There’s no need to be anything other than frank when discussing Fiat on these pages; while we can celebrate the rebirth of a storied brand on our shores, we also can recognize that it hasn’t been an easy rebirth in many ways. Without sugarcoating things, many are still associating Fiat with the bad old days of the 1970s although that’s not necessarily fair. So it was with interest that I received this absolutely loaded up Fiat 500X the week before Christmas and had an opportunity to give it a good shake (spoiler: It did not rattle).
This is the “X” model, which is not the same as the smaller 500 which was the first car to be introduced here back in 2011 and just discontinued as of this new year. Fiat’s 2020 range will consist of the 500X, the 500L, and the 124 sports car sister to the Mazda Miata. The X was introduced here for 2016 and is built on the same platform as and shares a lot of parts with the Jeep Renegade, both of which are assembled on the same line in Melfi, Italy and then shipped here.
While the original 500 is a small car, the X is (relatively speaking) much larger. It’s still small, mind you, but not tiny. It has four doors as opposed to two, and the front seat occupants have plenty of space without bumping into each other. The back seat is snug but manageable. Seeing as how it is AWD, the logical competitor is the MINI Countryman, which also plays in the sort of retro, slightly upscale, and fashion-conscious portion of the CUV segment. Curiously though, while Fiat initially received and still gets a lot of grief from people regarding reliability, actual or perceived, based on their memories of yore, the MINI seemed to get no such stigma attached to it, although also hailing from a part of the world with a historically less than stellar reliability rep over here.
In any case, I do believe it was a bit of a mistake to badge this (and the L) as a 500. The 500 is the 500 and while famous in Europe, our market never really knew it so there isn’t much equity in the name. This larger 500X one should just be the 600 (or 600X I suppose) as there is precedent for that. And the 500L should perhaps be the Multipla. When I told a friend that I had a 500X for the week he said “Oh, they just cancelled that one” and I had to explain that this is not that one (and he’s a car guy as well).
First impressions were good. As you can see the car is draped in a coat of red paint, “Rosso Passione” in Fiat-speak which is a welcome change from the grayscale palette that afflicts most cars. In fact Fiat offers many different actual colors in its range to choose from at no additional charge. A grille with the logo and roundish headlights make for a friendly face with a non-threatening demeanor, another welcome change.
Large taillights in the back, a smattering of chrome and brushed-steel-effect accents along with decent sized wheels and tires are other focal points and then there are a couple of skid-plate-looking accents as well as the requisite moldings to convey the CUV-ish aspects of the package. It’s distinctive without being in your face, doesn’t scream aggression but also has enough butch traits to not be immediately branded as overly (overtly?) feminine.
Opening the door and getting inside reveals a well-styled interior draped in brown leather and a very attractive dashboard finished in body color. While not metal, the painted portion looks and feels good and conveys the right retro vibe. The other parts, mostly in black, are composed of much more soft plastic than I expected including most of the upper surfaces until you get close to the base of the windshield. The leather is soft and feels leathery as opposed to plasticky and while I personally would have picked either a cream color or black as the hue to mate with the red exterior and dash, taken by itself I found the brown attractive. The driver’s seat in this version had four way lumbar support which was very welcome and, and all adjustments were of the electric variety.
Try as I might, however, I could never get completely comfortable, the main offender being the headrest which seemed to protrude too far forward for me and was only resolved when I raised it enough so the bottom lip cleared my neck. However at that point it was beyond the detents built into the supports and lowered itself again after a hefty bump in the road, I also doubt that technically being “loose” would be particularly safe in a collision. I do recognize that seats don’t fit everyone the same so the fact that it wasn’t perfect for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for you. I’m around 6ft 1in, I think if I were a few inches shorter in torso (in my case combined with a 32″ inseam) that would have been much better. My head (and hair) just barely cleared the panoramic sunroof frame but leg comfort was great, both in reach as well as space.
Instrumentation is clear, easy to read and conveys all the immediately necessary information at a glance. The center display can toggle through about ten screens with various information and setting options, I usually just kept it as a large digital readout of the speed along with toggling to keep an eye on my fuel economy.
Moving further to the center of the car, FCA’s UConnect4 infotainment system is mounted high up but integrated with the dashboard. Comprised of a 7-inch screen within a larger matte glass panel it did a good job of providing access to secondary settings and of course the radio options. The screen seemed to be less susceptible to fingerprints than some others; as I mentioned it has more of matte or even slightly textured surface that seems to help with that. The size was just fine seeing as you are seated a bit closer to it that you might be in some larger cars, kind of how a 32″ large-screen TV is perfectly acceptable when you are seated a few feet away from it as opposed to across a large living room.
HVAC controls are of the three-knob variety but with automatic functionality built in, pretty much a set and forget system with buttons to control where the air actually exits into the cabin, which can be chosen singly or in any combination. The fan was a bit noisy to my ears, anything over maybe 30% of the highest speed was definitely audible, a lower point than many other systems. By half speed a radio volume adjustment was needed.
Two cupholders in the center console are adequately sized if not 44oz soda spec but then again if 44oz sodas are a regular dietary consumption item this may not be the best fitting car either. A large “tall-boy” Arizona ice tea can fit very snugly if that helps one visualize things. A small bin can hold oddments under your elbow which would rest upon the lid, a softly padded piece that slides fore and aft as needed to nestle said elbow in comfort. Just in front of the shift lever is another small and pretty deep bin to hold the phone or whatever other small items. Several USB ports and a 12v charger are also located at/near the front bin area.
