Stiff Magazine Fiat 500C

8/9/2019 Stiff Magazine Fiat 500C

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RoadTest//

Fiat500C

street // drit // race // lie February 2010


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less is more?

The C in the Fiat 500 C

stands or convertiblebut as the observant

amongst you will notice,

in side profle with the

abric roo section in

place it looks almost

exactly like its hatchbackstable mate thanks to

the side pillars remaining

unchanged. So perhaps

not what one would

expect when thinking o

convertible motoring asit does not oer the ull

al resco experience but

as my handy dictionary

oers up the defnition

o convertible as having

a olding top, as anautomobile or pleasure

boat it is an accurate

moniker.

The key reason or the

design is history- the 500 C

is a modern reimagining

o the original 1957 500,

aping its orebears

sardine-can abric roo

which actually predated

the tin top. Not only does

the roo provide a clear

link to the original model,

it allows the new 500 C to

retain greater structural

rigidity meaning that not

only does it retain the

hatchbacks Euro NCAP

5-star saety rating but

it should also handle

somewhat better than the

aorementioned pleasure

boat.

However handling does

not seem to be top othe list o priorities or the

now not-so-diminutive

Cinquecento as it is

marketed as a liestyle

vehicle with no bold

claims being made as toits b-road bashing ability. It

would be lazy to label the

500 C purely as a vehicle

or style conscious lady

olk but Fiat themselves

expect 70% o buyersto be emale. With their

promotional literature

mentioning a make-up

holder and a Swarovski

embellished key among

the cars plus-points,its air to say that tyre-

shredding perormance

As spring knocks on our door, Aaron Weeddell

samples the delights of the dinky Fiat 500C.

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Photos// Steven Hall www.stevehallphotography.net


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and the ability to pull

extreme lateral g are notkey selling points o what is

broadly intended to be a

un city-car.

As with the hatchback,

the 500 C boasts the same

character-rich interior

rom the large instrument

binnacle to the deliciously

retro colour-coded lower

dashboard. Everything is

logically presented and

as you get acquainted

the dash-mounted

gearshit alls to hand

and the major controls

eel o a reasonably high

construction. There are

some cheaper looking

plastics such as around

the centre console but

these have wisely been

used or the less tactile

areas.

Obviously the main

draw o the 500 C is the

olding abric roo which

electrically retracts in

two stages- a mid-range

sunroo arrangement anda ully olded position. In

the mid/spoiler position

bueting becomes an

issue above 40mph or sobut this is switly rectifed

by dropping the top

to its ull extent. At this

point, rearward vision

is hampered by the

concertinaed abric butout on the road utilising

the large door mirrors

soon becomes second

nature rather than relying

entirely on the rear-view

mirror. Reversing can be achore but parking sensors

are an option or you can

simply take a ew seconds

to partially close the roo

which brings the heated

rear glass window backinto place thus restoring

visibility. It is also worthy

o note that the roo is

operable up to a useul

37mph.

In common with the Minicustomisation is a key

part o Cinq ownership

and as such there is an

extensive range o options

distinguished by eleven

paint fnishes (includingthree new convertible

colours), two equipment

versions (Pop and Lounge)

and three interior trimswith dierent abrics or

leather, as well as over 100

accessory combinations

created or the 500. In

terms o the oily bits, three

options are available romthe 75bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet

turbodiesel through 69bhp

1.2 litre and 100bhp 1.4

litre petrol engines with

an automatic option

available on the last two.The 100bhp option has

been roundly praised

teamed (?) with the

Panda and this is likely to

remain the perormance

range-topper with noAbarth version imminent.

In give and take driving

the dierences between

the diesel and top-petrol

variants are actually

ew- the petrol is naturallyreer revving and would

doubtlessly develop a

urther appetite or the

upper-echelons o the

rev range as it became

looser with a ew milesunder its Continentals. But

in-gear times are not a

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gul apart with the diesels

75bhp giving way to thepetrols 100 but clawing

back ground with its extra

torque. Although neither

is exactly the last word in

perormance, each has

its charms. The dieseldevelops a decent i

characteristically short-

lived burst o torque in

2nd gear allowing or

reasonable urge out o

lower speed corners whilstthe 1.4 s more incisive

response to throttle inputs

and switer 0-60 time o

10.5 seconds (against the

diesels 12.5) allows you

to exploit gaps in trafcmore readily. As a result,

the nature o the car is

better characterised by its

comparative zip and brio.Although one shouldnt

orget the 1.2 petrol which

warrants a mention as a

compromise between

the two models- putting

orth a 0-60 time 0.4 o asecond behind that o the

diesel but with a relatively

lowly 69bhp and 75lb/t

it is not as accomplished

as the other options when

the road opens up.

As I touched on earlier,

dynamically its not awe-

inspiring but then nor is

that intended to be its

orte. The ride is compliant

and sot enough to absorb

bumps and ruts at town

speeds but the damping

does get a little out o

phase over continuedhigh speed undulations,

grip levels are high and

the chassis reacts well

enough to inputs. But its

defnitely set up or sae

push-on understeer evenwhen provoked. Not that

it does encourage one

to provoke it or really

grab it by the scru o

the neck which is a tad

disappointing as I washoping or a car that

would appreciate a bit

o proper cut and thrust

Italian-style driving should

the mood take you. But

to bemoan this point isperhaps to miss the point

o the 500 C.


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street // drit // race // lie

www.stiffmagazine.co.uk

In the real world each

variant o the 500 C makes

dierent arguments as an

ownership proposition- the

1.2 Pop starts at 11,300substantially undercutting

the 12,505 and 12,700 o

the larger capacity petrol

and diesel respectively.

Combined with road tax

o just 30, i you can live

without the perormance

advantages its 55.4mpg

combined fgure beats the

1.4s 46.3 and compares

avourably with the dervs67.3, particularly when

you take into account the

1,400 price dierence.

Obviously there are some

standard eatures that

also dier between the

engine variants but in

terms o smiles per mile or

a car that remains mostly

city-bound a ew choice

options on the base 1.2Pop is arguably the best

choice. In the case o

the 500 C- less can most

defnitely oer more.

www.fat.co.uk

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Stiff Magazine Fiat 500C