Fiat 500X
Fiat 500X review
by Tom Stewart (21 November 2014)
Although it was never a common sight on UK roads, you may recall the Sedici, Fiat’s last compact crossover model. Launched here in 2006, it was co-developed by Fiat and Suzuki, it came in either 4×4 or front-drive form, and it was a top seller in mainland Europe.
It was a not unattractive little thing, particularly in its tidier first generation guise. The Sedici was also the official car of the 2006 Winter Olympics, but despite all this it wasn’t a hit in Britain so it was withdrawn from sale here in late 2010.
In its place comes a new compact crossover, the 500X. With styling by Fiat’s Centro Stile, this model, we’re told, follows the compact MPV 500L in being the latest addition to the 500 family, although like the L, the X is a 500 in name only as both are built on the larger platform of the Fiat Grande Punto and Qubo and the recently launched Jeep Renegade among others.
But this minor detail hasn’t prevented Fiat from trying to convince the world’s press, and soon you, dear reader, that the L and now the X are 500s. Fiat’s hard-sell persuasion even extends to an admittedly amusing YouTube video in which (spoiler alert!) a large Viagra pill accidentally drops into the filler neck of a 500 and, as in a scene from The Incredible Hulk, the small 500 swiftly morphs into a larger, brawnier 500X.
And the reason for all this marketing malarkey? Simple. The 500 has gone double platinum pretty much everywhere it’s sold over the past six or so years, but its success probably won’t last much longer, and it will be a very hard act to follow, so Fiat is hopeful that the L and now the X will succeed on the coat tails of the smaller 500.
As with the 500L, Fiat’s ploy is to make the X look as much as possible like a 500, and as a consequence there are more 500 logos and styling cues than you can shake a stick at. That said, this ruse is more convincing on the burlier but still cute 500X than it is on the frumpy 500L.
With prices ranging from £14,595 to £25,845, 500X variants are numerous, but essentially it’ll be available from April next year in either smooth urban or butch off-roader guise, with diesel or petrol, and with front-wheel-drive or on-demand all-wheel-drive.
At launch there will be a 118bhp 1.6-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel with FWD and a six-speed manual, along with a 138bhp two-litre MultiJet II with AWD and either a six-speed manual or a new nine-speed - yes, nine-speed automatic.
Your choice in petrol is an FWD 138bhp 1.4-litre MultiAir2 turbo with either a new six-speed manual or six-speed twin-clutch semi-automatic transmission, or a 168bhp 1.4-litre Turbo MultiAir2 driving all four wheels via the nine-speed auto.
The urbane urban version will be available in Pop, Pop Star and Lounge spec, while the more rugged-looking off-roady variety (with skid plates and bash-me-gently bumpers) comes as either an AWD Cross, or a Cross Plus with front-drive aided Fiat’s effective Traction Plus electronic front diff system.
(More engines may follow, including a 109bhp 1.6-litre E-torQ petrol and a 184bhp, 2.4-litre MultiAir2, also known as the ‘Tigershark’ engine, as found in certain Jeep Cherokees and Renegades.)
My drive in a FWD 1.6 MultiJet 6-speed manual in Pop Star spec left me much to praise with little cause for complaint. The motor is decently quiet and with generous torque - 236lb/ft at 1750rpm - a brisk pace can be maintained with little effort. Zero to 62mph can be dispatched in 10.5 secs, while 115mph is the quoted top speed.
The 500X rides smoothly and comfortably. The steering feels a little remote from the front tyre/road interface - nothing unusual about that these days - but it’s more than adequately responsive and accurate. The car also clings to corners, and despite the elevated ride height there’s no undue body roll. All in all, the X drives and handles very tidily, and maintains composure even when pushed quite hard.
