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By
EWAN KENNEDY
30 June 2008
It’s all about style, because style and fashion are just as
important in the automotive arena as in any other area of life. Of
course, there are always people who buy purely for commonsense
reasons, but for the others it’s vital to have the right product
with the correct label at the exact time.
Which
brings up the subject of the stylish little Fiat 500. The new one,
not the cute little ‘Bambino’ that’s still a common sight on
Italian roads 51 years after the original Fiat 500 was born. And
‘born’ is the right word, because Bambino is Italian for baby
and the little car really does have all the cuddly features of a
living breathing baby.
It’s
taken Fiat a long time to jump on the retro car bandwagon. The
Volkswagen New Beetle, has sold surprisingly well, despite many
doomsayers predicting it would be a short-lived fad when launched
at the end of the 20th century. And the new Mini is going great
guns, becoming a latter day cult car thanks to some very slick
marketing.
Fiat
500 is like the Beetle in that its looks are deceiving. Whereas
both cars in their original format featured air-cooled rear
engines driving the back wheels, the retro versions have their
engines cooled by liquid and they are situated at the other end of
the car. Which makes sense because it lets the engineers borrow
components from other front-drive cars in their ranges and trim
the costs of the retro variants.
Front
drive also has advantages in packaging efficiency, and a front
engine is an important part of a car’s safety system as it helps
absorb collision forces.
The
new Fiat 500 arrived in Australia in March this year, fresh from
its victory as European Car of the Year for 2008. A victory that
was likely to have been gained principally because of the style,
but to say the little Fiat is purely a fashion statement is
selling it short. Because it really is a practical car that will
work well in the suburbs of major cities worldwide.
But
even that isn’t quite right as the new 500 is happy enough on
low-speed Australian motorways, so it’s far more than a suburban
runner. Its firmish suspension means it can be a bit of a pain at
times if you want to take it on rough outback roads. More about
the 500’s dynamics in a moment.
Fiat’s
new 500 is offered in three models in Australia, models with the
bright and breezy tags of Pop, Lounge and Sport. Our test car for
the last week has been a Lounge with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Fascinatingly, it crossed over with an C63 AMG Mercedes we were
also testing – and the little $27,990 Fiat drew more attention
on the road and in the carparks than the hotrod $140,000 Benz.
As
well as the three models in the Fiat 500 range there's a choice of
engines and transmissions. Engines come as 1.2- and 1.4-litre
petrol units, or a 1.3-litre turbo-diesel. Transmission choices
are five- or six-speed manual and six-speed automatic. Not all
engines and gearboxes are offered in all models.
The
colour chart is enormous, with such shades as Cha Cha Cha Azure,
Ye Ye Green, and Mod Blue giving a clear indication as to Fiat's
anticipated buyers. Then there is a multitude of striping and
decal kits just in case you don’t think the car stands out
enough in its own right.
Rather
than fill this newspaper with details of all the possible
combinations, may we suggest that you hit the internet at
www.fiatcars.com.au/500/, either that or simply call into your
local Fiat dealership to ogle the cute car there.
‘Our’
car was a 1.4-litre petrol with a six-speed manual gearbox. Done
in Mod Blue, it came with white side stripes that tapered into a
checkerboard blue-on-white arrangement that gave the 500 an
appearance verging on that of a very small police car.
Inside,
it was done in retro style seats and fabrics, with a dashboard
area that brought back memories of the metal units of the original
Bambino. Then there was the steering wheel that carries cues to
the slender original, and that despite the fact that wheel hub
contains an airbag.
Interior
space is great for two adults, with less of a shoehorn to get into
the back seat than you might anticipate. But two kids will be a
lot more comfortable, the biggest problem being headroom. We found
the front pair of seats to be rather high (to gain space behind
them, which is fair enough), but they are also pretty hard. You
sit on these seats, not in them.
Which
exacerbated the rather firm ride that’s all but inevitable in a
car of this diminutive stature and light weight. The ride’s
generally fine on good roads, but Aussie back blocks can give you
a shudder or two at times. Similarly, hitting bumps on corners can
cause the tail to move about a little, but the ESP system soon
gets it back in line again.
The
engine is very Italian in its characteristics. Try to trundle the
Fiat along gently and it feels doughy, give it a boot full of revs
and it comes alive. While it will tolerate 1500 rpm at a steady
speed, it really is much happier running at 3000 revs and above.
With a real kick coming in at 4000 rpm, the area in which the
little Italian machine approaches European cruising speeds.
Gearchanges
are a sheer delight, as is the way the engine promptly drops revs
during the change to smooth everything out.
Fuel
consumption is amazingly low, obviously that’s a factor of a
light car and small engine, but the unit is an efficient design as
well. It’s simple to get consumption below six litres per
hundred kilometres during motorway driving. Sixes and sevens are
there for the asking in the country, and only the most passionate
of revheads will ever push this car much over nine litres per
hundred.
Beginning
at $22,990, the Fiat 500 can be regarded as an expensive small
car. But that’s overlooking what it’s really all about –
which is fun, fun and more fun, compared to the aforementioned
retro cars it’s pretty sharply priced.
AT
A GLANCE
MODEL
RANGE
Pop 1.2-litre three-door hatch - $22,990 (manual), $24,990
(automatic)
Pop 1.4-litre three-door hatch - $24,990 (manual), $26,990
(automatic)
Pop JTD 1.3-litre turbo-diesel three-door hatch - $25,990 (manual)
Sport 1.4-litre three-door hatch - $26,990 (manual), $28,990
(automatic)
Lounge 1.4-litre three-door hatch - $27,990 (manual), $29,990
(automatic)
Lounge JTD 1.3-litre turbo-diesel three-door hatch - $28,990
(manual)
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Not offered in JTD, $2000 option in all
other models
CD Player: Not offered in 1.2-litre petrol or JTD Pop, standard in
other models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Not offered
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Not offered in 1.2-litre petrol or JTD Pop,
standard in other models
Traction Control: Not offered in 1.2-litre petrol or JTD Pop,
standard in other models
SPECIFICATIONS
(Fiat 500 Lounge 1.4-litre three-door hatch)
ENGINE:
Engine Capacity: 1.368 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.8:1
Bore/Stroke: 72.0 mm x 84.0 mm
Maximum Power: 74 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 131 Nm @ 4250 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive Ratio: N/A
DIMENSIONS,
WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 3546 mm
Wheelbase: 2300 mm
Width: 1627 mm
Height: 1488 mm
Turning Circle: 10.6 metres
Kerb Mass: 930 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 35 litres
Towing Ability: N/A
SUSPENSION
AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, lower wishbones,
anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Torsion beam
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.5 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 95RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 6.3 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 7.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6.5/10
STANDARD
WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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