The rebirth of an icon - now in a Fiat showroom near you!

Introduction

Have you ever watched The Italian Job? Not the recent flick with Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron, but the original British one with Michael Caine’s patois urging everyone to hurry in mighty colourful language. The cars were the stars in that film, and the Mini was never the same again. However, if you’re the kind of person who looks beyond the obvious, you’ll notice little Cinquecentos running around almost everywhere. They look like Italy’s Maruti 800, and they were really a set of wheels for the masses. They were adored for their cheeky nature, almost zero maintenance and the fact that they could squeeze through the worst of traffic snarls and the tiniest of Italian bylanes. Fiat has rejuvenated the little car’s brand image in a much larger, modern package and has brought the Nuova 500 to India as a brand-building exercise after its enormously successful worldwide debut a couple of years ago.

Styling is faithful to the original

Exterior

All today’s cars have a very clear priority: the designers have to put function before form, because owners will spend more time in the car and less time looking at it. Fiat decided to keep the 500 true to the original, and what a success it is. We aren’t used to spotting three-door hatchbacks on our roads, and we were reminded of that fact more than a few times during our time with the car. People stared at it. They walked up to it and peered inside. They smiled, gave us a thumbs-up, and on one memorable occasion, walked up and demanded to know what makes it worth its price.

When viewed head-on, the 500 looks like someone at Disney has had a hand in the styling, thanks to the perpetually wide-eyed headlamps and pencil-mustache chrome for the grille. Think Luigi from Cars and you’re spot on about its character! The front three-quarter view is the best view; it shows off the roofline and the sloping rear to good effect. The silhouette is unconventional, and may not be to everyone’s liking. The wheels liven up the side view a lot and they do fill those arches. The rear three-quarter shows off the slope of the rear glass; the tail-lamps remind us of the Mini Cooper. The rear starts with chunky rubber at the bottom, moves upwards to slightly flared wheel arches and tapers to a small rear windscreen, giving it a purposeful, squat look.

Interior is colourful and cheery

Interior

The inside of the 500 is as striking as its exterior. Grey, black, white, cream, red and silver, it’s all there – and with orange backlighting. That description may sound like an explosion in a paint store, but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s all arranged in an appealing manner. The ladies (and especially our female photographer) loved it so much that even the ones that didn’t know to drive were contemplating buying one! Fit and finish of some of the plastic bits wasn’t up to the mark, like the scarlet swathe on the dash, which is perfect for the car’s actual price, but when looked at through a Rs 15 lakh filter, seems awfully inadequate. Gaps between body panels are small and consistent, and the plastics were rattle-free. The buttons and switches take some getting used to, as does the disembodied voice that made all of us jump the first time our road-tester pressed a button on the steering wheel by accident, and set it off. Once you know your way around the cabin, it won’t take you more than a few times behind the wheel to remember where everything is – and the controls on the wheel help.

Open the full-size door, sit yourself down and you discover that even tall drivers can fit with ease in the front row of seats. Some of our test team didn’t like the headrests, although they do contribute a whole lot to the ‘cute’ factor. The rear is a different matter – hook your fingers in the clever lever that flips the front seat forward and you’re ready to climb into the back. Once there, the same tall driver who was so comfortable in the front row will feel cramped in the back. Things aren’t helped by the small rear windows, thick C-pillar and being catapulted out of the seat only to hit one’s head on the roof every time the car goes over a bump at speed. Under-thigh support at the rear could use a shot in the leg, so to speak, although the front seats have adequate under-thigh bolstering. One of our testers felt quite claustrophobic, and when we let him out after an hour in the back, his leap out of the back seat would’ve made an Olympic sprinter at the starting blocks proud. The steering wheel tilts, so finding a good driving position isn’t hard.

The instrument binnacle has red needles with orange backlighting. It is unique – the multi-information display is surrounded by the tachometer, which is in turn ringed by the speedometer. Warning lights and indicators hover around the central rings. The audio system plays mp3 discs, but lacks low-end punch. We think this a serious oversight on Fiat’s part, because the kind of people who will pay Rs 15 lakh for a hatchback will have a much more expensive sedan parked in their garage as well, and will be able to tell if an audio system is good or not. This would have gone a long way in making a good impression on the target audience. A USB port is available, should you want to play music off your pen drive or mp3 player instead off a CD. Radio reception is good on the system, and it ties up with the driver’s phone’s Bluetooth to read SMSes out.

