What's sweeter than la dolce vita?
Why, a double gelato scoop of retro-nostalgia of course. Say hello to the latest flavour of cutesy fun from Italy, the 1957 edition Fiat 500.
The original 500, the cinquecento, was first released in 1957, bringing transportation to the masses. Well, at least if the masses weren't too massive - the original tiny little people's car wasn't just as cute as a bug, but about as big as one too.
The new 500 is a bit like that car, except photocopied at about 150 per cent. It's been around for nearly a decade now, and developed a following all its own. Underneath, it's got the practical underpinnings of the somewhat prosaic Fiat Panda, yet with lashings of style inside and out.
Consider it a smaller, less-expensive version of the Mini. However, coming up to 10 years old, does the 500 still feel fresh enough?
Design
One of the nice things about retro design when it is done right is that it tends to age well. There are numerous exceptions, of course (see: Chrysler PT Cruiser), but like the original New Beetle, the Fiat 500 still looks good. It has a happy little face, the docked tail of a lapdog, and the short, scooty little wheelbase of a city car plucked from the streets of Rome. Except without the dents.
This one being a 1957 edition, there are some exterior extras to go with your stylish little Italian clutch. The badges, for instance, are like those found on the original car, and there are a number of paint options that you might get on your retro-modern Cuisinart. A set of 16-inch alloy wheels completes the look, colourmatched and ringed with chrome.
Driving the 500 around, you still get glances from passersby, and isn't that the whole point of a stylefirst car? It helps, too, that chief rival Mini Cooper has ballooned more than a little, while the 500 is still petite as it ever was.
Environment
Inside, this 500 is equipped in what Fiat calls Lounge trim, and that's the sort of feeling you're supposed to take away. The blend of brown leather and white interior accents are as elegant as Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday - at least until you peer closer.
This is an inexpensive little runabout, not an Alfa Romeo with cheekbones like a snow plow. Thus the buttons for the air-conditioning controls look very dated and the seating position is a bit wonky, and the cabin is very tight. If you're more Luciano Pavarotti than Michelangelo's David, you're going to end up wearing this little car like a pair of Lululemon yoga pants.
And as for your rear seat passengers, they'd better be miniature marble figurines as space is very tight. However, the hatchback trunk is actually acceptable for such a little car.
When the 500 first debuted, it had a set of retrolooking analogue gauges and a very aftermarket approach to navigation. Now you get a sharp display up front that changes when you hit the sport button, and a small version of Fiat/Chrysler's Uconnect system. This was easy to pair via Bluetooth, and revel in the easy joy of the fact that retro means you still get an actual pair of knobs for tuning and volume control.
Performance
There are three engine options available for the Fiat 500 in the North American market: the ferociously turbocharged Abarth 1.4-litre, the less-manic-butstill-zippy turbo 1.4, and the basic naturally aspirated 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine. Here, it makes 101 horsepower at 6,500 r.p.m. and 98 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 r.p.m. That is not what you'd call a lot of power. Why, that's only just enough Dalmatians to make a coat.
Filtered through a five-speed manual transmission, the driver must work relatively vigorously to keep the Fiat on the boil. If you've a drop of Italian blood in your veins, this is probably how you'd drive the car anyway, flogging that little four-banger as the car scampered around city traffic like a hyperactive pinball.
However, the 500's very upright seating position and high centre of gravity aren't conducive to highspeed antics, and while the handling is acceptable, it's certainly no hot hatch.
It's actually a shame you can't get this 1957 trim package with the zippier 1.4-litre turbo engine, considering how close the ticket price on this little car is getting to $30,000 ($26,910 before freight). That extra dose of torque would make an automatic version of this car just the ticket for urban drivers who want style and substance.
In the meantime, the 500 rides slightly choppily on its big 16-inch alloys, but remains composed as a cruiser. Slow down to a Mediterranean pace, pop open a sunroof, and save the con brio motoring until after you've had your eighth espresso.
Features
The retro design package for the Fiat 500 costs $2,000 and is comprised of a full leather interior, those 16-inch alloys, and white exterior and retro accents. If you don't need the retro look, the Lounge has pretty much everything you need from USB charging ports to automatic climate control and a central touchscreen.
GPS is a reasonable $450 add-on, and well worth it. A spare tire is an extra cost.
Fuel economy is acceptable for a small car, with official ratings of 7.6 (litres/100 kilometres) city and 5.9 on the highway. You can do better elsewhere, but given current fuel prices, the Fiat 500 qualifies as a pennies-per-kilometre proposition.
Green light
Styling ages well; compact size for easy city driving; lots of fun features.
Stop sign
Performance very mild; interior cheapness evident; price tag shoots up quickly.
The checkered flag
A fun little retro machine that provides a little sizzle on the surface.
Competition
Mini Cooper ($21,490): Now considerably larger than the Fiat 500, Mini's basic Cooper provides an engaging ride thanks to a sprightly and quirky three-cylinder turbocharged engine. At just 1.5-litres of displacement, it's no heavyhitter, but the Cooper scoots better than you'd expect - just like its ancestors.
It doesn't take much, however, to start pushing the price of even a basic Cooper up into the stratosphere. Keep the options simple and don't bother with the big wheels; like proper city cars, both the 500 and the Cooper do their best work as cheaply as possible.
