars that we have seen over the past quarter of a century, and the ability to personalise the car with all manner of options as well as a bewildering array of special and limited editions, coupled with the fact that the Fiat is not just easy to drive and park in urban areas but nicely refined out on the open road, and has the benefit of low running costs and affordable pricing have all meant that even when confronted with alternatives that are in some cases two generations on from when the 500 was launched, it is the Fiat that people still want. Wisely, Fiat have changed very little to the styling in that 15 year period. The only significant update came in 2015, with revised lights and bumpers being the most obvious difference. There have been some changes to the engine line-up, and equipment levels have been tweaked, but fundamentally, the Fiat 500 of 2022 is very similar to a launch car of 2007. As well as the Abarth version, an example of which I have owned since 2010 (so there’s no bias here!), I’ve driven a number of Fiat 500s in that 15 year period, and the chance to sample the very latest one came when I was given one as a loan car whilst my Abarth was in for its annual service. All the previous Fiat 500s I’ve driven have been in Lounge spec but this one was from the bottom of the range, the 500 Pop.
To keep the 500 competitive from an emissions point of view, at the start of 2021, Fiat replaced the long-running T-Jet engines that had powered the car from new (the diesel and the two cylinder twin air having already been deleted from the range) with a 1.0 litre three cylinder mild hybrid unit. The hybrid element consists of an integrated Belt Starter Generator in conjunction with an 11Ah lithium-ion battery, with the system helping to run the car’s auxiliary functions. It is mounted directly to the petrol engine and gives a very small boost under acceleration. The car does not run on battery alone, it always needs the petrol engine. Total output is just 69 bhp, which is the same as you used to get from the entry level 1.2 T-Jet engine. There is quite a pleasant thrum to this latest Hybrid when you fire it up, but the engine then proves to be quiet and refined on the motorway and never noisy even around town or when accelerating hard. And being an Italian car, you will be pleased to learn that this one is true to type and does like to be revved. You will probably want to do so, as well, as there are only 69 bhp on offer, so to get the best out of it, you will have to work the car hard. That also means making a lot of use of the gearbox. Unlike the Abarth models which have only ever been offered with a five speed, you get six gears here. With the gearlever mounted up high on the dash, where it falls nicely to hand, the change is very slick and you can whip up and down the gears with ease. Maybe I am spoiled by having 180 bhp from a car of this shape and size, but with just 69 bhp on offer, the reality is that this car is pretty slow, But it does not feel it, and you will actually enjoy driving despite the fact that in raw numbers, yes, it is one of the slowest cars on the market. My test was relatively short, only using the car to get from Swindon to Bristol and back with a small outing to go and get the photos for this report, so it is hard to give any meaningful report on fuel consumption, as the Fiat seemed to use nothing much in the miles I did cover. Don’t be fooled into thinking that because this is a Hybrid you will see averages into three figures, as you won’t. the hybrid system is more like a battery assist and the car does not run on just the battery, the petrol engine being in use at all times. Truth be told, it is an emissions ruse as much as anything, but it does provide a useful bump in low range torque.
In most ways, the Fiat 500 is quite different to drive compared to the Abarth with which I am very familiar, and that should be no surprise, as most of what you are paying for in an Abarth is that upgraded driving experience. The steering here is much lighter, with rather less feel, but that seems appropriate for a car where urban roads and parking in tight spaces are likely to be one of the reasons why an owner selected a car like this and not something bigger. There is a City mode which makes it really very light indeed which is handy for parking but robs the car of any feel whatsoever so not recommended when out on the open road. The handling is safe and predictable with good levels of grip, but ultimately, like almost all small front wheel drive cars, it will understeer. The Fiat was never quite as good from behind the wheel as the second generation Ford Ka whose underpinnings it shared, even after Fiat made a few tweaks to bring the two closer together, but, whilst the press may have found fault here, the owners generally have not, and nor, to be honest, did I. This version of the 500 comes on probably the smallest wheels u use on a modern car, 175/65 R14s and they help to give the Fiat a decent ride, though there are times when it can feel a bit skittish. The brakes are powerful, stopping the car with no drama. One example of the age of the design comes from the fact that you get a proper pull-up handbrake between the seats as opposed to an electronic one. Visibility is generally good, though there is quite a blind spot over your shoulder, as the rear side window is relatively small and there is a large pillar, so care is needed at oblique junctions, but otherwise there is a good field of view from the mirrors and the car’s small dimensions make it easy to park. When the Fiat 500 was first assessed by safety experts Euro NCAP way back in 2007, it scored a full five-star rating. A decade later in 2017, the car was reassessed and NCAP downgraded its rating to just three stars. Why? Well, during the intervening years, Euro NCAP had changed its test procedures and judging criteria. So, while the 500 performed well in the old tests, it wasn’t quite up to the mark in the new, tougher assessment. It also lacks some of the modern safety features that Euro NCAP likes to see in a car, such as automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assist. Safety features that are fitted to the 500 include seven airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control. Sadly, I have seen too many pictures of 500s (mainly Abarths) that have been in nasty accidents, but I can report that whilst this is a small car, the occupant protection appears to be excellent, even if the car does lack some of those annoying features that NCAP think we should all have.