As a minor aside, the overall fit and finish were impeccable throughout. Harder to describe is the feel of the buttons, knobs and handles etc.; while this car is part of the FCA empire, these items simply felt good as well as solid with just the right amount of resistance and feedback when using them. A small thing, to be sure, but it gives a good impression and speaks to a level of care in the engineering that isn’t always there in some other cars. Overall these items felt better and more expensive than in the RAMs, Jeeps and Chryslers I’m familiar with.
The back seats are comfortable if not overly large. My two boys said it was snug, however they are used to larger vehicles. I gave it a try myself and when seated behind where my driver’s seat would be my knees were touching but not completely pressed into the seatback while my head was barely touching the roof (again, lower inside than normal due to the large sunroof).
I myself could have tolerated it for most any reasonably local ride of maybe an hour or two, but not an all-day affair. I can’t really fault it for this, I’m larger than the average and it’s not advertised as a large car. If that’s your thing, maybe check out the 500L instead?
The hatchback cargo area is well designed and impeccably finished with a high standard of materials, the rigid surfaces and items such as the cargo cover and lower tray were solid and the carpeting was of a good quality. It opens wide and seems able to hold enough relative to the size of the car. The hard luggage cover can be removed if desired and while my tester had the optional spare tire under the floor (it looked full-size in diameter but skinnier), it seems the regular version without a spare would have more stowage space underneath instead. The picture reminds me that there was a lip to lift over but I had multiple items and boxes and even a 50lb bag of grout in there at one point, none of which caused any issues for me.
The engine (new for 2019 and used in every Fiat as well as the Jeep Renegade) is a 1.3liter Direct Injected turbocharged 4-cylinder and has a peak output of 177hp at 5500rpm and a torque figure of 210lb-ft at 2200rpm. It is mated to a 9-speed transmission and standard AWD. This replaces both the older 1.4 liter turbo as well as the 2.4liter that used to be required for the AWD version.
Driving it (finally!) revealed some paradoxes. Firing right up every time with the ubiquitous starter button without issues even after repeated significantly sub-freezing nights parked outside, it seems to avoid the DI clatter common in some other engines and settles into a smooth idle immediately. The transmission programming, once a problem with FCA’s 9-speed, again as in the Cherokee I drove recently, works well and imperceptibly. Once warmed up and able to exploit the power on tap, this engine is far more impressive that I had anticipated it being. Although there is a small bit of lag right off the line which one adjusts for after getting used to it, it has a very wide powerband and much more power than the car really needs. While I’ve long been a proponent of the theory that there isn’t a car made that couldn’t benefit from an extra fifty horsepower, this may prove the end of that theory for me.
No, it’s not a Ferrari by any means, but it simply seems to pull very well and quicker than the figures touted in the buff books would have you believe. More importantly it doesn’t run out of steam, driving to Denver on I-25 at the normal 80-85mph revealed noticeable acceleration when pinning the throttle briefly, merely in the interests of informing you, of course. Off the line at a light it just jumps out once it gets past the initial brief lag.
I had the car with snow still on the ground in some areas of town and the high-performance all-season Continental tires the car was fitted with weren’t the best match for those conditions although the AWD let it pull away or around corners without much slippage. Once on dry (or wet) ground, it stuck extremely well and was able to carve around corners at a pace faster than I’d be comfortable doing with most other CUVs although there wasn’t very much road feel through the wheel.
The wheel though was of good heft and diameter with well placed controls on both the front and the rear (audio system toggles on the rear). The ride was a bit jiggly due to the short wheelbase but well damped, a pothole or large expansion strip would register as a solid thump but no extraneous motion, head toss on rougher surfaces was minimal to non-existent and in the majority of conditions best described as “euro-firm” but compliant. In short, no complaints on that score.
The engine makes decent sounds and is a bit rorty, overall it’s slightly on the loud side, especially under acceleration. Road, wind, and tire noise were well suppressed though and it is Italian, so engine noise is perhaps part of the package and to be appreciated, capisce? I drove it almost 400 miles in just under a week, with close to a 50/50 mix of city and highway and it returned an indicated 26mpg. This isn’t fantastic (and it is rated at 24City/30Hwy/26Combined so right on the money) but at least it only called for regular unleaded fuel, a welcome surprise.
Once the low fuel light came on after about 300 miles I decided to get some gas as I am supposed to return it with at least a quarter tank. I didn’t really think about it and figured ten gallons should get me over the halfway mark with room for some more driving that week and was surprised to realize the gauge was now back at full. Of course the tank is smaller than what I’m used to at 12.7 gallons so that makes sense but still allows for a range of well over 300 miles.
As with the Alfa Romeo I drove last year this car also has a driver selectable “Mode” knob. Allowing one to choose between Sport, Standard/Automatic and Traction, I generally left it in Standard/Automatic as I suspect most people will do. However the Sport mode did make a significant difference in the responsiveness of the car mainly by usually being in a lower gear and often holding that gear depending on the maneuver that had just been performed. It also made the car louder (obviously) and more nervous-feeling, or perhaps “edgy” is a better word. If I was 20 again I’d probably keep it in Sport mode and use the manual shift mode along with it and probably collect lots of tickets. Once I hit 80 years of age, maybe I’d primarily use Traction mode…mainly meant for loose surfaces or snow/ice it retards some of the functions so there is less slippage etc.
This car was equipped with an engine stop/start system and I am pleased to report that while it has a large defeat button right on the dash, it was one of the better systems I’ve used with minimal shake and shudder. Yes it’s still there if you are looking for it, but almost imperceptible and what’s noticed more is the silence when it turns the engine off. I used the defeat button once to make sure it worked (it did) but then left it as is, whereas in the Jeep Compass I drove last summer with the 2.4liter engine I seem to recall trying to hit the button as soon as I started that car as it was far more objectionable.
