First Drive in new Fiat 600 Hybrid: Trish Whelan, Irish Car

Fiat Ireland have this week launched their new Fiat 600 which builds on the enduring popularity of the iconic 500. Fiat Ireland expect this newcomer to resonate just as strongly with Irish motorists as has its smaller sibling. The 600 arrives just in time for the 242 registration period and the car is offered in hybrid or full electric versions. 

At 4.17 metres in length, the new model is longer and wider than the 500 but measures just about the same in height. In size, the new 600 sits a little larger than Opel's Mokka and a tad smaller than Ford's Puma. Compared to the 500, it has a sharper and more assertive 'face' with large circular headlights, the overall look set off by black matt skirts and wheel arches. Wheels of up to 18 inches are available. This 5-door comfortably fits five people with good head and legroom for rear seat passengers and has 15 litres of interior storage. 

The very stylish interior is likely to appeal to people of all ages with its simple and user-friendly design and colour schemes. You feel quite pampered with very comfy and stylish seats that in the entry spec feature recycled-fabrics with white accents and a matte black bio-based plastic dashboard fascia. The top La Prima version has ivory synthetic leather seats with the Fiat monogram, with turquoise accents. There's three-stage heating, the driver’s seat gets power adjustments and a back massage function. 

Features include a 10.25-inch fully customisable screen with Navi, CarPlay and Android Auto wireless, a 7-inch driver's cluster which displays your current speed in large digital form, and connected services. The boot has up to 385 litres of load capacity and is available with a hands-free power tailgate. I could adjust the boot in the hybrid to different levels as it includes a removable shelf, boot floor, and space underneath for a spare wheel. While a spare is not included in the spec, owners can purchase one from any Fiat dealer nationwide at an additional cost which will depend on the type of spare wheel (whether a space saver or regular), wheel dimensions, brand and rating of the tyre. All powertrains come with a tyre repair kit as standard. 

The other key difference from the nowadays electric-only 500e, apart from size, is that the 600 is offered in both hybrid and fully electric variants. My first drive was in the 100hp 48V Hybrid which uses a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with an integrated electric motor. On our drive from Fiat’s HQ at City West it seemed seamless in operation, we hardly felt any gear changes. The hybrid is capable of a 0-100km/h time of around 11 seconds and has almost instantaneous torque delivered from the e-motor. 

The all-electric 600e’s lithium-ion batteries, with a capacity of 54kWh, give a claimed range of more than 400km in the WLTP combined cycle and more than 600km in the urban cycle. It comes with a 100-kW fast charger system and an 11kW on board charger and a Mode 3 cable for charging at home or in public which ensures a full charge in under 6hrs. This electric powertrain has an output of 115 kW allowing acceleration from 0-100kmh in 9.0 secs and has three driving modes - eco, normal and sport. Both versions of the car come with a host of safety features including Adaptive Cruise Control, Electric parking brake, and Autonomous Emergency Braking. 

Prices start from €28,995 for the hybrid and from €32,995 for the fully electric 600e (incl grants). Annual road tax is €180.

Ciaran Cusack, Marketing Manager of Fiat, Gowan Auto, is pictured above at the launch of the new Fiat 600.