Fiat's new baby
 
Interior
Although Fiat’s new car appears small on the outside, it copes pretty well seating four adults and with a 2/3 1/3 split rear seat and rear opening hatch there are plenty of options for the available space. My 1.75-metre frame was easily accommodated in the rear seats. From the driver’s seat all controls fall easily to hand and the seating position, although upright, is comfortable even for taller drivers. The dashboard takes its design cues from the old 500 but updates them and in a concession to modern safety standards the body-coloured dash panel is made of plastic rather than the original's metal. The car is 'loaded with kit' even in the 1.2 base model.

Driving
The Fiat handles the 'cut and thrust ' of city driving admirably, with good acceleration (particularly in sport mode), compact size, positive steering and a very slick 6-speed gear change in the manual version. The car smooths out road surfaces well but the relatively short wheelbase can give a slight fore-aft pitchiness to the ride. As well as being a very competent performer on city streets the 500 holds its own on the motorway with enough 'up and go' to match other traffic.

Safety
 
Small cars used to miss out on the latest safety technology but not any more. This Fiat has the highest crash worthiness rating – 5 stars under the Euro NCAP rating – and includes such features as 7 airbags, electronic stability control and ABS with emergency braking assist. Seatbelt pretensioners with load limiters are also part of the package.
 
Summary
 
Fiat have always built fun, character-filled small cars. The new 500 is no exception and also adds apparently good build quality and practicality to the package. It's not hard to see why these cars are selling well, even in a somewhat uncertain economic climate. Fiat is going to do very well with the 500.

Opinion

Some products just sell themselves – think the ipod. The 500 could be well on the way to achieving that ‘must have’ status, with a great reception in Europe and lately N.Z. Many of these cars will be sold to style-conscious women (and men) on their looks and characterful interiors alone but closer inspection also reveals a competent performer with the practicality of good interior space and great fuel economy.
 

Specifications Engine options 1.4 and 1.2 petrol,1.3 turbo deisel. (1.4 sport was model tested)

Performance: Max speed 182km/hr (1.4) 10.5 secs 0-100km 160km/hr (1.2) 12.9 secs 0-100km 165km/hr (deisel)12.5 secs 0-100km Fuel Consumption litres/100km    1.4    1.2   deisel  urban  8.2  6.4 5.3 ex-urban  5.2  4.3  3.6  combined    6.3   5.4  4.2 CO2 emissions 149  119  111 Prices RRP  1.2  $27,000 approx         1.4  $32,000    "        Deisel  $   ?      "   Add $2000 for semi-auto dualogic transmission.