Let’s shed some light on the issue that I know people will fixate on with this car, or at least the one I had – the price. The 500X line starts at $24,740 and there are a total of six (that seems like a lot!) trim levels of which mine was the absolute top one. All trims get the same engine, transmission, and standard AWD. My trim level, the “Trecking Plus” level, started at $29,445. That includes leather, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, bluetooth, voice commands, heated seats (but not wheel), LED headlights, tinted windows, front and rear parking sensors, heated mirrors, 17″ wheels and a bunch of other stuff, i.e. not at all stripped and somewhat comparable to some other options out there.
The options (on top of the trim level) on my car were comprised of the Premium Group for $1,695 which included an upgrade to 215/55-18 tires and wheels, the “Beats” premium audio system and the panoramic sunroof with separate shades for front and rear passengers. I’d happily skip the sunroof (but that’s just me) and found the audio system to not be anything overly special. The wheels I liked and the tires were good in non-snowy/icy conditions.
Additionally it also came with the advanced driver assistance group for $1,395 which I’d select as it includes Adaptive Speed Control, Blind Spot and CrossPath Detection, Lane Keep Assist, Automated Braking, Automatic High Beams, and Rain Sensitive Wipers. And last but not least the spare tire kit at $295 as well as the destination charge of $1,495 bringing it to a grand total asking price of $34,325. While I don’t want this to overshadow the rest of the car and its attributes, I can recognize that this may be perceived as a large-ish number for a small-ish car.
Of course, as stated, this car has pretty much everything included and most will likely not leave the showroom with this much stuff in it. I glanced at some other company’s sites and realized that a comparable MINI with similar power would be even more expensive although the Jeep Renegade would be several thousand less. Some of the other smaller Germans can go beyond this as can the Asians so in the end it’s best to compare everything yourself and look in person to see how the intangibles measure up. The warranty includes four years and 50,000 miles bumper to bumper coverage.
Due to the usual CC effect, I saw one of these ahead of me in traffic the first day I had it and then saw several others over the week, but overall these are somewhat thin on the ground. Our local FCA dealer does not carry Fiat so that likely has something to do with it but I imagine they could service this as it’s so similar mechanically to the Renegade.
In summation, I’m left with a bit of a paradox. While it was not the perfect car for me and my lifestyle and it physically didn’t fit me perfectly (uniquely my problem so I’ll set that aside), it was a lot of fun to drive and I believe it possesses an intangible sense of style that is missing in a lot of the mass-market offerings and part of that is reflected in the pricing. Of course you have to like the way it looks for that to be worth anything and that is very subjective. So from an objective viewpoint, mechanically there is very little to fault. With this new engine, it’s more powerful than it could be (and more powerful than most if perhaps not all of its mass-market competition), it has loads of desirable features, the materials are of a higher standard than others, and it seems to be carefully assembled. To toss out the baggage, I had zero problems with it (not that I expected any), everything made sense at first glance, there were no rattles or assembly issues, and everything appeared to be of a high quality. Bravo, Fiat!
So many vehicles have these awful headrests nowadays. Seems like a business opportunity for aftermarket headrests that aren’t bent forward that just slide into the holes but maybe liability prevents anyone from selling them. Thanks for this real world review.
If I’m not mistaken, there may be some sort of new regulation requiring those rather unfortunate ‘active’ headrests. They’ve certainly become widespread.
They’re not headrests—never have been. They’re head restraints. They’re a crash-safety item, not a comfort feature. That said, I agree with you: it’s a literal pain in the neck to have one’s head constantly shoved forward because the automaker didn’t spend for active head restraints (the kind that moves forward when needed, in the early stages of a crash).
For some reason the head restraints in Ford Mustangs contact my wife’s head in a spot that aggravates her immensely. After giving the situation some thought I realized that I could remove the restraints and then reinsert them “backwards”; all it takes is a few seconds with a stout screwdriver to depress the locking tab. I understand this defeats the whole purpose of the restraints but I thought the tradeoff worth the slight risk. As always YMMV.
I find it interesting that the restraints in none of our last three Toyotas (Camry, Highlander & RAV4) interact with my wife’s head in the same way. I don’t know if she sits more upright in the Toyotas (vs the Mustang) or the restraints are at a different enough angle to make the difference or what. In any case I’ve not been forced to make adaptations in the Toyotas.
As Daniel alluded to above some designs are “Active” in that if in a collision they are designed to move forward and then become a repair item at that point. Other designs are fixed in place, sometimes at an aggravating angle for some people depending on their particular physique.
I’m not sure which design the Fiat employed, just that the design didn’t work well for me. You or your wife may find differently though!
On Honda Fits and HR-Vs you can turn them around and they don’t even look stupid but are then an inch or more farther back. My Forester has about five click-through positions, although I wouldn’t mind a couple more farther back. They can’t be reversed.
No doubt many variations on other cars.
For what it’s worth, I currently have five Fords, and have owned 8 total. I read multiple reviews on Fords several years back criticizing aggressive forward tilt headrests (restraints, Daniel is quite right), and experienced the same thing at auto shows. My thought was, Holy Crap, NHTSA and Ford have gone bonkers.
What I eventually figured out, the degree of tilt forward/back is ADJUSTABLE!! Yes, grab the headrest and pull it aggressively forward, and beyond a point it will unlock and swing back so far you’ll be convinced it is 1968 in the United States again (year before mandatory head restraints).
In the case of my modern Fords ranging from multiple Fusions, D3 variants, Mustangs and F-150s, there is a serious forward / aft adjustability. Most modern cars likely have the same feature as my Fords.
