TORINO, Italy – America’s relationship with the Fiat 500 has been rocky at best.
Flying over the original pre-war model, the second generation 500 (the one with a rear-mounted motor) was briefly sold here with funky headlights that jutted out from the front like a bug’s eyes. Small and underpowered, while extremely fun to ride in its own way, it failed to catch on and move away from our market after a few years.
The third generation 500 was the spearhead Decreereturned to the United States when he landed here in 2012. It sold as well as you’d expect a European-flavored subcompact hatch to sell in. the Ford F-150the stronghold and bowed out in 2019, though it’s still being sold across the pond alongside its intended successor. It would be the fourth generation 500unveiled in 2020, which kept the retro design but went electric-only.
United States sales should start in early 2024, meaning the cheeky sedan will be about four years old by the time it turns a wheel on American pavement. Is it worth the wait? I traveled to Fiat’s hometown of Turin in northern Italy to get a better idea of what’s buzzing about this fun-sized electric vehicle.
There’s one point I need to make up front: what you see in our gallery isn’t exactly what you’ll get when the new 500 rolls in US showrooms with an “e” attached to the end of its name. Fiat hasn’t detailed the US market model yet, but it’s safe to assume most of the changes will be on the spec sheet and on the list of standard and optional equipment. Fiat can’t take a European market car and ship it here as-is, but I don’t expect any major exterior or interior design updates – there’s no suggestion it’ll turn into a four-door for outside crossing.
Speaking of design, it’s been the main selling point of the 500 since the latest generation model debuted in 2007, so Fiat’s modifications were pretty light. I guess someone unaware of what’s happening on the automotive planet might not realize they’re considering a new 500, and that’s intentional. Still unapologetically retro, the model stands out from its predecessor with a facelifted front end that includes two-piece LED headlights and a large “500” emblem, bright beltline trim and a more chiselled hatch. Its proportions have not changed, but it is slightly larger than before: it spans 143 inches long, 66.3 inches wide and 60.1 inches high, dimensions that make it about 3 inches longer, 2 inches wider and 2 inches taller than the last 500 sold here. It is offered as a two or three (!) door sedan and as a quasi-convertible. I drove the two-door sedan, and it’s too early to tell which variant(s) will come to the United States.
Bigger changes are scattered throughout the interior: the new 500th feels much better than the last generation model, both in terms of fit and finish, and equipment (it even has power door handles, Maserati-style). It also benefits from the same fun approach to design that permeates most recent additions to the Stellantis portfolio. “DECREEis sewn into the upholstery, the outline of the old 500 appears in the interior door handle alongside the phrase “Made in Torino”, and the Turin skyline is etched into the wireless charger mat. The driver faces a two-spoke steering wheel and a refreshingly simple digital instrument cluster, while a 10.25-inch touchscreen dominates the dashboard.
The similarities between the latest generation 500 and the new model are only superficial; both cars share nothing under the sheet metal. Built on a new platform, the 500e comes with a single front-mounted electric motor that draws its electricity from a tiny 28.5 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. battery pack to zap the front wheels with 95 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. This build tips the scales at 2,601 pounds, and my crystal ball tells me we’re unlikely to see it in the States. What we’ll likely get (but keep in mind this is pure speculation) is the transmission European motorists have to pay extra for. It’s still built around a front-mounted electric motor, but the battery size drops to 42kWh and power drops to 118 horsepower, though torque remains flat. In this configuration, the 2,843-pound 500e takes 9 seconds to hit 62 mph from a standstill versus 9.5 seconds for the base model.
Range depends on where you drive and who you ask. Fiat quotes figures of 118 miles and 205 miles for small and large batteries, respectively, but it notes that driving exclusively in town unlocks 257 miles and 291 miles, respectively. These figures were obtained using Europe’s notoriously optimistic WLTP test cycle, and the APE the numbers will be lower (assuming we get either battery).
