Fiat 500 1.3 MultiJet Sport Review & Road Test Part 2

The cute & stylish Fiat 500 dashboard

Even though the 500 looks cute and cuddly – which it is – its innocent, retro look belies the fact that the 500 is a surprisingly good drive. A 1.3 diesel isn’t an engine I was expecting to be overly entertaining -even if it is one of Fiat’s new MultiJet jobs –  but I was pleasantly surprised.

Below 2000 rpm it’s a bit slow and sluggish and, if I am really honest, a bit of a let down. But over 2000 rpm it comes to life and the fun begins. With a 0-60 of 10.7 seconds it’s not going to frighten the horses, but it feels much quicker. The torque that kicks in with the turbo at 2000 rpm – and the little Fiat’s modest 980kgs – does let the 500 fly around very well at town speeds.

The suspension is quite soft – softer than its sibling the Ford KA – so it can feel quite bouncy, but taking its more pliant suspension and its ‘Noddy & Big Ears’ shape into account it handles well enough, and adapts well to anywhere you drive it. The steering lacks a bit of feel but this 500 is chuckable and even a lift-off mid-corner only elicits a tightened line – most commendable from a FWD City Car – and there’s bags of grip on offer too.

The diesel lump here isn’t the quietest in the world but it’s never uncomfortably noisy, either around town or on the motorway, where it will sit very happily at 85mph all day.

Once you’ve got past the surprise that the Fiat 500 not only handles pretty well but that it’s actually well-built – no rattles or nasty trim on the inside; good panel gaps and paintwork on the outside – it’s time to play with the toys.

The  500 comes fitted with some decent toys, such as AirCon, electric windows and central locking all as standard.  The 500 Sport we have here also came with Blue&Me which lets you to make calls, listen to music and much more, all without taking your hands off the steering wheel. A good system that not only works well – or at least did with my plug-in music and phone – but keeps your license intact.

It also has Start&Stop, the latest ‘Must-Have’ eco toy for the improvement it makes to headline economy and CO2 emissions. And it does, if you can adapt your driving style to suit. The trouble is that the places where the Start&Stop technology actually makes a difference are the very places you don’t want to be sat in neutral. Because that’s the deal. Car stopped and gearbox in neutral with your left foot off the clutch.

To be honest, nothing is more irritating in congested London traffic than waiting for the numb-nut at the front of the queue to get their car in gear and take the handbrake off so you can move. I’m embarrassed to say that was me this weekend. But if you can put up with the embarrassment – or develop a sixth sense for the exact light change or traffic restart – then the system’s great.

When you’re ready to move the 500 restarts quickly and easily as soon as you put your foot on the clutch, so there is no delay from that perspective. I just felt vulnerable and unprepared sitting in traffic in neutral. Maybe I’d get used to it in the end. Or maybe it exists just to keep healdine MPG up and headline CO2 down. Or maybe I’m just cynical. But you can just switch off the Start&Stop with the push of a button.

With a price tag of £13065 the Fiat 500 Sport isn’t the cheapest option on the block. For the same money you could jump in a half-decent Ford Fiesta, although to get comparable economy – if not comparable toys – you’d have to go for the Econetic which would set you back another £2,000.

However if it’s a small car that’s not only stylish and a good drive, but very easy to park and cheap to run with strong residuals you’re after then the 500 has a great deal going for it. It has faults – although remarkably few and mostly subjective – and although in isolation nothing on the 500 cries out as special. the 500 is more than the sum of its parts; it’s an icon very successfully revisited.

Would I have one as a daily drive? I think I would. It would be interesting to see if the cuteness wore off or if some of the real style features – like the painted dash and the combination instruments – became wearing or tedious with time. It would also be interesting to find out if the 500 is as reliable as its build quality seems to suggest.

But I’d probably opt for an Abarth. Without Start&Stop.

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Full Fiat 500 1.3 MultiJet Sport specification, data and price

By Cars UK