Review: Fiat 500X

One of the interesting automotive things of the last decade is the proliferation of 3-cylinder engines, writes Brian Byrne. They make sense in many ways, not least because they're smaller, have less moving parts, and therefore are less expensive for the manufacturer.

They used to have a kind of sewing-machine sound, but that's no longer the case, thanks to clever stuff with balancing shafts and electronic magic. I kind of miss that sound, but probably nobody else does. Certainly, the Fiat 500X I had last week came with as smooth and refined a petrol motor as anyone could ask for in even a premium car.


The 500X isn't the company's best seller here. So few in fact that they don't even offer the AWD version which nominally puts the X in the name. Maybe describing it as a small SUV is a stretch, though it has exactly the same underpinnings as the Jeep Renegade which does look that part.

It deserves to sell more, though. Not as an SUV or crossover or whatever you want to market it as, but as a tidy and even quixotic family car.

The 500X is well set in a very busy space, somewhere between the Hyundai Kona and the Honda HR-V. The Volkswagen T-Roc is the nearest to it in size below and the Mini Countryman just above.

For 2019 the Fiat was significantly revised, externally in details, inside with a fresher cabin ambience, a nicer steering wheel, and some good instrumentation upshifts.

Those external changes are particularly to the lighting — with LED tail-lights as standard and LED heads available that are claimed to give a 100-metre extra visibility in full darkness.

I like the renewed front end, the double deck effect on the grille and with the head- and fog-lights given 'eye-full' prominence. Not so much the faux 'bash' plates front and rear suggesting protection in rugged terrain. The urban warrior image.

I did seriously like the seats, leather-trimmed in the review car and embossed bold with the stylised 500. They were comfortable too, and with the somewhat upright driving position actually made the car much easier to drive over a period. Headroom for a small car is excellent, and the boot is generous.

I always have the sense that though mostly small, most Fiats are tough. The 500X feel just that, able for some of the pretty poor surfaces down my way but drives sweetly at the same time. I've mentioned the engine already, it's the first implementation of a brand new range of 'FireFly' Fiat engines which use the same modular design to build 3- and 4-pot variants. In this case it's a 1.0, with 120hp that gave the review car a very perky performance. Tack on an extra cylinder and you can have a 1.3 150hp. That would be fun.

There's a 6-speed manual with the smaller engine, and a 6-speed dual-clutch auto with the larger one. The review car's shifter was easy to use, though not in any way feeling sporty.

The 500X comes very highly specified in the tech department, with gizmos like lane keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, and intelligent speed assist all standard. You can order more, for blind spot monitoring and city automatic braking and adaptive cruise control.

Like I said, there aren't too many people going for the 500X. If you're in the market at this level and don't give it a try, you'll be missing out. I'd personally take it ahead of its nearest competitors.

PRICE: From €21,795. WHAT I LIKED: Quirky detailing and no nonsense honesty. RATING: 4/5.