"The 500 Fiat is simply beautiful and popular!"
Tomorrow will be a really special day for me, I wouldn't be afraid to say D-Day. D in this case means vacation. It was about time, the last time I enjoyed something like this was two years ago, and before my offspring see the light of day, it will probably be the last vacation as well.
You may think I'm just bragging, but there is a direct connection. The final destination is none other than the largest Italian island – Sicily, where I will spend two weeks not only as a hiker and tourist, but also as a driver. I was really looking forward to enjoying the local winding roads and the Fiat 500 was already ordered since February. Why I finally changed the reservation to an ordinary Skoda Fabia , you can read in the following lines.
A DOUBLE PORTION OF HISTORY
Retro snorts, snorts and will snort. Today, even the early nineties are starting to be in fashion, which to us witnesses seems really sad. The new incarnation of the historic "Pětistovka" rode the retro wave of the sixties already in 2007. If she were a young girl today, she would already be looking for shapeless waist jeans. If we take into account that it is based on the new Panda, which has pleased us with its existence since 2003, we get an interesting paradox, when in front of us is actually an 18-year-old car that is completely new. It is truly a masterstroke by the Italians. Before the petrol pump is banned by the authorities, it will be a retro veteran in its own right!
However, true beauty ages very slowly. The little Fiat is like a Madonna among other cars. Despite her considerable age, she is still a beautiful and sexy woman. So is our blue "butt". The 14 year old design is still fresh enough to keep up with the times, stay cute and not feel dated. English has a beautiful expression for it: Timeless. Just look at the NEW ELECTRIC 500 – it's exactly the same!
The sales numbers prove that people still like them. In 2019, a record 200,000 of them were sold in Europe, while the number of manufactured pieces has long since climbed over two million. Even the most used pieces still hold a decent price. The fiat 500 is simply beautiful and popular. All that remains is for me to wish the new electric generation good luck. The statistics look pretty poor so far…
PLAYFUL RETRO INTERIOR
After sitting behind the wheel, I got mixed impressions. In any case, the form is top notch. I really enjoyed just sitting here and imagining how soon I would be leaving to visit my vineyards, somewhere in the Puglia region. The interior is fresh in shape and very playful, it does not lack colors, the quality of the workmanship is also at a decent level, the leather seats even breathe luxury on you. Everything is fine here, I liked it very much. The tested dark version was rather gloomy, but luckily you can choose a light interior with a white steering wheel and multi-colored accessories in 2021 as well, which I really appreciate.
Unfortunately, the short construction of the body had to show somewhere. They sit very high here, similar to Japanese microcars, and from a spatial point of view, it can't be any other way. But then came the Italian, trying to somehow incorporate a sporty pose with long legs and short arms into this tall structure. If the seat could be moved at least 5-6 cm down, it would be at least tolerable to sit behind the wheel. The upper edge of the seat remains practically unchanged, only its slope changes, so you only set the depth to which you sink. Your legs then form an angle of almost 45 degrees and sit like on the toilet. If you are taller than 185cm, you can't even ride in another position, every extra millimeter will hit your head into the ceiling (but the glass roof is to blame for that). When you want to comfortably reach the steering wheel, you have to press down on the pedals with your feet… I'm not kidding, at least they sit comfortably in the narrow and rather softer seats, and they also have decent lateral guidance.
The tested piece was equipped with an amazing panoramic roof, which will definitely come in handy on country roads when it is cloudy. Nowhere else and never again. If you drive through the city of Palermo in hot weather, the sun will be beating down on you. Always and everywhere. There is, of course, a retractable blind, but for some unknown reason it is only semi-transparent, so hiding from the blazing sun is quite impossible. But that's not all. Even with the blind closed, the glass roof simply obstructs the view. You still have the sky in your peripheral vision, all the time. It bothered me tremendously. Even a stretched roof won't solve it, which then turns into a generator of specular reflections.
This experience somewhat confirms to me that the Fiat 500 is a car more for women. I can imagine that people of smaller stature will not be bothered by this. But I recommend everyone taller than 170cm to cough up on the glass roof. This also gives you the desired head space.
THE HYBRIDS AGAIN
In 2024, automakers will introduce Transgender labels to satisfy all the equality-hungry bureaucrats. If anyone really cares, no one really cares. We now have a hybrid system even in the smallest Fiat. The base is a liter three-cylinder FireFly, connected to a new six-speed gearbox. The electrical part consists of a 12V electric motor with an output of 3.6 kW and an 11Ah battery. As with Suzuki , the mild hybrid system mainly serves as a "kicker" when starting off, i.e. it similarly recovers the energy generated during braking. You will learn about the operation of the electric motor and battery charging from the instrument panel.
"You generally have only two choices: Either be a drag on traffic, or keep stepping on the gas pedal and be a drag on traffic a little less"
The total power of the system is 51kW, which is pitifully low. Power as such isn't exactly low, but the outgoing four-cylinder had the same value, but it just doesn't work here. You generally have only two options to choose from: Either be a drag on traffic, or keep standing on the gas pedal and be a drag on traffic a little less. Although the Fiat is not dangerously weak in operation, and thanks to the electric motor it is quite nimble at the first start from the intersection, but then it comes up empty. The gears are very long, so with any attempt to accelerate, you have to rev the engine up to 6000 revs, otherwise nothing really happens. When you don't step on his neck, acceleration is lukewarm at best, the feeling of the handbrake being applied only leaves you somewhere near the maximum power.
So if someone wants to drive in an economical way, they can just forget about it. Giving a little hummingbird a hard time by the ears might seem like great fun, but unfortunately it's poisoning. You have to earn speed, you have to earn it, go downhill, etc. It takes an awful lot of human energy, and I've broken a sweat more than once on the freeway.
The good news is that even if you drive through a congested metropolis in the Italian way, the Fiat claims a maximum of 6.5L/100km.
POSITIVE Mood
I finally got to the part where our little guy excels and that is the joy of driving. The chassis is very simple, but where there is nothing, nothing can go wrong. Wheels in the corners of the body, light weight, supple suspension, it would be a dog in this to fail! The little Pětistovka is very playful, it works even on broken roads, while being pleasantly comfortable, it is almost driving nirvana in its class. Perhaps the steering could be a little more communicative. Driving in an Abarth must be something amazing, maybe I'll get lucky.
STILL ADORABLE, STILL "COOL"
Fiat Pětistovka is a very old car. One of them will be very affordable veterans for everyone. Even today, when it is slowly being replaced by its electric brother, it still has a lot to offer. What we are going to talk about is mainly about beauty. No city car is as chic, no small car evokes so many enthusiastic reactions. Perhaps I would forgive him even those few flaws for the sake of beauty. Looking back, that little rascal pissed me off about a lot of things. It doesn't go at all, it doesn't sit well…
But you know what? He is deeply etched in my memory and I remember him fondly. He was very beautiful and kind, so honest. I guess I fell a little in love too. However, he is too weak for the Sicilian Rally. However, you lovers, do not hesitate, I feel in my bones that petrol Pětistovka will soon be gone…
Basic price: NOK 289,900 (Cult)
Base price of the tested version: 349,900 (Dolce Vita)
Price for tested configuration with surcharges: 499,200 NOK (Dolce Vita with surcharges)
Photo: Jindřiška Lidická & author