This. I have a Fiat 500 Abarth and while I love the look of the leather seats I can’t stand the pain they cause my neck on drives over 15 minutes. My fix which allowed me to keep the seat mounted airbags was to buy seats from a down market 500 Pop with the removable headrests and put them in my Abarth. Problem solved, only cost $250. And a broken big toe. I managed to drop a trailer hitch on my toe while moving crap around in my garage to make room for the Abarth seats. So yeah. Hate these new, stupid seat headrests that aren’t removable and shove your cranium forward. And break your toe.
Agree that ‘600’ would have been a much better name than ‘500X’. In fact, the happy face front end quite reminds me of the ‘Hi!’ face of the old, 1st gen Neon, so maybe FCA/PSA will resurrect that name for a later Dodge version, which might be particularly apt as Dodge is without a small vehicle now that the Dart has been cancelled.
One of the things that the 500X (and Fiats, in general) has going for it is a quite large color palette of choices for both interior and exterior so it’s easy to get one built to an individual’s personal taste. Also glad to hear that the stop/start feature is unobtrusive and works well. I’ve always maintained that start/stop only works properly in hybrids, but pleasantly surprised that’s not the case here.
I’m not exactly sure of the market for the 500X, though. With big enough discounts, it would certainly be a great alternative to the Renegade but, at the same price, the Jeep will trounce it in sales. I suppose if someone’s looking for a bit of Euro-flair like the MINI Countryman, the 500X would be an okay alternative. But that price is a tad high for such a small vehicle (especially with just average fuel economy). In most cases, the Jeep (or, more likely, some sort of CUV) will be chosen, instead.
Lest I gave the wrong impression, I found the stop/start to be excellent for a conventional system (much better than most) but still not nearly as good as in most/many hybrids as hybrids smooth the transitions significantly/completely by being able to use electric power. Last week I rented a hybrid Ford and that stop/start was absolutely perfect. It took me several days to even be able to detect that the gasoline engine was actually on without watching the gauges but the transitions were seamless.
I think FCA would be perfectly happy if a buyer was choosing and deciding between a 500X and a Renegade. Neither are as bland as the mass market offerings in exchange for perhaps being a bit polarizing but the Fiat is of a significantly higher grade at least on the visible inside and touchpoints than the Jeep.
>>Also glad to hear that the stop/start feature is unobtrusive and works well.<<
What concerns me about stop/start with a turbocharged engine is that the turbine is probably still spinning at a brisk pace when the system turns the engine off. Seems that turning the engine off will also deprive the turbine bearings of oil pressure. My current ride doesn't have stop/start, but if I ever do have a car with that system, and a turbocharger, I think I will be consistently turning the stop/start off to avoid potential turbocharger failure, until someone shows me how the turbine bearings will not lose oil pressure.
I’m no engineer and if one wants to chime in I’d be grateful but as a lay person I view that scenario as incorrect – mainly due to the fact that we can presumably agree that the bearing(s) was lubricated with oil prior to the “stop” function. At that point, any potential load on the bearing is completely eliminated and the shaft spins while lubricated on its existing film until the shaft stops spinning, likely due to shear forces of the oil itself rather than any metal to metal contact. At least you aren’t arguing that the oil will coke.
As a simile that may or may not be rooted in any kind of fact, consider your wheel bearings. Where is the constant oil/grease pressure there? There isn’t one and it’s not a concern, I don’t believe I have had any wheel bearing issues in the last 35years.
>>At least you aren’t arguing that the oil will coke.<<
Between use of synthetic oil and electric pumps to circulate coolant through the turbo after shutdown, I am satisfied on that score.
If anyone knows the answer to the question about oil pressure to the turbine bearings with a shut down engine, I would appreciate it. Even though the turbine will not be spinning at 100K+, like under driving conditions, there will still be a few seconds at a light while the turbine spools down.
I checked out the 500X at the Detroit show a year ago. Quite liked it. For 19, the instrument cluster was revised with larger analog tach and speedo than earlier years. I have read claims on both sides wrt the transmission. Fiat claims they finally have the programming sorted out, but some reports claim it’s still clunky. wrt fuel, careful reading of the owner’s manual reveals that the engine really wants premium, but the engine management system will compensate for cheap gas. The tip off is the phrase in the manual “The use of a 91 or higher octane “premium” gasoline will allow these engines to operate to optimal performance.”
wrt pricing, entry price of the Renegade is lower as the Renegade is still available front drive only and with the 2.4 in lower trims.
The big difference is when you compare apples to apples, 1.3T/AWD versions of the 500X and Renegade. In December, Jeep was putting $5000 on the hood of a 2019 Renegade, while Fiat offered zero incentive on the 2019 500X. Jeep was even offering $2200 on 2020 models. Essentially they are the same car, built in the same factory, but a comparably equipped Renegade is thousands less when incentives are considered. That makes no sense, unless FCA wants to make sure they sell no 500Xs.
At the show last year, each FCA brand a had card with a hashtag for further information mounted in the license holders of the cars on display. I couldn’t help but notice the one on the Fiats. Yes, I know the word can also mean “hello”, but can’t help but wonder if there was something Freudian in the choice.
I didn’t read the manual, just the sticker in the fuel filler area that said “Use Regular Fuel”. That being said, the performance was much better than expected or that it really needed to be, I doubt anyone would waste their money on premium gas.
I think you can look at the price difference between it and the Jeep in the same way as some Fords and Lincolns or GMC Denali and Cadillac Escalade etc. Same or extremely similar under the skin, pretty much the same electronically, same hands on the parts at the factory, but different label and perhaps somewhat nicer/upgraded materials and touchpoints.
If this is a vehicle in which you find yourself questioning your additional fifty horsepower philosophy, that says a lot.
Overall, I like this Fiat, particularly the interior treatment. Perhaps it’s the retro theme of the body colored dashboard, as there is something so refreshing about that.
