ROME: Its time to “boogy” with Italian carmaker Fiat, after the company introduced its third-generation 500, which now takes over the torch of continuity after it was officially revived in 2007.
Eight years on, the 500 has garnered more than 1.5mil in deliveries, but now it’s back with a refreshed interior and exterior, gotten a little more rounded, a little more mature and a little more technologically advanced.
Still maintaining its size, the new 500 will be sold in the UK starting this September and prices will range upwards from £10,890 OTR (RM66,000).
There are only two body styles – hatchback and convertible, which will have three trim levels of Pop, Pop Star and Lounge, while standard fitment includes LED daytime running lights, seven airbags and the company’s latest Uconnect infotainment system with six speakers.
In the UK, the Pop Star variant adds air-conditioning, body-colour mirror caps with defrosting function and 15-inch alloy wheels, while the Lounge further adds a panoramic glass sunroof, rear parking sensors, chrome front grille, front fog lights, leather steering wheel.
Also, the Uconnect 5-inch LIVE touchscreen infotainment system gets added and comes with smartphone integration and numerous built-in apps to help users stay connected while on the move.
And, for the first time in a Fiat 500, the embedded infotainment system features the full TomTom experience with fresh maps and with its routing engine.
It also gets access to five years of TomTom’s Live connected suite of services that includes traffic service, live speed cameras together with weather alert and local search function for points of interest.
The roughly 1-tonne car still maintains its predecessor’s dimensions with a wheelbase of 2,300mm and while measuring 3,546mm-long, 1,627mm-wide and 1,488mm-tall.
A two-cylinder engine will reside under its tiny hood featuring three output levels, from two displacements – a 0.9-litre TwinAir engine that puts out 85hp or 105hp and a 1.2-litre unit with 69hp that will be available after its official launch.
New alloy wheel designs are also introduced in new 500, in both 15- and 16-inch sizes and available in a variety of finishes including a diamond-cut design.
The colour palette now totals 13 hues, inclusive of seven pastel, one solid and five metallic colours as well as two new colour additions of Glam Coral and Avantgarde Bordeaux.
Two striking black-yellow and black-red variants are also available as part of the Fiat 500 ‘Second Skin’ initiative, offering a range of customisation options, which offers a geometric pattern along the belt line only, while the larger skin options cover the pillars and roof – and in some cases the bonnet and tailgate as well.
Five patterns are being offered in Ethnic (geometric pattern), Lord (classic tartan), Comics (pop decoration) in combination with the new two-colour body paintwork, Navy (nautical patterns) and Camouflage (fashionably military).
The 1.2-litre 500 with 69hp is now equipped with larger disc brakes better braking performance and seven airbags remain standard across the range as before.
More safety measures include anti-lock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution, advanced electronic stability control, anti-slip regulation, hill holder and hydraulic brake assistance.
Fiat is also making available a full range of Mopar accessories that will include vintage-style wheel trims, a range of alloy wheels with different designs, colours and finishes, mirror caps in chrome-effect or matching paint and side badges.
Furthermore, there’s going to be chrome roof mouldings available, a rear spoiler and a range of decals for the sides and the roof as well as a tailgate rack available in two systems for transporting winter sports equipment (skis and snowboards).
New customisation kits with original roof wraps and mirror caps will also be available, along with five colour options of Microcarbon Black, Military Green, as well as Matt Silver, Matt Titanium and Jeans.
Both Microcarbon Black and Military Green get extended to the dashboard.
Keyword: New Fiat 500 makes appearance