There are a few small recesses to keep knick knacks, but we aren’t going to pay too much attention to those – this isn’t supposed to be a practical car, so we shall not nitpick. The boot is usefully big for such a small car.

1.3-litre Multijet powers yet another Indian car

Engine and Drivetrain

The 500 hides the same oil-burner as the Palio Multijet under its hood. This 1248cc turbocharged common-rail unit makes 76bhp@4000rpm and 145Nm@1500rpm. It drives the front wheels from under the hood, unlike the original 500, which had a layout like the Tata Nano – the engine at the rear. We were expecting the car to be a sprightly performer, but it weighs a not inconsiderable 1055kg, which blunts performance somewhat. That isn’t to say it’s a slouch – from a standstill, 100kph comes up in 16.3 seconds. The torque that the motor offers makes it quite drivable, it takes 5.2 seconds to go from 30-50kph in third gear. The engine is fairly silent at low revs, and asserts its voice near the redline, but you never forget that it’s a diesel you’re driving. The gear shift lever is mounted high, much like the Hyundai i10. It has a crisp shift quality with short, positive throws and as with all other Fiats, we enjoyed swapping ratios in this car.

Fuel Economy
With most of our driving being in the hills and the expressway, we were trying to use the car as much as the target audience may use it. So when we weren’t cruising around, enjoying the light filtering in through the moonroof, we were driving in pedal-to-metal mode. The car (and thank god it’s a diesel) returned just a shade under 13km to the litre. But we’re sure that those who can afford the price tag won’t be too bothered about the fuel efficiency. That said, with a moderately light right foot, the car will return close to 15km to the litre on highway runs.

Ride and Handling

At low speeds, the 500 feels a little choppy, especially in the back. The big rims and low-profile tyres contribute their fair share to the stiff ride. It is very manoeuvrable at low speeds in the city, thanks to the light steering and external dimensions. Up speed, and the suspension lets the car down. We’ve always heard good things about the 500’s handling, but the example we had felt too soft at the rear. (Of course, the example we were driving also had the better part of 20,000km of abuse all over India.) It turned in neatly enough, but the rear end wasn’t confidence-inspiring. The light steering didn’t help matters, even when the assist was set to low assist, one of two settings available for the steering. Even in this mode, there wasn’t enough feel through the helm. We can’t wait to drive the Abarth to form a second opinion.

Braking

The 500 has ABS as standard, but when we did our braking test (80-0kph in 2.8 seconds and 28.3 metres) we weren’t too impressed with the car’s reaction. The numbers speak for themselves – this car stops quickly, but the confidence levels of the driver need to be high to achieve that figure. The brakes bite really well, but the pedal feels a little lifeless before you get acclimatised to it.

Tyres

The wheel and tyre combination is something we aren’t used to seeing on a small car - 185/55 R15 Continental ContiPremiumContact 2s grace the 500’s stylish rims. Their low profile contributes to the car’s handling, and their width can give you a bit of roar at speed on certain surfaces. You’ll never notice the noise in everyday driving, though.

Safety

The 500 is one of the few cars sold in India with undiluted safety features – it has achieved a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating for adult occupants, thanks to five airbags, ABS with EBD, and hazard lights that activate under heavy braking, among a host of other magickery tucked away into the car.

This one's for the heart, not the head

Cost

Rs 15.2 lakh can get one large sedans which will get you noticed at the next business meeting. However, buy a 500 and you’ll get noticed everywhere. Fiat isn’t to blame, our import taxes and duties are, since the 500 is imported as a completely built unit. Running costs will be quite low, as it is a diesel and efficient, even for a diesel. The engine is the same as that in the Palio/Swift/Indica Vista, so spares for the engine won’t cost too much – don’t damage anything else, though!

Overall evaluation

The 500 is a great little car to buy, but one can only buy it with one’s heart. It’s a completely impractical car at the price, but we’re happy that at least one manufacturer has the courage to put a car like this on sale. The typical Indian car-buyer is a little too logical about his purchase. The 500 short-circuits any logic quite effectively, and comes with impeccable pedigree – it’s the successful rebirth of an icon; it is loved by critics – the many awards it has garnered worldwide speak for themselves, and most importantly, it has got soul – something that we pay ever-decreasing amounts of attention to.