Please, FCA, keep sending vehicles Jim’s way. There are those of us who are really enjoying living vicariously through him. 🙂
I have always liked the looks of these a lot, inside and out. But the gas mileage is interesting/disappointing. I have hit 14,000 miles on the Suburban and averaged right at 20mpg (Trip “B” which I reset 11,000 miles ago and didn’t reset) in what I would call an equal mix of city, country, and interstate driving.
That’s the EPA highway rating, and, not far off from the 500x in a much larger and heavier vehicle. I’m no engineer, but there must be some quantifiable point at which a larger engine, which is able do the job at hand while hardly working, is a more efficient choice.
We just got back from Disney World, a 1400 mile round trip. I-95, if you don’t know it, is a chaotic NASCAR race. We still got 19.6 mpg for the trip start to finish, going 85+mph the whole way, with 5 adults and their luggage for a week….and then used the car in stop and go Orlando traffic as well most days. (Interesting aside, the Disney parking lots open at 4am, and have a line most days. Pay $25 for the Preferred Parking at the gate.)
Which leads us back to the conundrum a smallish vehicle poses for post of us. I would have gotten better mileage in the Fiat, but would it have been that much better? To justify the tradeoff in space and comfort?
Indicated mileage as per the vehicle’s computer commonly varies from real measured mileage. Almost invariably, the variation is to the more optimistic side.
Mileage is dependent on quite a number of different factors. For instance, Jim’s Fiat was driven in a high altitude area, which tends to reduce efficiency.And there’s driving style, temperature, and a whole lot of other factors.
The 500X is rated to get 45% more mileage than the Suburban. I’m strongly inclined to believe that driven in the same way and environment, it will do so.
The trade-off in space and mileage is one that each buyer has to make. On the other hand the new Highlander hybrid is expected to get a 34 combined EPA rating. That’s almost twice the mileage of the Suburban. Still not quite as big, but the trade-off between space and mileage in that case becomes a much less substantial issue, especially for buyers who are concerned about fuel economy in terms of CO emissions.
Indicated mileage as per the vehicle’s computer commonly varies from real measured mileage. Almost invariably, the variation is to the more optimistic side.
Yup. I took this pic in my VW in one of it’s more delusional moments. Reality, which I fill the tank and do the math, is more like 32-33.
I have considered these a few times, in large part because the lowest trim level still allowed the buyer to chose between a manual or an automatic transmission.
As is pointed out, these come in a fairly decent range of colors and that feature alone could have made a difference to many potential customers.
Finally, the names. I agree, that with 4 doors the 500L should have been names the 600L. The Multipa doesn’t quite fit, however, certainly there is/was a better name in Fiat’s portfolio that fit better than X. I guess they went with that to convey it’s soft roader abilities.
Very comprehensive, fair, and enjoyable review Jim. All things considered equal, this little CUV could be a winner in a very crowded field were it not for two elephants in the room (both of which you mentioned):
1. Old codgers like me went through the 60s and 70s and the name Fiat is not one to inspire confidence in its reliability and toughness in USA northeast winter driving. It’s the old “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” syndrome.
2. Younger codgers need to deal with the fragile nature of the current automotive landscape and its brutal competitive environment that may only leave a few strong one standing with sound financial backgrounds and reputations, thus possibly leaving a USA Fiat owner with an orphan.
Based on your review I’d love to drive one of these, but $34.3K is closing in on base hybrid RAV4 numbers (admittedly with no options) and, even with Fiat maybe offering money on the hood, tell me what the wiser choice would be.
This may not be a fair or well received comment, but for those who want to keep a vehicle for 10 or more years so as not to live with constant car payments, these two elephants do make their presence known.
No, I generally consider your comments to be well-reasoned and have no quarrel except that I should point out that a lesser equipped 500X (but still with the same engine, trans, and AWD system as standard) is available for $24,740 (MSRP). It’d be a mistake to merely focus on the asking price of the example with every box ticked and dismiss it merely due to that. You do own a Miata so you well know that “fun to drive” is something that is hard to put a price on, as opposed to a Miata there were a number of other small cars available at a lower price. I’m a fan of the RAV4 and especially the Hybrid myself but it does exist to scratch a different itch.
Shop around. I’m seeing $6-8k off of new ones on CarGurus, and CPO one and two year old models for even less.
As is consistently the case with your reviews, this was excellent, and filled in a lot for me on a car that I have had very little exposure to.
I still prefer the 500L, as I’m a fan of its roomier body and quirky styling, and since it presumably now has the same drive train as the 500X, it more than deals with its early issues in that regard.
The big question is whether Fiat will even stay in the US. A pull-out is obviously being mulled over, although with the merger that will be looked at in a new light. The current sales volume is not sustainable.
Thank you, I appreciate the compliment. Yes the 1.3turbo is the engine for the entire range including the Miata twin as well as the 500L.
While volume is low, (and I have no actual or inside knowledge here for the following) I’d suppose that the Fiat line goes toward propping up the overall FCA fleet mpg averages. FCA paid a large fine last year but if Fiat sales didn’t exist here, presumably that fine would be larger. I’m sure someone internally knows exactly the dollar amount that each Fiat sale represents to that aspect. That said, yes, the volume is low. The fact that they invested in making such a wholesale change to the engine lineup does give some hope.
In the back of my mind is the thought that, post-merger, the 500L will be one of the first to be transitioned to a Pug 2008 platform.
The big question is whether Fiat will even stay in the US. A pull-out is obviously being mulled over, although with the merger that will be looked at in a new light. The current sales volume is not sustainable.
The 500, which was discontinued a couple months ago, accounted for nearly a third of Fiat’s already small sales. With the 500X not offering incentives while thousands are offered on Renegades with a comparable sticker price, the X becomes a very hard sell. The X also accounts for nearly a third of Fiat’s sales.
