The first impression:
Looks almost like the old one - you might think if you just glance at it.
But everything is new about the new Fiat 500: body, chassis, engine.
It's an electric car now.
The old model with a petrol engine is still being built.
This is
what
the manufacturer says:
Fiat is one of those automakers who have completely neglected the topic of electromobility.
The main culprit lies in the former and idiosyncratic corporate boss Sergio Marchionne.
Consequence: In order to reduce its CO2 fleet emissions, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) prefers to buy certificates from Tesla as part of emissions trading instead of consistently electrifying their own cars.
The Italians are surprising the industry all the more with the new 500. "We have come at exactly the right time," says FCA European boss Luca Napolitano, "because only now is electric mobility really picking up speed".
Fiat is late anyway, these words cannot hide that.
Manufacturers such as Nissan, BMW, Tesla and Renault have been on the market with e-cars for six years and more and together have already sold well over a million electric vehicles.
To save the honor, it should be said: Fiat has had the 500 series converted to electric drive for California and some other US states since 2013 in Mexico.
This 500 e was considered a "compliance vehicle".
It should therefore help to meet legal requirements and to offset the high values of the fuel-guzzling SUVs and pickups in terms of CO2 fleet emissions.
We noticed that
the electric 500 was a few centimeters longer and wider than its petrol predecessor.
That it still resembles this is intentional.
"Porsche doesn't do it any differently with the 911," says FCA design chief Klaus Busse, "we have deliberately developed the 500 evolutionary further."
Most noticeable is the all-round hood joint.
It cuts the LED headlights horizontally into two parts.
An eye-catcher and a novelty in the industry.
Inside, the new 500 is modern and tidy.
Because a conventional gear selector lever was dispensed with and instead a small switch strip was used in the dashboard, the E-Fiat was given a continuous footwell, similar to that in the BMW i3.
This open arrangement creates a more airy feeling of space.
In keeping with the zeitgeist, Fiat no longer uses real leather for its seats.
If the customer chooses fabric cover, the yarn consists of recycled plastic waste.
It should only come from the sea.
The designers, on the other hand, were not particularly skilled when it came to selecting the plastics.
Hard plastic should be a thing of the past, at least in the upper part of the dashboard and on the door panels, even in this vehicle class.
You have to know that:
New architecture, new drive, new electronics, the 500 is currently the most modern car in the FCA Group.
There are even various assistance systems on board that - unique in this segment - enable autonomous driving at level 2.
This level includes adaptive cruise control with emergency braking and lane departure warning.
However, the motorway will not be the main area of the new Fiat 500, but rather the city and the surrounding area.
The battery capacity of 42 kWh (around 38 kWh can be used) is easily sufficient for this.
It should enable an action radius of 320 kilometers, according to the WLTP cycle.
"In pure city traffic there are even 458 kilometers," promises electrical chief engineer Maurizio Salvia.
We could not verify this statement on our first and very short test drive through Turin.
The range will probably not be that important to the customer either.
The driving experience and the lifestyle factor are more decisive.
The pure performance values also take a back seat.
The electric motor develops 87 kW, or 118 HP according to the old calculation.
Sounds like little, but feels like more, because the maximum torque (220 Nm) can be called up from a standing position, electrotypically.
Then there is the good overall set-up of the car.
The driving behavior is comfortable, the noise level is low, the steering is direct and the handling is great.
The turning circle is only 8.90 meters.
Those who switch to the "Sherpa" economy mode feel less driving pleasure.
The output is throttled to 57 kW (78 PS), electrical consumers are switched off and the top speed is reduced from 150 to 80 km / h.
"Sherpa" is therefore only relevant if a charging station has to be reached with an almost empty battery.
The battery can be charged with up to 85 kW (direct current) on a Quick Charger.
Five minutes of charging time should bring around 50 kilometers of range.
Initially, Fiat only offered the so-called "la Prima" edition for 34,020 euros.
Pretty steep.
The old gasoline engine starts at less than 14,000 euros, but is far worse equipped.
But the little Italian is in good company with it.
The rivals Honda e and Mini Cooper SE are priced at the same level.
We will not forget that:
The sound technicians have come up with a special feature.
When you exceed the 20 km / h mark for the first time after setting off, you will hear a brief melody by the composer Nino Rota.
It comes from the 1973 film "Amarcord" by director Federico Fellini and is intended to remind the driver that he is not sitting in an ordinary electric car - but in an Italian one.
Icon: The mirror
