Fiat is known, or rather, famous for its small cars, this legacy kicking off with such icons as the 1936 Topolino and the 1957 Cinquecento. With the rebirth of the 500 in 2007, a great boost has been given to Fiat fortunes. Sales volumes are still growing after seven years of production with 80 per cent sold outside of home country Italy. As has happened with other manufacturers, notably another icon, the Mini, derivatives (all larger) have been introduced to try to capture markets on the periphery of this success. So, Fiat introduced the 500L that is a whole lot larger. Now it is the turn of the 500X crossover. But don’t think that this is simply a 500L with a 4×4 option and some black trim. The 500X has been styled from scratch while using the existing platform and boasting a large range of powertrain options. Bodywork, glass area, front and rear design is all unique to the 500X, penned by Centro Stile Fiat in Turin under the leadership of Roberto Giolito, Vice President of FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles).
The South African media were treated to an exclusive morning of in-depth analysis of the design and industrialisation process by Roberto himself. Although he uses Popeye’s spinach analogy to transform the 500 into the much more muscular 500X, the marketers made an entertaining video of transformation using a blue pill that, having fallen out of a window, went through a sequence of comedic ricochets before landing on a 500 (watch the ad here).
Two versions of 500X have been released, a more city orientated front wheel-drive range (with trim levels of Pop, Popstar and Lounge) and the off-road Cross version that has more SUV-type styling with an all-wheel drive option (trim levels are Cross and Cross Plus). While we had a chance to test the 4×4 on the off-road course at Fiat’s testing grounds at Ballocco, not far from Turin and Milan (where we regularly spotted Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfa Romeos including the 4C Spyder being tested) it is likely that that this model will not make it to South Africa. This is due to pricing and to prevent a family feud with yet another iconic brand that has its own model called Renegade, also arriving in SA in 2015.
What will initially be launched in South Africa, mid-2015, is the 81 kW 1,6 E-TorQ with a five speed gearbox and the 103 kW 1,4 Multiair turbo with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Like the Jeep Renegade, the 500X uses MacPherson struts front and rear. We drove the 1,4 T in manual guise and it certainly does sport trick and funky styling with all the elements of the original 500 still present both inside and out but presented in a much larger and bolder way.
A large variety of stylish options are available including neat striping that fills the bulged fluting in the bonnet and the indented channel over the roof. Fiat always packs features into their cars, some of which you may only discover after time. A few that we spotted were height adjustment for both front seat occupants and a turbo boost gauge included in the turbocharged models instrumentation display. The navigation screen has been carefully designed to integrate with the facia with rounded edges. Much neater than some others that appear to have been glued onto the facia top as an afterthought. Other options include radar assisted braking and a wide range of upholstery materials and colours. The only glitch in the quality control of one of our test cars was a loose sun visor. Legroom in the rear was adequate for adults, helped by large seat cushions.
Ride quality was good, offering an ability to soak up bumps but not being sloppy. The steering feel was a bit on the light side but seemed firmer at the freeway limit of 130 km/h. The link to SUV status is provided by Fiat’s “mood selector”. This is a console-mounted knob that allows you to access traction options. In the front-wheel drive cars this is a weather mode that gives you Sport, Auto and All-Weather for slippery conditions. In sport mode, the throttle response is quickened and steering and damping firmed up. With this system, you really can notice the difference, especially in the suspension. For the 4×4 models, the All-Weather selection is replaced with a Traction function that brings in the electronic limited slip diff function for added grip while climbing hills. The gearbox used on the 4×4 is the ZF nine-speed auto. This is a clever arrangement that uses eight ratios for normal driving but adds a low range first ratio when “off-road” is dialled in. Also special with the 4×4 is the addition of a centre diff, allowing the use of front wheel-drive only or four wheel-drive, thus saving fuel in normal driving. Ground clearance is increased from 162 mm to 179 mm on the 4×4 model.
Closer to the launch date next year, full pricing and details of the range will be made available.