The interior of the 500 has not changed much in the 15 years of its production life. And again, that is probably quite deliberate as the overall design with a single instrument in a cowled dial, and the use of a body-colouring across most of the dash was a real throw-back to the original Nuova 500, and part of the charm. That single instrument actually has everything you need in a single unit, though. It comprises two concentric rings with the speed on the inside and revs on the outside, and a digital display in the centre with options which you can cycle through using the button on the end of the right hand column stalk. That is also the wiper stalk, with the left hand one operating the indicators and lights. The one thing which has changed is that instead of having just an radio unit you do now get a touch screen, using the uConnect system. On lesser trim cars, such as this one, it is a small 5” screen, and the functions are relatively limited, though there is a DAB radio included, but uConnect is renowned for being one of the easiest systems to use, with clear graphics and good responses and that proved to be the case here. The screen is set high in the dash where it is easy to see and to reach. Lower down are the buttons and rotaries for the heating and ventilation. Pop spec means no air conditioning. Overall, this is a simple set up, and all the better for it. One slight surprise was to find cruise control in the car, something not offered on the Abarth. Less of a surprise is that the steering wheel itself is rather less chunky than the Abarth wheel.
Cloth upholstery is standard in the 500 Pop, and the quality is nicer than you get in other inexpensive cars. There are mixture of colours and textures which gives it some visual appeal and we do know now that it is hard wearing, which is probably just as important as what it looks like. You sit quite high in any 500 and this is something which some people find takes a bit of getting used to. There is no height adjuster for the driver’s seat in the Pop. Headroom is not an issue even for those who would normally lower the seat as far as it will go (me). Couple this with the fact that the steering wheel only goes up/down and not in/out and you may have to adapt slightly to the ensuing driving position, but actually, I know from years of experience that is just different as opposed to poor and what matters more is that the seat is comfortable, so you can sit here for long periods if the occasion calls for it, and the rather upright driving position does help to make the best use of the available space, which is something that others in the car will appreciate.
The 500 is one of a now small number of cars that only have three doors. That does mean that the doors are long and you need to remember this when parking up. It also means that getting into the back is not quite as easy as on a car with individual doors for rear passengers. The seat backrest tips forward, leaving an non too generous space through which to clamber. Rear seat space is decent for a small car, but in absolute terms is quite limited. It is fine for children, but gangly teenagers or adults probably would not particularly enjoy being here for long journeys, especially is the front seats are set well back. There is really only enough width for two here. There’s not much in the way of luxury, either. No armrest, no stowage places and just a cupholder at the back of the centre console unit. When the tailgate is raised and people see the tiny parcel shelf, they assume the boot is going to be really small. Whilst it is not as big as you will get in a Fiesta or a Coras, it is larger than you think and I regularly manage to get three soft bags into the Abarth to go along with the odds and ends that live there. You do need to pack wisely. Though and soft luggage is easier to squeeze in, as the design does taper the higher you go. There is a well under the boot floor where in a Fiat 500 you get a space saver (in an Abarth you get a can of goo!) but you’re not going to get much else around it. The rear seat backrest does fold down. It is all one piece in a 500 Pop, which will give a lot more cargo capacity. Inside the cabin there is a glovebox (one of the changes that came in with the 2015 facelift) and there are long but quite narrow pockets on the doors as well as moulded recesses in the centre console.
