FIAT FUN TIME
Only has 115bhp but is light and nimble. Lots of fun for a low price. Peppy and fun, currently with a £1,000 discount. A proper hot hatch and one of the best we’ve ever driven. Brilliant. Fiat only sells one car in big numbers and that’s the 500, so it has to keep refreshing the car with new offers. The latest is this Collezione special edition. In general these special edition 500s look pretty good and the Collezione is no exception.
Hatchback and convertible versions are available and both come with a choice of three new colours including Cortina Grey. The wheels are finished in a copper colour and inside you get pinstriping on the upholstery. The Collezione comes only with the 1.2-litre petrol engine which is fine because it’s the best in the range. Prices start at £14,060. Jaguar has been working with Guide Dogs for the Blind in developing a audible vehicle alert system (AVAS) for its I-PACE electric SUV.
From July next year, electric vehicles will have to be fitted with an AVAS device so that people with impaired sight can hear an EV approaching, say, a pedestrian crossing or manoeuvring in a car park. The I-PACE emits a noise that can be heard at up to 20km/h and which exceeds 56 decibels, as demanded by the new legislation. The sound comes from a speaker in the front grille and cannot be deactivated by the driver.
SEAT is following in the wheel tracks of Fiat by »
launching its own performance brand (Fiat’s of course is Abarth). Called Cupra but spelled out in capital letters in case we don’t think it’s important enough, the first model to come under the standalone brand is the CUPRA Ateca.
It’s a high-performance version of SEAT’s large SUV powered by a 300bhp version of VW’s 2.0 TSI engine.
Four wheel drive is standard as is a seven-speed DSG auto gearbox.
Top speed is 153mph and 0-60mph takes 5.2sec. Note how SEAT uses 60mph to make the car seem quicker, rather than the standard 62mph figure (which is 100km/h).
The £35,900 Ateca also features a new front grille, black brake calipers, new rear bumper and diffuser, four exhaust pipes and several CUPRA logos, including on the diamond-cut 19in alloy wheels. You can order yours now.