If FCA simply pulled Fiat, they would need to pay restitution to the dealers that spent a tidy sum building the “studios” that the company demanded. If the dealers became sufficiently discouraged to simply drop Fiat, would FCA still need to compensate them when Fiat was officially pulled from the market, after the dealers dropped the brand?
Winding down sales by slowly discontinuing models (beginning with the 500) may, indeed, be exactly how FCA is going about pulling Fiat out of the US.
My Fiat dealer is also an Alfa Romeo dealer, and now that’s the brand they’re featuring in the showroom. Alfa sales are not great either but presumably higher margin, so I think it’s more likely for Alfa to survive in the US than Fiat. If they do presumably they’ll continue to service the Fiats.
so I think it’s more likely for Alfa to survive in the US than Fiat. If they do presumably they’ll continue to service the Fiats.
As far as I know, there is very little parts interchangeability between anything from Fiat and anything from Alfa, so being trained on Alfas and stocking parts for Alfas, would be no help for many Fiat owners. Besides, Alfa sales have been falling almost as fast as Fiat’s, down 27% through Q3 vs down 38%, in spite of Alfa’s product line being fresher, so I wouldn’t bet the farm on Alfa making an extended stay in the US either.
so I think it’s more likely for Alfa to survive in the US than Fiat.
Interesting thing happened in metro Detroit over the last few weeks: two of the 4 Alfa dealers have closed.
The dealer in Ann Arbor kept Fiat, moving it into it’s Mopar store, which is now allowed, and dropping Alfa entirely. The former Fiat/Alfa showroom is for sale.
The dealer in Toledo has done the same, dropped Alfa and moved Fiat into it’s Mopar store. The former Fiat/Alfa dealership will become a Mazda store.
I stopped by the former showroom in Ann Arbor. The Alfa sign has been removed, but the Fiat sign remains, even though Fiats are now at the Mopar store, a few miles away.
A few years ago I was at the Detroit auto show photographing the lights on the cars (for work, not for kicks). I try to show as many of the lights lit as I can—sometimes they’re all operable, sometimes none, and sometimes in between.
All the lights were operable on the Fiat 124, so i lit the headlamps and hazard flashers and started round the car with my camera. At the rear I was amused and dismayed to see the side markers dimming perceptibly during the lit phase of the flashers’ operation. It was clearly not intentional, abd it put me firmly and fairly in mind of Fiat’s bad old(?) days of the 1970s.
I do find it curious that the 500X is only available with AWD. It seems like a good and useful vehicle, but by not offering a 2WD version, FIAT seems to be cutting off its nose to spite its face.
It is really starting to feel like FCA *wants* FIAT to fail in the US. It’s now 2020, and the FIAT USA website isn’t showing ANY 2020 models. (Yes, it’s only the 1st, but everybody else has been selling 2020 models for a few months now.)
Click on the model in the website, the next page gives you a choice between 2019 and 2020 at the top.
They used to have a 2WD version, likely it had a very low take rate.
Oh, okay. Now I’ve found it. But burying it in that fashion tells me they are sitting on a ton of 2019 inventory, never a good sign.
Jim, thanks for this!
The 500X has been such a low-volume model here in Australia that I never see them and sometimes forget they exist.
Due to some changes in my life, I’m no longer looking to imminently replace my Falcon unless something expensive breaks. And if I do in the next 24 months, I’ll likely look at something cheaper than what I’d been looking at. I’ve also put more value in safety features like autonomous emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring.
While completely out of my usual buying pattern, the 500X is a car I’m going to put on my “take a closer look” list. What you said about the interior (plus the photos) had my respect for the little Fiat go up. That it drives well, too, is crucial.
I’ve always wanted to like these, and your review certainly does make a case for them. My only exposure to the Fiat 500 family was with the “small” 500 when I was selling MINIs, as they were frequently compared to and traded in for any given MINI Cooper bodystyle. My overall impression was that the Fiats were cheaper and more “hollow” feeling but perhaps the 500X is a cut above?
I think they are pretty similar to the Mini overall and the interior materials may in fact be better. (My inlaws had a Mini about five years ago, the new ones may have progressed.)
The 500X and the 500 are on different platforms (500X is same as Jeep Renegade and 500L whereas the 500 is on a smaller one). However I have not driven the regular 500 so can’t speak to that. This 500X seemed very well screwed together and while the door didn’t make a Mercedes thunk, bits didn’t feel like they were going to be falling off of it either.
I did try to use the Mini configurator to figure out a comparable price but got it well over $40k and stopped (was looking at the highest output Countryman as that was the only similarly powered engine). I thought Fiat had a lot of options and trim levels until I checked out the Mini site…
I am going to miss the 500. I actually liked the car. I got to spend a few weeks in one when my car was in the shop and they gave me a loaner.
Despite its small outside footprint, it was roomy enough for me (and I am a fat sob), it was no v8 powered super car, but it did keep up easy in traffic and had no problem in the acceleration dept. It felt more substantial then a Mitsu Mirage or the Toyota Yaris
I enjoyed parking it in small spaces.
I think the car would make a good commuter car or a good everyday car for a couple with no kids as while the front seat area is pretty roomy, the back seat might just as well be permanently put down to extend the trunk space.
I would have bought one had the dealer dropped the price by a small bit
Purely in the basis of aesthetics I find the X very appealing, yet I find the L almost Aztek-ugly. Sounds like the X has some functional strengths as well. Good review – thanks.
Good review. There is a lot to call out on FIAT, another brand too many in the FCA world (I’ve not yet digested PSA, forgive me, I understand it will get much worse before it will get better). But the FIAT platforms ain’t all bad. We have a 2015 Dart that shares the 2.4 Tigershark with variants of the post subject, and it has served us well.
