It’s a little red wagon, and the ride’s just fine
Think of it as a small, wellbuilt station wagon. Forget the new-age marketing terms — “sport utility” and “crossover-utility” — and the often misguided consumer expectations that accompany those descriptions.
The 2017 Fiat 500X will get you through modest rain and snowstorms. Don’t try crossing flooded roadways. Remember: “Turn around. Don’t drown.” And here is another inclement weather warning: Deep snow, don’t go … not in an automobile, anyway.
Remember “ground clearance” — generally the distance between the vehicle’s chassis and the road over which it is moving. In this model, it is about 7 inches. If there is a foot or more of snow, do the math.
Oh, and please don’t be fooled by a salesperson enthusiastically calling this one an “SUV.” It’s not. Not really. Nor is it really a “crossover-utility vehicle,” a term of art created by marketers to appeal to millennials who don’t like the words “station wagon” or “SUV.”
The Fiat 500X is a nice, small wagon with a well-crafted cabin, especially in the top-of-the-line Lounge model used for this column.
That means you won’t be climbing rocks in this one. Nor will you be fording streams or dancing with
Bottom line: The 500X is a well-equipped, safe, reasonably priced small station wagon for a small family in need of reliable all-weather transportation.
Ride, acceleration and handling: The standard 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine in the Lounge 500X can sound whiny at times. But it is willing; it gets the job done. Ride and handling are quite decent.
Head-turning quotient: The 500X is cute inside and out. You mostly love it because of how it looks.
Body style/layout: The Fiat 500X is a Fiat 500 sedan on steroids. It is a front-engine vehicle with a tad higher elevation above the pavement. It has four doors and a rear hatch and is available with front-wheel drive or as-needed all-wheel drive, depending on the trim level chosen.
Capacities: Seating is for five people, although four bodies can be accommodated more comfortably. Fuel capacity is 12.7 gallons. Premium grade is recommended for “best” performance for models equipped with turbocharged engines. Regular-grade gasoline serves well in models such as the normally aspirated Lounge used for this column. Mileage: I averaged 28 miles per gallon in highway driving. Safety: Standard equipment includes ventilated front and solid rear disc brakes; four-wheel anti-lock braking system; emergency braking assistance; stability and traction control; postcollision safety system; and side and head air bags.
Pricing: The 2017 Fiat 500X Lounge model with all-wheel drive starts at $27,035 with a dealer’s invoice price of $26,125. Price as tested is $30,820, including $2,790 for advanced electronic safety devices and other items and a $995 factory-to-dealer shipping charge. wolves in fields of mud. It is not designed for any of those things.
It is a station wagon. It is meant to transport five people and a reasonable amount of their stuff, which does not include everything in their first-time apartments or dormitory rooms.
It is available with front-wheeldrive in the base Pop model, or with all-wheel or front-wheel drive in the mid-level Trekking or highend Lounge models.
A word about the “all-wheel drive” thing: It is “as needed” all- wheel drive. Works like this: The all-wheel-drive system normally powers only the front wheels, for example, for a drive along a dry highway on a sunny day. If that day turns wet and chilly, and that oncedry road becomes slippery, “allwheel drive,” in this case, sends 50 percent of its power to the gripping rear wheels.
Transferring power from slipping to gripping improves traction and stability and keeps you on the road safely in rough weather that isn’t too rough to prevent common-sense motoring.
People who want more of an offroad feel — and the word “feel” is important here — should consider the similar mechanics and slightly more aggressive engineering of the Jeep Renegade. Also, take a look at the Chevrolet Equinox, the Ford Escape and the Honda CR-V and HR-V. They all are good little wagons that provide reasonable traction in modestly bad inclement weather.
They all provide decent gopower, too. The 2.4-liter, gasolinepowered four-cylinder engine in the 500X Lounge delivers 180 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy is relatively modest at a real-world experience of 28 miles per gallon on the highway. But you can use less costly regular-grade gasoline in this one.
I like it, particularly since it can be equipped with a full suite of advanced electronic safety equipment items — blind-side monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning — at a modest price.
Fiat Chrysler Automotive can sell this one for what it actually is — a very nice small wagon. There is no real need to hype it for what it isn’t — a marauding off-road sport utility vehicle.