Fiat’s happy anniversary

600E BUYERS, WRITES

FIAT is marking its 125th anniversary year with the launch of a car designed to put a smile on the faces of its customers.

And in a bid to embrace La Dolce Vita – the sweet life – it’s only available in upbeat colours. Grey has been banned – a bold move considering 25% of cars sold in the UK are grey. “This is a happy brand,” Damien Dally, the company’s UK managing director, said at the launch of the new Fiat 600e. “Look at the car and you can see it’s almost smiling at you.”

It’s not hard to see what he means. With its seductive halfmoon-shaped headlights which resemble eyes – complete with false eyelashes – this car really does make you smile back. The 600e is the all-electric bigger brother of the bestselling Fiat 500 and has the same appealing curves in all the right places but with larger dimensions. In fact, the boot can accommodate twice as much luggage as the 500.

And for this model Fiat has kept everything relatively simple. There are just two versions available: the entry level Red and the more upmarket La Prima. There are no add on options for either; you simply have to select the colour.

Power comes from an electric motor driving the front wheels and producing 154 bhp. That’s enough to give it a top speed of 93mph and a respectable 0-62mph time of nine seconds.

So while the 600e isn’t one of those electric cars that gives you whiplash – it’s designed to major more on comfort and smooth driving – it still has enough grunt to put you ahead of the traffic.

And it’s particularly responsive in Sports mode at cruising speed, which is when you need power most to keep out of trouble.

Prices start from £32,995 for the Red version, stepping up to £36,995 for La Prima. And while the entry level model is pretty well equipped that extra cash adds features such as full satellite navigation, 18-inch alloy wheels (as opposed to 16-inch steels ones), a reversing camera,

NO GREY DAYS FOR NEW

EDWARD STEPHENS

heated front seats, a massaging driver’s seat and privacy glass.

The ivory-coloured synthetic leather seats on La Prima – embossed all over with the Fiat name – also add a bit more flare. And while the Government has withdrawn its grant for people buying electric cars Fiat is offering a £3,000 one to buyers of the 600e. Take the driver’s seat and the fiveseater 600e feels spacious and modern and very reminiscent of the 500.

The original two-spoke steering wheel has been retained, allowing clear vision of the digital speedometer set inside the neat, half-moonshaped binnacle.

This is a car designed to appeal to families as well as individual buyers and as such there are plenty of onboard spaces to pack in oddments, including a deep one in the centre console immediately in front of the push button drive selectors. Space for rear seat passengers is pretty generous within the confines of the car’s length and shouldn’t attract many complaints.

On the road the new 600e is one of those cars you can’t help taking to immediately. There is nothing complicated about it so it’s very relaxing to drive.

The ride is smooth, sophisticated even, and just firm enough to give good road holding while still soft enough to make light work of the potholes.

And even by electric car standards it’s quiet. A lot of work has obviously gone into soundproofing.

Fiat says charging the car from 20% to 80% can be achieved on a fast, 100kW charger in less than 30 minutes, helping to alleviate potential customers’ range anxiety fears. But if you’re still nervous about running out of battery power help is just around the corner. A hybrid version will be available from June from around £23,965.