All versions bar the Pop have a Drive Mood selector with Auto, Sport and All Weather modes. In Sport the steering and throttle responses are sharpened while the ESC’s parameters are also adjusted accordingly. On dry roads I didn’t try the All Weather setting, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
Though influenced by the 500 - particularly the body colour-matched fascia panel - the X’s interior is at least as stylish and well finished, but more grown-up. It’s also spiced with further interesting details like the chunky aluminium door handles and capacious door bins, the latter perhaps being more useful than interesting. The seating is obviously higher than in a 500, but unlike the 500L, the 500X makes you feel like you’re sitting in it rather than perched up high.
It’s also suitably roomy and comfy in front and rear, although the rakish top-hinged tailgate impedes loadspace - just 245 litres with a spare wheel. This, however, can be increased to a maximum of 1000 litres with the 60/40-split rear seat folded and a compact tyre repair kit in place of the spare.
I also took brief spins in a 1.4 MultiAir2 and a 2.0 MultiJet II. Both are equally powerful (138bhp), and they share the same performance figures of 0-62 in 9.8 secs with a 118mph max, but the MultiAir’s 170lb/ft of torque at 1750rpm is no match for the MultiJet’s 258lb/ft at the same revs. As expected, the nine-speed automatic operates imperceptibly.
Having tried the three engines initially coming to the UK, time didn’t allow me to venture into Fiat’s off-road course at its Balocco proving ground, but past experience of Traction Plus, Fiat AWD systems and the course itself suggested that Cross and Cross Plus’s capabilities would greatly exceed what any sane owner might attempt.
Of those three UK variants, the 1.6 MultiJet takes the eco prize by returning 68.9mpg combined with 109g/km (VED band B). The 2.0 MultiJet returns 51.4mpg with 144g/km (band F), while the 1.4 MultiAir manages 47.1mpg and 139g/km (band E).
Despite much competition from other compact crossovers like the Ford EcoSport, MINI Countryman, Nissan Juke and several more, my hunch is that the 500X’s attractive styling and general competence will see it do very well. And in doing so I also predict that the 500X will outsell the 500L, at least in the UK.
Fiat 500X review
by Tom Stewart (21 November 2014)
Although it was never a common sight on UK roads, you may recall the Sedici, Fiat's last compact crossover model. Launched here in 2006, it was co-developed by Fiat and Suzuki, it came in either 4x4 or front-drive form, and it was a top seller in mainland Europe.
It was a not unattractive little thing, particularly in its tidier first generation guise. The Sedici was also the official car of the 2006 Winter Olympics, but despite all this it wasn’t a hit in Britain so it was withdrawn from sale here in late 2010.
In its place comes a new compact crossover, the 500X. With styling by Fiat's Centro Stile, this model, we’re told, follows the compact MPV 500L in being the latest addition to the 500 family, although like the L, the X is a 500 in name only as both are built on the larger platform of the Fiat Grande Punto and Qubo and the recently launched Jeep Renegade among others.
But this minor detail hasn’t prevented Fiat from trying to convince the world's press, and soon you, dear reader, that the L and now the X are 500s. Fiat's hard-sell persuasion even extends to an admittedly amusing YouTube video in which (spoiler alert!) a large Viagra pill accidentally drops into the filler neck of a 500 and, as in a scene from The Incredible Hulk, the small 500 swiftly morphs into a larger, brawnier 500X.
And the reason for all this marketing malarkey? Simple. The 500 has gone double platinum pretty much everywhere it's sold over the past six or so years, but its success probably won't last much longer, and it will be a very hard act to follow, so Fiat is hopeful that the L and now the X will succeed on the coat tails of the smaller 500.
As with the 500L, Fiat's ploy is to make the X look as much as possible like a 500, and as a consequence there are more 500 logos and styling cues than you can shake a stick at. That said, this ruse is more convincing on the burlier but still cute 500X than it is on the frumpy 500L.
With prices ranging from £14,595 to £25,845, 500X variants are numerous, but essentially it'll be available from April next year in either smooth urban or butch off-roader guise, with diesel or petrol, and with front-wheel-drive or on-demand all-wheel-drive.
