Alexandre
You followed him (or not) on our social networks Twitter and InstagramAt the beginning of September, I was in Turin for test drive the new Fiat 500X MY19. A mid-term update for this car as it is the tradition at Fiat. So I'm not going to do the full test again, because, if the updates are interesting, the car remains similar to the test conducted in 2015, to be rediscovered here : Fiat 500X test: more muscular, still elegant. Below I will mainly talk about news.
Hey doc !
Upon arrival in Turin, the group is welcomed at the Museum of Cinema for a presentation of the new 500X. You may have seen it on TV, the communication of the new 500X is based on the famous movie Back to the Future! I let you discover the long version of the commercial clip (more than 24 million views at the time of writing).
After viewing the clip on giant screens, we were invited to discover this new 500X and its engines (with small toasts and prosecco cups, it goes well).
It was also an opportunity to discover Turin from above (beware of vertigo!).
Un caffè e una Fiat 500X blue italia per favore
The next morning, after drinking a ristretto, I chose to do my test in the city of Turin on boarda Fiat 500X Urban, blue italiaequipped with the 1.0L 3-cylinder 120 hp gasoline engine.
Why? To begin with, because I like the new urban look (with its new bumpers). Then, because it is equipped with a new engine. Named FireflyIt was developed by an international team from FCA: Brazil, Italy, USA, under the direction of Bob Lee and Aldo Marangoni respectively responsible for the engine department and engine EMEA area. It made its debut in Brazil in 2017, powering the Fiat Uno and Fiat Argo. If it is a Brazilian factory that produces Firefly engines for the models I just mentioned, it is indeed in Europe and more precisely in Poland that European Firefly engines are manufactured, like the ones you will find in this new Fiat 500X (and soon other models).
Fiat is full of praise for this engine: driving pleasure, fuel consumption down by 20 %, performance, lightness (this 1.0 L 3-cylinder engine weighs 93 kg). There is even a good chance that this engine will be used as the basis for a future Fiat 500X hybrid. For those who ask the question, it is a chain for distribution.
Sitting at the wheel, I notice the little novelties: reworked steering wheel and dashboard that matches the body color. For the rest, it's what we already know about the Fiat 500X.
Start the engine, I take to the streets of Turin and adapt to the local traffic rules I'm a sporty driver in 2nd gear, I avoid vehicles parked in the middle of the road and I give way to vehicles that run red lights. I also notice that if some Italians own Fiat Uno it's because they understood that on a single lane, you can put two cars side by side, where the Fiat 500X couldn't pass. Well, not all of them are like that, but what I'm telling you is true and this, in just a few hours of driving 🙂
I also notice that Italians are very patriotic, Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo everywhere (I saw more Giulia and Stelvio in ½ day than in 1 year in France).
Let's get back to the topic: the new Fiat 500X and its new engine. What can I say: it's responsive, torquey around 2,000 rpm and you can feel it's light on the steering. It's quiet at low rpm but the noise is bad at high rpm, it's a 3 cylinder. It breaks up around 6000 rpm. As for fuel consumption, I think I did 12 km / l in the city (or 8 l / 100 km). https://www.youtube.com/embed/GuhASUPfvec?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque
Having done city, state, mountain road and highway driving, I think that for a Fiat 500X, this 120 hp gasoline is quite sufficient. It does not look "undersized" compared to the size of the car (which by the way is 1,320 kg with this engine). The 0 to 100 km/h is announced in 10.9 sec. I was not able to try the 1.3L 4-cylinder engine, which develops 150 hp.
Bello look urban full-LED
Fiat has reworked the design of the Fiat 500X under the direction of Klaus Busse (I'll talk about it below). The Fiat 500X Cross is even more cross (bigger bumpers), and the Urban I would say more elegantIt is closer to its sister, the 500, thanks to its new bumpers.
But the most visible for the uninformed are certainly full-led lights. And yes, Fiat is getting into it (we are still waiting for them at Alfa Romeo and they arrived not so long ago at Maserati)! In short, the full-led front end gives the 500X a new lookThe new lights at the rear are a reminder of the bodywork. Very nice ! Fiat announces a improved visibility of 20 % thanks to these lights. I was not able to see this, as the test was conducted in daylight.
Standard safety and connected car
During the press conference, Fiat insisted on this, the Fiat 500X offers a very good level of standard safety equipment (this is the link with the ad).
Sign detection (perfect for our 80 km roads...), automatic lights (of course), blind spot detection (not tested), adaptive cruise control and lane assist which you can discover in the video below. We risked our lives just for you. Well, I didn't test the emergency braking system though, I chickened out. https://www.youtube.com/embed/vFeE6k0uhGA?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque
Speaking of tire pressure, this new Fiat 500X was for me the opportunity to discover Uconnect Live smartphone application proposed by Fiat to know the number of bar of each tire, to know if the doors are well closed (useful if you have tocs), to know where the car is located, to call the assistance in case of problem and to send Waze, Google Maps or Spotify on the Uconnect touch screen. How convenient!
Everything is offered so that the driver feels confident on board. You are zen, relaxed, ... WHEN A CHAUFFARD CUTS YOU ON THE ROAD, NAME OF ZEUS MARTY !
A simplified range, prices that don't change
The simplified range is good news. I remember when I discovered the 500X: pop, popstard, club, cross, cross+, etc. Not easy to find your way in all the different ranges. Now, it's simple (as the kid on TV would say):
- Urban : from 18 990 € ;
- City Cross : from 20 990 € ;
- Cross : from 22 990 € ;
- Club : from 26 990 €.
It's simple!
You might say: from 18 990 €, a Fiat ? And yet, it is in the price range of a Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008, being less expensive than an Opel Mokka X or Mazda CX-3. If each are different, note that the new Fiat 500X Urban is well equipped as standard: 120 hp petrol engine, lane departure warning, bluetooth, Uconnect (with Android Auto and Apple Carplay) air conditioning, LED lights, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed limiter and cruise control.
It is made in Italyin Melfi, alongside its cousin, the Jeep Renegade.
To have the detail of the differences between the ranges, go to the site fiat.com.
Bonus Klauss Busse: Mumbo jumbo
The little bonus of this essay is that during the meal after the press conference, I was sitting, at the table, right next to Klauss Busse. You don't know who it is? Then you don't read enough italpassion! To make it short, it is the responsible for design at FCA for the Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Maserati brands since 2015.
What can I say about this meeting: we talked about his cars (he owns a Maserati GranTurismo, an Alfa Romeo 4C and an Abarth 124, which is normal!), about Sergio Marchionne's death, which was a real shock because he was in a working meeting with him a few days before, about Mike Manley, and about future models. So I have an exclusive PDF file with the sketches of the future Alfa Romeo and Maserati... MiTo! I tried to ask him several times, he's a tomb. Even the Fiat 500X hybrid, he didn't want to say anything... but to console me (and you!) here's a drawing he made in front of me, on the back of the restaurant menu.
Grazie Klauss!
Thanks to Christophe from Fiat France for the invitation, and to my co-driver Raphael for the videos!