Review of the new Fiat 500 Range

Although the shape may be vaguely reminiscent of the 1957 original, little else about the Fiat 500 sticks to its predecessor's back to basics appeal. This time round, the 500 is unashamedly chic, offering an upmarket look and feel that enables urban buyers to own something with a MINI's chic appeal for significantly less money.

First we need to get the terminology right. In typically idiosyncratic fashion, this little Fiat citycar is differentiated from its historic predecessor by being called the '500' where the 1957 original is the 'Nuova 500.' Don't be confused: it makes perfect sense in Italian. In actual fact, that earlier car was dubbed 'Nuova' because Fiat's original little Topolino model also wore the moniker. Built between 1957 and 1975, the 'Nuova 500' sold 3,893,294 units, helping to get post-war Italy moving again.

The modern interpretation we look at here was launched in 2007 and has proved to be a substantial sales success for Fiat in the UK. 500C convertible models followed in 2009 before the range as we look at it here was improved by the addition of arguably one of the cleverest engines ever fitted to a small car, the two cylinder 0.9-litre TwinAir petrol unit. This little Italian clearly wants to dominate the citycar market.

Fiat has latterly built a reputation for having a wide range of excellent powerplants, especially at the smaller end of the product portfolio. But none is clever than the 0.9-litre 85bhp two cylinder TwinAir petrol unit that 500 buyers increasingly gravitate towards, slotting as it does between the more conventional 69bhp petrol 1.2 and the 100bhp petrol 1.4-litre engines on offer. There's also a 95bhp JTDm diesel.

Five or six speed manual transmissions are offered and the 500 has been designed to replicate the original car's nimble feel and ability to put a smile on its driver's face. A 155bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged Abarth model is also available, fully tooled up with beefier steering, retuned suspension and a few aerodynamic tweaks.

"This little Italian clearly wants to dominate the citycar market.."

Much of the underpinnings are based on 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.

The 500 is significant in more than the obvious ways. Built at the Tychy plant in Poland alongside the Panda, the chassis also forms the basis for the Ford Ka. At 1.65m wide, 1.49m high and 3.55m long, the 500 doesn't take up a great deal of space. For reference, a MINI is 1.91m wide, 1.40m high and 3.68m long: in other words much wider, a little lower and a fair bit longer. Even Renault's second generation Twingo, at 3.60m, won't fit into some parking spaces the 500 will be able to squeeze into. Delicious design details drip from the 500. It's like a tiny pearl, especially when the ivory finish interior is specified. There's a very well-judged blend of retro chic and ruthlessly modern contemporary design inside, with circular head restraints, a glass roof and iconic 500 badging on the Panda-sourced dashboard. The 500C convertible is a further option.

Chrome-ringed vents and a fascia that can be specified in the same colour as the body, mirroring the painted metal dash of the Nuovo 500, are just some of the interior design features. 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.

Prices are surprisingly reasonable given the hype surrounding the 500. The car is only fractionally more expensive than the Panda citycar on which it is based. There are convertible 500C and hot hatch Abarth versions available if you want your car to cause more of a stir. Prior to the 500's arrival, the speculation was that it would target the kind of premium prices that BMW charges for its MINI but Fiat is sticking to what it knows with affordability remaining a key weapon in the 500's armoury. This is a far more faithful interpretation of a classic motoring icon than the Bavarians have been able to achieve. And, if you don't care about badge equity, don't mind about the fact that you only get three doors and get the right deal, the Fiat will make plenty of sense.

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 TwinAir petrol unit able to increase that to about 69mpg. As well as incurring zero road tax costs due to its 95g/km emissions, the 500 TwinAir is also exempt from London congestion charge fees. It's probably not the sort of car we'd recommend to those covering higher mileages but it works extremely effectively in traffic, its Start&Stop system making queuing a curiously serene experience. 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.

The 500 seemed destined to succeed from the outset. There's such a cheekiness and personality to its design that people would have bought the car even if it was irredeemably awful in every other respect. The fact is that it's actually rather good thanks to its Panda platform share.

And it's been substantially improved in its time on the market, thanks to the addition of the 500C convertible and, perhaps most notably, the clever TwinAir petrol engine. Overall, if you're looking for cheeky, cheap and practical, a Panda is still a slightly better car. If a style statement is more your thing, the 500 gets the vote every time.

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