I am not as forgiving as Mr. Klein on space issues, at 6’2″ and north of 200, I unabashedly purchase vehicles that make me comfortable. If it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t ship, to amend a line from the USPS.
The style of this is appealing, in the way that Chrysler products can sometimes be leading. Love the multi-dimensional taillights.
They should have named this a Dodge or a Chrysler (later generation PT Cruiser?) It would likely have sold a whole lot better. Agnelli arrogance held Marchionne back.
I drive a 2013 500 Sport.. Bought used and have put almost 20k on it in the year I’ve owned it. I love the thing, but it is small. Obviously. I looked into the 500X, but the cost and the far inferior mileage are big issues. I can average 42-48 (5spd manual) on the highway. Maintenance has been a non-issue with just a battery and a brake light switch.. I’m about to hit 68k and I see no reason to trade it. But if I were, reliability does not seem to be an issue. And I’d put it against the Mini any day on that point
As for dealerships. We had 2 here in Columbus, Oh. One just stopped the Fiat sales and servicing, but kept their Alphas. The other is still selling and servicing.. Now that, to me, is an issue and would make me think twice about going Fiat again.
Count me as another who knows more about these than I did before, so thanks.
Fiat is a puzzler these days. The promise to bring the 500 over was tied up in the bailout/purchase of a decade ago now, and the thing took long enough to federalize that the huge demand for small cars had shrunk considerably by the time they finally showed up. Ever since that time they have had precious few successes here in the US. Yes, the name thing is confusing.
I keep trying to make a case in my mind for what Fiat offers, and keep having trouble.
Very thorough review, Jim.
Conflicted about this vehicle. On one hand, it is always nice to see a different brand make a vehicle with personality inside and out. On the other, there are some serious fundamental issues. First is dealer network, there are a total of 9 of these vehicles for sale, all from a single dealership, which is the only dealership in a metro area of over 2 million people. It’s 40 miles from me, and that would be an impossible proposition for a brand with the reputation of Fiat. The powertrain is still a substantial weakness, it has the wrong blend of acceleration and fuel economy. 26mpg combined is what my port-injected iron-block 5-cylinder Jetta wagon achieved, and that dinosaur of a powertrain dates to 2005. The Jetta was quicker than this Fiat, and the 5speed manual made it very responsive, yet the fuel use was still an irritant. Seeing this kind of performance out of a whizz-bang turbo engine with a 9 speed automatic would be very disappointing even if it can chuff up a hill at elevation.
Some good news is that all 9 of those 500xs are being sold at about 5 grand off MSRP. The bad news is you’ll probably still lose your shirt on resale. Dunno. It could work for some people, but not many judging by how many of these I’ve seen on the road.
Jim Klein, I’m going to be gently rude, but also ask a genuine question.
This nice-looking thing didn’t really fit you, a hardly-oversized male adult.
The steering had no feel (personally, a fail category).
It didn’t ride with distinction.
It stuck well, which isn’t the same as handling so.
It was noisy in the engine.
It got simply dreadful mileage for a 1.3.
It has an unfeasibly outsized price (and it must be said, the resale must be poor, on numbers alone, making it yet pricier over time).
It seems in toto to be a pretty poor consumer – or enthusiast – choice.
Beyond being pokey and (to me, and, I think, you) a good sort of looker, it’s not much of a car.
Is it possible that the understated views expressed in your piece here were influenced by the provision of a free ride? It’s a genuine query, as I’ve never had to deal with such largesse, beyond scrambling to provide a plausible explanation of the excellence in an otherwise unneeded Christmas gift from a kindly if insistent relative.
You aren’t – blessedly – a motoring journo, who bring the sort-of authority or force of daily/monthly publication, so does it feel odd or difficult to express unhappy views of an inadequate car in these circumstances?
I think the way I look at cars and always have is in their own context. I don’t think any car should be judged to an impossible standard, there is no absolute. Does the Fiat 500X represent a car that would fulfill the needs of 50% of the population? No. 5%? No. 5000-50000 people? Perhaps. Am I biased due to it being a free car and worried about my supply drying up? I can’t say it isn’t on my mind and you and the readership are intelligent enough to build that factor in to ANY review besides perhaps the ones from Consumer Reports. A similar thing was suggested in my Jeep Cherokee review by someone a couple of months ago who couldn’t fathom that a Cherokee could possibly be a decent vehicle (again, by merely looking at data) the best answer is that I will not slam a vehicle just because it’s the popular thing to do and I also won’t praise it more than it should be. If I have built-in biases towards a car I’ll mention them. What it boils down to in the end is I had the use of a car for a week, I was able it drive it as I saw fit but also had to use it in a way that worked within and around my real life (i.e. I did not get the opportunity to take it offroad or even on an unpaved road or try it in heavy snow or whatever else the AWD system may be of useful assistance with). I also don’t get paid for my reviews, I have no need to generate “clicks” or popularity (note I wrote about a tree a few months back), I have a busy and active life outside of writing here and driving a free car for a week is NOT just joy and wonder, it comes with responsibility and a duty and time commitment far beyond that, i.e. a VERY double-edge (triple-edged?) sword. If a car sucks in some respect relative to its competition that is reproducible by any potential buyer then I will call that out. That, frankly, is a rare thing in today’s market, much easier to do with old cars than new. I’m a keen driver, but I’m also not stupid enough to generally explore the absolute limits on a public road with what is even after a week an unfamiliar car and I am not a mechanical engineer or automotive specialist in regard to mechanicals (and have never claimed to be). My views generally reflect my opinions about a car that I drove in a similar, perhaps slightly more focused way) to my own personal vehicles.
