Fiat 500e Icon hatchback – the new electric city car driven by Robin Roberts (and Motoring Milestones). The gradual return to city living and commuting will give a boost to the new generation of environmentally friendly small cars, and few makers have as much experience as Fiat. The Italian brand built its reputation on baby cars, particularly in the second half of the 20th century, and it's … [Read more...]
Fiat 500X Sport SUV – Road Test
The Fiat 500X Sport hot-shot small SUV… By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Fiat know a lot about turning the ordinary into the extra-ordinary, like they have with the hotter version of the very popular 500 series. Their best selling city car for some 60 years, the Fiat 500 range has been boosted by the X Sport small SUV given a beefier 150 bhp 1.3 litre four-cylinder engine in … [Read more...]
Fiat 500 Hybrid – Road Test
Fiat 500 Lounge Hatchback 1.0 70hp Mild Hybrid Fiat 500 models can be a classic Italian dish for drivers claims road tester Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). The 500 put Fiat back on the road after WW2 as the Cinquecento and it saved the company again with a comprehensive make-over in 2007, since when three-million have been sold. A new refreshed line-up is going on sale Spring … [Read more...]
Fiat 500 Hybrid – Road Test, plus Fiat, Bentley and SMMT ‘electric’ news
FIAT’S NEW 500 HYBRID ON THE ROAD TOWARDS FULLY ELECTRIC MOTORING. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) reports… The little and large of new models being introduced have several things in common but the most relevant is all-electric power. At one end of the size scale Fiat have recently introduced their 500 City Car petrol-electric Hybrid range and UK order books are open for their all-new … [Read more...]
Fiat 500 Rockstar – Road Test
Fiat 500 Rockstar hatchback lives up to its name. By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). In my experience, if they are not larger than life, rock stars tend to be small and noisy performers, and the Fiat Rockstar lived up to expectations. Very much the noisy baby in the extensive Fiat family of city cars, the 500 has been one of its most successful and in 2019 passed the 3-million … [Read more...]
Fiat 500 X – Road Test
Aiming to combine the appeal of the retro-styled 500 with the practicality of a compact SUV, Fiat’s 500X has plenty going for it. Kim Henson samples the turbocharged four cylinder petrol-powered 1.3 T4 DDCT Cross Plus version. (All words and photographs by Kim). When Fiat introduced the ‘modern’ 500 in 2007, the company pulled a masterstroke in applying appealing retro styling to the … [Read more...]
Renting a Fiat 500 in the Costa Blanca
Rachel Henson drives a diminutive car in a big country... ...and provides some helpful advice (which could save you some money) about renting a car abroad. Renting a Fiat 500 in the Costa Blanca When I decided to visit Sella, a small village near Benidorm in Spain, my first thought was to take a taxi. Being driven to the village would mean not having to worry about parking, driving on the … [Read more...]
Revised Fiat 500X – Road Test
UPDATED FIAT 500X - FASHION AND FUNCTION COMBINED. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). With the on-going arrival of all-new SUVs of all sizes in full swing, the popular market sector also offers updated versions of SUVs which have been available for much longer. At the compact end of the SUV market one such revised and refreshed model range made its UK debut at the end of last … [Read more...]
Serious safety concerns: Surprising and worrying Euro NCAP test results…
Crunch time for Fiat Chrysler as the 2018 facelift Panda and the new Jeep Wrangler do not perform well in Euro NCAP tests. Robin Roberts tells all... The 2018 facelift FIAT Panda has been given one of the lowest ratings in Euro NCAP’s history, having failed to achieve more than 50% in any of the car safety organisation’s four key testing categories. The safety of children seated in the rear was … [Read more...]
Fiat 500C – Road Test
Fiat 500C convertible – it’s what summers are for… By Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency). For any car to be a true success is remarkable, but to do it twice is, well, sensational. There is no doubting the fact that the Fiat 500 has been an unqualified double success, first launching in 1957 and then reborn fifty years later. Since 2007 a staggering two million Fiat 500 models have … [Read more...]
