Fiat’s 500 pops with style and cute charms
Road Test: 2017 Fiat 500 Pop
I’m sure my neighbours have given up wondering about my rather unconventional home improvement skills. Thirty years of century fixerupper ownership has inspired a lot of creative solutions to seemingly endless problems. Stump- pulling the remains of a wizened juniper with a length of rope tied to my 86 Nissan Micra was something they probably hadn’t seen before. Nor was using the same vehicle to bring home new bathroom fixtures — one at a time. That small but mighty hatchback hauled everything from flats of perennials to a full- size draft keg until I finally traded it in for a pickup truck.
But it seems that nearly every time I have an unexpected need to ferry home something larger than my suitcase, it falls during a week when I’m driving a subcompact.
So it was hardly surprising that when I finally, after years of searching, came across a matching set of stained glass windows that were an exact fit for my not- very- standard kitchen, my weekly tester was one the Italians call “topplino” for “little mouse.”
Each of the windows was three feet tall and two feet wide. Would they actually fit in a little Fiat 500? It was a long drive from the Kawarthas to Gananoque if they didn’t, but what the heck, it was a beautiful day and the Fiat sips fuel, so off I went.
My tester, in Laser Blue, is a cheerful little thing with a wheel at each corner; it’s like a bright blue pug dog in a show stance. This is the 2017 Fiat 500 Pop: $ 19,245 for the affordable base model and a lineup that tops out at the $ 27,745 Abarth Cabrio.
Twenty- thousand big ones seems hardly in keeping with the original’s role as simple transportation for the people. But dealerships across Canada are currently offering a $ 3,000 rebate and a “Holiday Bonus” of $ 1,000, which brings the price down to a very reasonable $ 15,245 before options and taxes.
Fortunately, my tester came with the standard five- speed manual transmission, because the only engine available in all but the range- topping, turbo- charged Abarth is a 1.4- litre four- cylinder with 101 horsepower and a paltry 97 pound- feet of torque. With the optional six- speed automatic, this combination is positively somnambulant, but if you like to row the gears it’s adequately peppy in this configuration.
The sort of car buyers who name their cars, and embellish them with eyelashes ( and antlers at Christmas) will love the Fiat 500. As a design exercise, the new- generation 500 really turned heads and resonated with those who appreciated a style that sets it apart from the typical budget offering. The current car, which pays homage to the popular European Cinquecento of the late ’ 50s to mid-’ 70s, has now been around for five years in Canada. While more than four million of the iconic original were sold, the current 500 enjoyed explosive popularity after its debut, levelling off at two million before finally grinding to a near halt.
Although the 500 received a bit of an interior overhaul last year, which included the more up- todate Uconnect interface, it’s still a bit, well, chintzy. The hard plastic dash, which seemed so retro when the car debuted, now looks a bit dated and cheap and tends to vibrate over bumps. The seats are comfortable and gaily decorated with colourful graphics, but are upholstered in what feels like ’ 70s “pleather.” And — horror of horrors — they’re not heated at this trim level. Nor is there a rear- view camera, in an era where they’ve become ubiquitous as standard equipment.
On the road, the 500 is light and fun but doesn’t have the sort of handling that has you yearning for the off- ramps. It could use some crosswind assist on the highway as it does tend to be blown about like a leaf in the wake of passing transports.
The console- located shifter is precise and easy to use, which is good because you have to use it a lot to make the most of the engine’s tiny output. The clutch take- up however, is lighter than paper and really isn’t very engaging. Steering is light and quick but the nicely- shaped, leatherwrapped wheel only tilts, it doesn’t telescope. Using the Sport button adds weight to the steering and, in automatic- equipped vehicles, lowers
the shift points to quicken the response.
Fuel economy is rated at 7.7 L/ 100 km city and 6.1 L highway and overall I averaged about 7.0.
Dropping the rear seats down increases the cargo space from 269 L to 852 L, which pales in comparison to the Honda Fit’s astonishing 1,492 L. What’s more, the load floor isn’t flat, which makes loading large objects somewhat difficult — such as my three- foot windows. Luckily, by leaning them on their sides, where they protruded through the centre arm rest, I was just able to make them fit.
Overall, the Fiat 500 is nice to look at, but is outshone by competitors who offer so much more, and with better handling. Still, if cute and stylish are your thing, the Fiat 500 has it in spades, from the fuel- tank style dashboard that looks as though it’s been enamelled, to the big central Mini- style gauge and, of course, its snub- nose European design.