Fit – This one is the hardest to assign a value to – I will not damn a car because it didn’t fit my own body size/shape. There are plenty of cars that fit me better but comfort is ENTIRELY subjective. It’s also extremely easy for anyone to check for themselves. If I say a car fit me great and I found it very comfortable and someone ordered a car because they are the same as me based on measurements such as weight or height then they are a fool. And while I may not be an absolute outlier in that regard there are many more people that are differently shaped. Some like harder seats, some softer, some ride with their neck forward, some back, some recline, some sit bolt upright. I hate super soft seats, the comments above show some people hate hard seats. What’s correct? My major quarrel was with the headrest, after reading through all the comments it may even be possible that it was adjustable fore and aft as another reader discovered on a different car by being violent with the piece and may not have been an issue at all beyond not being obvious to me about any potential adjustability. I do not wish to put anyone off the car only because I personally did not like the head restraint.
Most cars have no or little steering feel. The consumer doesn’t shun them. BMW 3-series has had this same complaint for years. Every time a new one comes out everybody wishes it was more like the last one which was itself lambasted when new. Irrelevant to most (most) people no matter what they say.
Very few small cars ride “with distinction”, it has a shortish wheelbase. It rode very well for the size it is, I would expect some jiggle just looking at it and it delivered as expected.
It “handled” just fine. No I did not take it around a racetrack, most of my pursuits were around normal corners on normal roads, i.e. lots of right angle turns in cities, some on and offramps, and some sweepers. I didn’t drive on Mulholland. Note that the car is not really marketed as either a long-distance car or a canyon fighter, so again that context thing in regard to the last three points. Looking at the car it’s hard to imagine that ultimate handling was in its design brief but as an Italian car tuned by an Italian firm it’s better than the average mass-market box.
Noisy in the engine – It wasn’t hushed like an electric car or a large sedan or pickup. It was not loud to the point of not being able to hear your passenger. It was louder than my own cars except for the Jeep, all of which are very different to this one. Again, easy enough for one to verify. The engine noise was not an unpleasant one.
Mileage – 26 isn’t that terrible for a turbo 1.3 in a car that is AWD, decently quick, short and a bit tallish and I drove it A) At altitude, B) half in the city C) half on higher speed freeways (60-85mph) with little concern for extracting maximum mileage. The Hybrid I drove last week I drove in a similar mix and I spend my time carefully watching the mileage figure and driving differently. For context our V6 Highlander manages just around 19 in a similar fashion, the Wrangler about 17 on a good day and the Truck 15 or less. Yes there are more fuel efficient choices, but in the overall mission of the thing I don’t see fuel mileage being a major deterrent to most potential buyers of it, I admit I regularly ignore the fact that gasoline is cheaper than water and about the same as low quality milk around here, it is different in your part of the world and many others, I know.
Price was one of the hardest things, how do you see the Mini in that regard, it’s worse. Fiat is marketed here as a similar brand, more a lifestyle/fashion/italian thing than strictly compared to Mitsubishi, Nissan, Hyundai and other value leaders. As noted above it’s very similar to the Renegade mechanically, likely doesn’t cost much more to produce but is priced higher. A Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX350 are very similar to each other as well mechanically and material wise and priced differently as are/were some VW, Audi, and Porsche models etc. Some people will assign zero brand value, some people will assign some, that’s normal and perfectly fine, I realize that not every brand is judged in a vacuum. But if I wasn’t clear, yes there certainly are vehicles that from a purely mechanical proposition and the ability to transport similarly are a better value proposition. Many (90%?) brands need to hope that the public doesn’t suddenly use “value” as their sole metric. Yes resale is not among the leaders in the industry. Is it much if any worse than a BMW, an Alfa, a Mini, or anything French? I doubt it. But look at our readership too – there is a high proponent of readers that will buy a car and keep it literally forever or until it crumbles to dust. (I think I wrote over 3000 words on this post, and there simply isn’t enough space to always state all of this stuff, the reader will lose interest and stop reading unfortunately, the average post is around 1200 or so words.)
I believe I clearly stated that it is not the perfect car for me and I would not be purchasing one for myself. Far be it for me though to tell you and everyone that it’s a piece of junk and nobody should ever consider one. That would not be anywhere near the truth. Everyone needs to judge for themselves if for no other reason than that I do NOT have unrestrained access to every competitor in the market to make supremely valid comparisons and even more importantly you are not my twin/clone. I will offer one kind of explanation though that made that viewpoint much clearer to me – I used to not be a fan of the Jeep Wrangler to the point of pooh-poohing my neighbors that had one. But, truth be told, I had not driven one in many years (decades?) and that was a short drive. Then I checked out a new one (this was three years ago) and found it an absolute hoot. We ended up buying one and I drove it almost exclusively for the next year and half until it became our daughter’s. A Jeep Wrangler is flawed in many, many, many ways but I ended up absolutely loving it, it’s one of the better vehicles I’ve owned. What changed my thinking is actually taking a good look and a long drive in it myself. There’s more to cars than the “data” and what some other, also fallible, human thinks. The common thread in many comments above was that I brought them more (or the first) knowledge of the car and they learned things they were not aware of. That’s really my goal, to show people what the (a) car is, not to convince them to buy it or not to buy it, that’s an ultimately personal decision that I would not suggest anyone do on the say so of another.
Thanks, Jim, an extremely comprehensive and considered answer.
I do hope you understand that my question wasn’t some snide personal swipe. For clarity, my pondering came up because your review, or experience, didn’t seem to reveal a particularly good car, and so I wondered how it felt to write as you did, knowing it would be read by those who “gave” you the car, and whether or not that affected how you recorded it.
Anyway, you answered all that and a great deal more besides, and that’s perhaps a generosity unjustified by the way I asked the question, so cheers!
No worries, mate 🙂