There’s a lot to like about the 500e from the driver’s seat. It’s roomier than you’d think given its dimensions, the front seats are reasonably comfortable, and the digital instrument cluster is refreshingly simple. It’s basic, which is a nice change from some of the IMAX-like display companies that cram more and more into their cars. And, in a way, it’s also retro: the old 500 was also equipped with a very simple dashboard. The materials on the dash are nice considering the segment this car is competing in, although you don’t have to dig very far to find really hard plastics, and the gear selector knobs save some lumber. space but are awkward to use. In the back…well, it’s a 500, a model that has never, ever been admired for roominess. It’s tight and the trunk is small, but expecting NBA players in the back seats and a cooler in the trunk is like expecting to zigzag through central Rome in a Chevy Tahoe.
Fiat will make a few changes to the 500e before it launches in the US, as mentioned above, but I’d say the interior is good to go as is…with one exception. The solitary, tiny cupholder that folds out from the lower part of the center console isn’t going to cut it in Big Gulpuccinos country.
One of the most interesting and unexpected things about my time behind the wheel is that the 500e drives much like its gas-powered predecessor. It’s faster thanks to the instant torque of the electric motor, and it’s obviously quieter, but it doesn’t like being jostled around (that’s it the Abarth brand model is ostensibly for). While the battery is integrated into the chassis and directly under the seats, its relatively small size prevents the 500e from feeling as planted and heavy as other EVs.
Where this car really shines is in town. It glides effortlessly and silently from one light to another and darts through the cracks of traffic. Parking is also easy thanks to a relatively tight turning circle and a light steering system. It’s equally at home on country roads and even on the highway, though the steering is equal parts quick and vague and the suspension is surprisingly harsh. I imagine this is one of the changes Fiat will make before allowing the 500e to travel to the United States; world market cars are often equipped with firmer suspension in Europe than in the United States due to different buyer preferences.
One of the infotainment system’s menus displays power flow, which isn’t unusual in a modern car, regardless of powertrain type. What’s cool here is that, in addition to real-time engine power consumption, it displays how much juice the AC system is consuming. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of driving an electric vehicle – if your range is plummeting, it can help you figure out why. In my case, I lost more range than distance traveled. It was quite cold at the foot of the Italian Alps, so I had the heater on for most of the ride (my tester didn’t have heated seats). Your mileage can literally vary.
Fiat has programmed three driving modes called Normal, Range and Sherpa respectively. The first mode is self-explanatory, but an important detail is that there is no noticeable regeneration of braking energy. Lift the accelerator pedal and the 500e stops without any resistance. The range is very similar to Normal but it provides a strong amount of regeneration; you can come to a complete stop by taking your foot off the accelerator. Last and, in this case, the least, Sherpa limits the top speed to around 50 mph and turns off the climate control system as well as the heated seats (if fitted) to save as much range as possible. In a questionable way, that’s another retro touch: with Sherpa mode, you’ll be hot as hell in the summer and never reach highway speeds, like in a 1957 500 with a twin-cylinder engine of 13 horsepower air-cooled. .
The one-pedal drive mode is a real boon for city driving, and it adds a bit of battery life every time you take your foot off the gas pedal, but if I could go back and intervene in the design process, I would add an intermediate mode. As it stands, it’s hit or miss, and the regeneration you get in Range mode is relatively aggressive. The 500e would benefit, for example, from a Range-Light mode.
There are two ways to look at the 500th. For one thing, it’s far less useful and far more expensive than its gas-powered predecessor. The limited range will relegate it to second-car status for most families, and while pricing for the US market hasn’t been released, it won’t come cheap. Prices start at €29,950 for the 95hp model and €33,150 for the 118hp version in Italy, figures that work out to around $31,800 and $35,200 respectively, although the conversion is never as simple as Google makes it claims. On the other hand, there is a subset of the population that will welcome the 500th as the perfect car. It turns heads even in its home country, it has one of the best interiors in Europe’s crowded city car segment and it’s tailor-made for big-city living. It will be interesting to see how this translates to the United States.
Related video:
