Review of the new Fiat 500 byDiesel

Being cool isn't easy but it's increasingly important to car manufacturers trying to sell trendy small cars to young urban buyers. Fiat's 500 is generally thought of as one of the cooler small cars on the market but in a bid to chill its public profile further, the Italian marque has enlisted the help of Italian fashion brand DIESEL. The result is the 500byDIESEL, a Fiat 500 that's been on the receiving end of a comprehensive make-over by DIESEL's designers.

The history of cool small cars can be tracked all the way back to the original Mini but in recent times, there's been a definite resurgence in compact models that look to trade primarily on their image. The smart ForTwo is an obvious example but Toyota's iQ, Volkswagen's up! And Mitsubishi's i are all exponents of what you might call citycar chic. The cost of motoring and congestion in urban areas has forced many people to consider smaller vehicles and the leading manufacturers have identified a willingness among buyers to pay extra for a car that stands out in the traffic. The Fiat 500's retro themes certainly do that and a link-up with DIESEL for this special edition model adds extra individuality that should go down well with the target market.

You can get a 500byDIESEL that runs on diesel, that would be the 1.3-litre Multijet model, but there are also 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre petrol options with 69 and 100bhp respectively. Five or six speed manual transmissions are offered and the modern 500 has been designed to replicate the original car's nimble feel and ability to put a smile on its driver's face.

"The 500 is very much the small car of the moment and the 500byDIESEL adds yet more desirability to the core retro package."

Much of the 500's underpinnings are based on Fiat Panda running gear - no bad thing as the Panda is a fun steer. Like the Panda, the 500 uses simple MacPherson strut suspension up front and a basic torsion beam at the back. A few centimetres have been added to the width of the car's track, giving it a foursquare appearance and Fiat claims that body rigidity is around 10 per cent better than the Panda.

We've established that the 500byDIESEL special edition is all about style and DIESEL's designers were obviously given a high degree of freedom to put their own flavour onto the car. The car is only available in a rather muted colour pallet of green, brown or black but that's as far as the understatement goes. The 16" alloy wheels have the diesel logo on their hubs and there side rubbing strips are picked out in a metallic finish along with the B-pillars and the bumpers. The 1.4-litre 100bhp versions also have yellow brake callipers. Inside, the upholstery is in a special denim fabric and the front seats have a pouch designed to mimic the trademark fifth pocket on DIESEL jeans. The DIESEL logo crops up again on the gear knob and steering wheel.

Even without the modifications made to the 500byDIESEL model, the car is packed with delicious design details. There's a very well-judged blend of retro chic and ruthlessly modern contemporary design inside, with circular head restraints and iconic 500 badging on the Panda-sourced dashboard. The exterior treatment is cool and clean with only the front grille and door handles differing significantly from the Trepiuno show car. Hats off to Fiat in this regard. So often we see cars that look fantastic as prototypes on a show stand only to arrive in production form virtually unrecognisable.

Fiat is marketing its 500byDIESEL in a unique way via a specially designed section of its www.fiat.co.uk website. The car is on a limited global production run of 10,000 units with only a fraction of these making it to the UK and the website gives customers the opportunity to carry out the whole configuration and ordering process online. They can then check the progress of their car with the Fiat factory and liaise with a local dealership to arrange collection.

Fiat's Panda is one of the cheapest cars to own, so the '500' will prove little different. The Multijet diesel version will average over 65mpg, with the 1.2-litre petrol unit not far behind on around 50mpg. Depreciation won't be anything like at MINI levels but will be much better than you'd expect on a Panda. Which is good news since insurance costs shouldn't be much more expensive.

There's a growing emphasis on manufacturers creating a cool image for their small cars in order to appeal to fashion-conscious buyers. Fiat has tried every trick in the book with its 500 and its latest marketing link-up with DIESEL should only improve the car's standing further. The styling changes made to the 500byDIESEL are extensive and really contribute to altering the look of the car. Pricing is competitive too and with this special edition available through an innovative online ordering system, the UK allocation is likely to be snapped up fast.

The 500 is very much the small car of the moment and the 500byDIESEL adds yet more desirability to the core retro package. The tie-in with a leading fashion brand seems a perfect fit for the 500's target market and who's to say that rival brands won't follow suit with designer special editions of their own.

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