Fiat 500 Cabrio: all electric, all good
A lot like the last one, but now electric-only. formnd Genius. We try the new 500 in soft-top
Giving a Fiat 500’s petrol TwinAir motor a good thrashing is one of driving’s most attainable pleasures, but one that’s become less relevant to city-car buyers, who tend to be preoccupied with things like economy and ease of use. And in some cases, how well it can out-sprint a van driver on a roundabout. We can all enjoy that.
The 500’s always been a car that spends most of its time at a moderate pace on congested streets, clocking up at most a double-figure daily mileage, so electric propulsion makes good sense. The new generation is electric only, in both hatch and soft-top forms, although the old one is still available
And it’s very good. I can’t call it the best in its class, because it has no direct rivals. Canvas-roofed Honda E and Mini Electric variants don’t exist, and the Smart has only has two seats.
Just like the petrol car, there are still roof rails in place when the material top is folded all the way back, but it gets the right amount of wind in your hair and can be operated at up to 62mph, so it’s fine. Otherwise it’s no different to the hatch, with the same purpose-built platform (bigger than the old 500, with more room between the axles). Only the more powerful drivetrain and battery are available in the 500 Convertible, and while a 0-62mph time of 9.0sec doesn’t sound fast, it’s the first half of that sprint where the 500 delivers, just where city drivers want it.
Even so, the throttle map is smooth, so it’s just as easy with all that torque on tap to waft about with barely a whisper except for the gentle ruing of wind around the open roof.
The steering is one-finger light, and there’s a little bit of bodyroll at one end and a low-speed stiffness to the ride at the other, but otherwise it’s a nicely judged chassis that neatly treads the line between comfort and agility, somehow managing to capture the enthusiastic spirit of the petrol car.
So, really, the only difference comes when it’s time to refuel – and in this version you do that by finding a charger. Expect a full charge in just over four hours on an 11kW wallbox, or empty to 80 per cent full in 35 minutes on an 85kW fast charger. With a better range than many EVs, this is a most convincing package.