Documenting the available versions of the 312-series Fiat 500 over the last 15 year would require a small book, but things are relatively simple now. There is still the option of the Cabrio body (in truth more like a massive sun roof than a true cabrio) but mechanically, all the latest 500s are the same. They all have the 1.0 three cylinder mild hybrid engine and a six speed manual gearbox. So it just comes down to trim versions. Listed at just £13,020, The Pop is at the bottom of the range, like it always has been, and the spec is pretty basic, with a few surprise features included such as a panoramic (non-openable) glass sun roof, cruise control and a DAB radio with the 5” uConnect touch screen, six speaker and USB and MP3 connections, electric windows and seven airbags. Sitting above this are the Sport, at £14,920 and then the Lounge, at £17,000. Included in the 2022 range are three limited edition cars, the Connect, Hey Google and the Dolcevita Plus. As standard, the 500 Sport receives 16-inch alloy wheels, new electric heated seats, automatic air conditioning, new titanium colour dashboard, 7-inch TFT screen and privacy windows. Lounge spec gives you a panoramic glass sunroof, rear parking sensors, a chrome front grille, front fog lights, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and the rear seat backrest is split 50/50. The Connect trim level offers a high level of technology as standard, with the 7-inch Uconnect infotainment system with DAB radio, Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™. On all three models, new seats are paired with a brand-new dashboard finish in matt silver. The standard features on the 500 Connect also include cruise control, parking sensors, sports steering wheel with audio controls, 15-inch alloy wheels and fog lights. It is available in the exclusive new Perbene grey/Vesuvius black two-tone livery. 500 Connect is priced at £15,735. New for 2022, as a limited edition car, is the Hey Google version. The special series is equipped with the Hey Google voice assistant, so customers can connect to their car remotely, using nothing but their own voice to request and receive information on the car and to interact with it. They can do so via their smartphone or the Google Nest Hub, a digital display included with the welcome kit they receive when purchasing a new 500 family Hey Google car. This comes with a two-tone white and gloss black exterior, 15-inch alloy wheels, new dark interiors with adjustable-height seats, soft-touch sports steering wheel with built-in controls, and new matt silver dashboard fascia with the 500 logo in white. The 500 Hey Google includes Cruise Control, Uconnect™ seven-inch DAB radio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speakers and Mopar® Connect, all as standard. Available in hatchback and cabrio versions, the 500 Hey Google is equipped with the 70hp Euro 6D-Final-compliant hybrid engine. It is also available in Gelato white, Pastel grey, Vesuvius black, Pompeii grey and Blue Italia. Top of the range in 2022 is the 500 Dolcevita Plus. This builds on the Connect specification while harking back to the Nuova 500 when it was launched in 1957 with its glamorous style and fine aesthetic details. The interiors include body-colour dashboard, while outside chrome-plated details, a glass sunroof, 15-inch alloy wheels and the Dolcevita badge complete the exterior changes. A two-tone livery is optionally available alongside Bossa Nova White and Lunar Grey paint. The 500 Dolcevita Plus also adds automatic climate control, 7-inch TFT screen, 3D satellite navigation and 16-inch alloy wheels. It is priced from £17,235. The distinct character of the trim levels can be further enhanced to customise the 500 family even more, while offering significant financial saving. These include: the Magic Eye Pack: includes front parking sensors and rear camera, NAVI pack and ADAS pack with Blind Spot Detection and Adaptive Cruise Control. Available on Connect and Cross; the Comfort Pack: includes automatic air conditioning and adjustable seats, visibility pack with xenon headlights, electrochromatic rear view mirror and dusk and rain sensors. Available on Pop, Cross and Sport, the Style Pack: includes chrome-plated details and privacy glass with the full-LED pack available on the Connect.
It is not hard to see why the 500 still sells. The styling still appeals and Fiat have done well to ensure that even in entry level Pop spec that car has a visual charm that belies its low price. Whilst not fast, the 500 is good to drive, is impressively economical and easy to manoeuvre in the city but yet decent out on the open road. It makes good use of the space so you can put people and luggage in it in a way that might surprise you, and the car is relatively cheap to buy and certainly cheap to run. Residual values remain strong and after all these years, there is lots of data to prove that even with big mileages there are not significant reliability or durability issues. Fifteen years is a long time, but with strong sales, the 500 will remain on the market for a while longer. Its natural replacement is the all-electric models, but that is far more costly and not for everyone, so it is only when the legislation changes in a way that this timeless design cannot be adapted to meet – which is likely to be in 2025 – that production of this timeless car will finally cease. It will go down in history as being just as significant as the Nuova 500 that inspired its design and concept. A true classic.