Fiat Panda 4×4 1.3 – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency) assesses Fiat’s compact 4x4… Italian singers are often short in stature but big in heart and voice, just like the Fiat Panda 4x4. The cheeky all-wheel-drive car is part of a compact 12-model range sharing a five door body. It provides a choice of 900cc or 1.2 litre petrol engines along with a 1.3 diesel, in five trim levels and even offers a … [Read more...]
Fiat 500X SUV – Road Test
Fiat’s 500X compact SUV – not to be forgotten. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Such has been the huge growth in demand for SUV/Crossover types of vehicles that manufacturers right across the car industry have flooded the market with their offerings so it’s easy to forget or overlook some of those that have been with us for a while. One such range is the Fiat 500X compact SUV, first … [Read more...]
Latest Fiat 500L – First Impressions
Moving with the times – The new Fiat 500L. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The 500L launched in 2013 in the UK was an extension of the new generation Fiat 500 city car introduced in 2007. That generation was a modern interpretation of the original Fiat 500, also known as The Cinquecento, launched 60 years ago in 1957. The family was further extended in 2015 with the introduction of … [Read more...]
Brief Impressions – Cars driven at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ Test Day South 2017
Testing Times! Kim Henson reports. I have always found useful and enjoyable the annual SMMT Test Days, which provide accredited motoring writers with the chance to sample a selection of new models from a variety of manufacturers. This year was no exception… All words and photos by Kim, with the exception of the main heading photograph, kindly provided by Jeremy Walton. Each year the … [Read more...]
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles – Current Models First Impressions Round-up
Kim Henson gives his first impressions after brief drives in seven different vehicles from the 'Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' ('FCA') line-up... (All words and photos by Kim). Initially it may seem strange that the Italian Fiat concern and the American Chrysler company have joined forces and are forging what appears to be a highly successful partnership. Yet in fact the vehicles from the separate … [Read more...]
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles forges ahead into 2017 – plus brief ‘First Impression’ drives of some of their latest models
Fiat Chrysler Group sets out its plans for 2017… and we sample some of their cars... By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Italian Fiat and US Chrysler automotive brands have in the past had partners, divorced partners, fraternised with other partners but in 2014 they found each other and it appears a successful marriage is underway as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, now known as FCA. Global … [Read more...]
Fiat 500X First Impressions
Kim Henson test-drives Fiat’s new ‘crossover’ model in deepest Wiltshire… Through automotive history Fiat has rightly been highly praised for its expertise and flair in producing highly effective ‘compact’ vehicles, and the huge popularity of the ‘new’ 500 (in fact introduced eight years ago now) is testament to this. To give some idea of the public’s love for this car, U.K. sales in 2008 were … [Read more...]
Fiat 500X
Tom Scanlan samples the five door Fiat 500X It's what's called a compact crossover vehicle, with this segment of the industry having grown from an initial 5% of the total car market in 2004 to 20% in 2014. Like the 500L, introduced in 2012, it is significantly bigger than the very popular 500 and aims to set new standards of build quality, passenger space and on-board technology. During … [Read more...]
Fiat 500L Trekking
Tom Scanlan reports... Fiat’s 500L Trekking is one of three bigger types of 500, alongside the 500L and the longer 500L MPW (Multi Purpose Wagon). The idea behind the Trekking is to hint at its potential to be a car that is ideal for the countryside, without compromising its performance in the city. It could perhaps be described as purposeful, rather than pretty like the 500. It has, … [Read more...]
Fiat Panda 4×4 and Trekking
Brief drives in two new compact Fiats... by Tom Scanlan To get straight to the point, what excellent little cars! The 4x4, while aimed primarily at anyone who wants a small car, will certainly suit anyone who also needs regularly to traverse difficult terrain. Panda’s Trekking is a 2-w-d car (front-wheel-drive) that has some of the body characteristics of the 4x4, but is not a regular … [Read more...]
