The Fiat 500 is enormously practical and zips through traffic assertively, fulfilling its ‘city car’ brief brilliantly.
Back in July 1957 however, the launch of the Nuova 500 (Nuova meaning ‘new’) made waves as the one of the first purpose-designed city vehicles. The combination of size, cost, engineering ingenuity and Italian finesse gave the Nuova an iconic status. Fast forward to today and the Nuova has been relaunched as the Fiat 500, drawing clear inspiration from the original with an even greater emphasis on practicality, economy and desirability.
Revamping a successful vehicle (or indeed, a successful anything), is by no means uncommon. Many best-selling cars (or again, best-selling anythings) draw heavily on the past for inspiration, but the Fiat 500 has taken this much further than most. If you were to place this new 500 side by side with its 1957 predecessor, you’d be struck by how close the resemblance is. Perhaps it’s thanks to this unashamedly retro exterior that the vehicle resists being described as ‘cute’, making it perfect for a young career woman such as myself who would like to steer away from such a characterisation, preferring to retain an air of professional chic.
The interior of the Fiat 500 features a more modern design, including a fixed glass roof with a sun blind. There is also a state-of-the-art infotainment system, complete with Bluetooth and Audio Streaming, Steering Wheel Controls, and Integrated Voice Command. All of which are a must for distraction-free connectivity while driving, allowing you to select music, chat to friends, and use maps without having to take your eyes off the road. It’s also surprisingly comfortable for a small car, even for a tall woman like myself, with decent headroom
I unapologetically prefer the ease of an Automatic, although the dualogic transmission does give you the option of manually working through the five gears if that’s your thing. I was very much at home driving this car around the urban jungle of Auckland City, parking was effortless for a change and even reversing out of my particularly long, narrow driveway was a breeze thanks to the reversing sensors and good cabin visibility. I whizzed around town feeling especially energetic thanks to the Passione Red colour, receiving many comments from friends along the lines of “it suits you”.
And it really does. The Fiat 500 is enormously practical, zips through traffic assertively, and all with Italian flair – fulfilling its ‘city car’ brief brilliantly.
The updated Fiat 500 range is available at a special launch price of $22,990 MSRP for the Lounge version & $25,990 MSRP for the Dolcevita. Have a chat to the team at your local Fiat Showroom to find out more.
