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Mileage: 5,065 miles
Real-world MPG: 36.1mpg
Working for a car magazine based in central London presents a variety of challenges, but when it came to collecting our new Fiat 500X , things went in my favour for once. You see, Fiat’s flagship dealer, Motor Village Marylebone, is located just around the corner from Selfridges in Oxford Street, and only a stone’s throw from our office.
Indeed, I pass Motor Village regularly on my daily commute, and I’ve always thought the showroom looked impressive – its stylish interior and location mean it’s the perfect place to show off the 500 city car. However, when we arrived, the floor that’s usually full of 500s had an addition in the shape of our 500X Pop Star model.
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I wasn’t immediately won over by the car’s styling, but it quickly grew on me. I think Fiat’s designers have done a good job of retaining the DNA of the retro 500 while giving it the right look to tap into the popular crossover market.
This is reinforced by the X’s rounded headlamps, two-tone front seats and the body-coloured dashboard trim. One of my colleagues has called the Fiat ‘girly’, but I think that’s more a consequence of our car’s Art Grey paint. You see, it’s not really grey, as there’s a hint of pink in some lights and cream in others. One thing’s for sure, hardly anybody thinks it’s grey.
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Irrespective of other people’s opinions, I quite like the two-tone seats and body-coloured dash panel. They add a classy feel; I’m just hoping that the cream trim can withstand the rigours of winter without showing up too many dirty marks.
While I was at Motor Village, sales controller Theo Fouche took the opportunity to show me some of the 500X’s highlights. It’s certainly packed with tech, although most of the kit on our car is optional. Even before you get inside, there’s keyless entry (part of the £250 Comfort Pack) and the boot has a space-saver spare wheel and tool kit.
We’ve also added the Nav Pack (£1,000), which includes a 6.5-inch touchscreen, DAB radio with Bluetooth and sat-nav, an SD Card slot and an extra USB port in the front armrest. The latter is there so rear passengers can plug in their devices, too.
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Not only is the touchscreen easy to use, but everything can be operated via the steering wheel buttons or voice control – although without Theo pointing this out, it might have taken me a while to spot that the volume control for the stereo is hidden on the underside of the chunky steering wheel.
One piece of kit that comes as standard is the Drive Mood selector. It features Auto, Sport and All Weather modes, and Theo recommended the latter for winter, saying it sharpens the car’s reactions without dulling the performance.
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Another extra we specified is the Dynamic Safety Plus Pack, which includes lane departure warning, blind spot detection and a rear-view camera.
The latter works in conjunction with the standard parking sensors, and will definitely be handy around town. Once Theo had finished showing me around, I was good to go. Staff opened the double doors to Motor Village, and off I went into busy London traffic. At least it’s started where it means to go on...
*Insurance quote (below) from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
- Model: Fiat 500X 1.4 MultiAir Pop Star
- On fleet since: July 2015
- Price new: £17,595
- Engine: 1.4-litre 4cyl, 138bhp
- CO2/tax: 139g/km/£130
- Equipment: Art Grey paint (£350), dark tinted windows (£175), Comfort Pack (£250), Comfort Plus Pack (£100), Dynamic Safety Plus Pack (£650), Nav Pack (£1,000), Visibility Pack (£200)
- Insurance group/quote: Group: 11 Quote: £407
- Mileage/mpg: 5,065/36.1mpg
- Any problems?: None so far