At launch there will be a 118bhp 1.6-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel with FWD and a six-speed manual, along with a 138bhp two-litre MultiJet II with AWD and either a six-speed manual or a new nine-speed - yes, nine-speed automatic.
Your choice in petrol is an FWD 138bhp 1.4-litre MultiAir2 turbo with either a new six-speed manual or six-speed twin-clutch semi-automatic transmission, or a 168bhp 1.4-litre Turbo MultiAir2 driving all four wheels via the nine-speed auto.
The urbane urban version will be available in Pop, Pop Star and Lounge spec, while the more rugged-looking off-roady variety (with skid plates and bash-me-gently bumpers) comes as either an AWD Cross, or a Cross Plus with front-drive aided Fiat's effective Traction Plus electronic front diff system.
(More engines may follow, including a 109bhp 1.6-litre E-torQ petrol and a 184bhp, 2.4-litre MultiAir2, also known as the ‘Tigershark’ engine, as found in certain Jeep Cherokees and Renegades.)
My drive in a FWD 1.6 MultiJet 6-speed manual in Pop Star spec left me much to praise with little cause for complaint. The motor is decently quiet and with generous torque - 236lb/ft at 1750rpm - a brisk pace can be maintained with little effort. Zero to 62mph can be dispatched in 10.5 secs, while 115mph is the quoted top speed.
The 500X rides smoothly and comfortably. The steering feels a little remote from the front tyre/road interface - nothing unusual about that these days - but it's more than adequately responsive and accurate. The car also clings to corners, and despite the elevated ride height there's no undue body roll. All in all, the X drives and handles very tidily, and maintains composure even when pushed quite hard.
All versions bar the Pop have a Drive Mood selector with Auto, Sport and All Weather modes. In Sport the steering and throttle responses are sharpened while the ESC's parameters are also adjusted accordingly. On dry roads I didn't try the All Weather setting, but it's nice to know it's there.
Though influenced by the 500 - particularly the body colour-matched fascia panel - the X's interior is at least as stylish and well finished, but more grown-up. It's also spiced with further interesting details like the chunky aluminium door handles and capacious door bins, the latter perhaps being more useful than interesting. The seating is obviously higher than in a 500, but unlike the 500L, the 500X makes you feel like you're sitting in it rather than perched up high.
It's also suitably roomy and comfy in front and rear, although the rakish top-hinged tailgate impedes loadspace - just 245 litres with a spare wheel. This, however, can be increased to a maximum of 1000 litres with the 60/40-split rear seat folded and a compact tyre repair kit in place of the spare.
I also took brief spins in a 1.4 MultiAir2 and a 2.0 MultiJet II. Both are equally powerful (138bhp), and they share the same performance figures of 0-62 in 9.8 secs with a 118mph max, but the MultiAir’s 170lb/ft of torque at 1750rpm is no match for the MultiJet’s 258lb/ft at the same revs. As expected, the nine-speed automatic operates imperceptibly.
Having tried the three engines initially coming to the UK, time didn't allow me to venture into Fiat’s off-road course at its Balocco proving ground, but past experience of Traction Plus, Fiat AWD systems and the course itself suggested that Cross and Cross Plus's capabilities would greatly exceed what any sane owner might attempt.
Of those three UK variants, the 1.6 MultiJet takes the eco prize by returning 68.9mpg combined with 109g/km (VED band B). The 2.0 MultiJet returns 51.4mpg with 144g/km (band F), while the 1.4 MultiAir manages 47.1mpg and 139g/km (band E).
Despite much competition from other compact crossovers like the Ford EcoSport, MINI Countryman, Nissan Juke and several more, my hunch is that the 500X's attractive styling and general competence will see it do very well. And in doing so I also predict that the 500X will outsell the 500L, at least in the UK.
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