Super chic Car of the Year 2008
Fifty years after the original, Fiat’s take on its iconic 500 had to be good, and it certainly is. This car is so cool - if it was a handbag it would be on every catwalk model’s arm, and yet it’s true to the original’s low cost ideal. And it’s fun – an overworked adjective for small cars, but an hour tooling around back roads, dual carriageway and local towns was a buzz. It was also reassuring that, as the pictures clearly show the volume of water on the roads, its Euro NCAP 5 star safety rating would protect me in case of mishap.
Launched nationally on 21 January, I had a drive mid-January through Rockingham Cars in Corby. What you will find is a low cost but innovative car that’s put together so much better than any Fiat ever, and looks stylish but also packs a good engine and lots of features. Starting at just £7,900 for the Pop with a 1.2 petrol unit, you can have the 1.3 Multijet diesel which does 70mpg, or a sporty 1.4 16v 100bhp petrol in the Lounge or Sport versions. With Road Tax at just £35 for the 1.2 and a car that I predict will hold its money very strongly indeed due to high demand, it’s good value and so stylish. If your Mini is feeling a bit old hat now, have a look at this!
The Sport was well laid out, with sports seats, uprated suspension and 16” alloys. There are 500,000 styling combinations to personalise your 500, so this had three £100 options: stripes, red callipers, split rear seats and headrests, and the wheel upgrade at £150. With airbags, auto up and down windows, MP3 and Windows connectivity and steering wheel mounted audio controls, a/c, fog lamps there is little more you could want. The engine was zesty and gear change sweet – a doddle to drive, ideal as a first car but rewarding for the more enthusiastic. I’ll also add ABS braking with EBD, at least 7 airbags, Isofix child seat fixings and for your comfort, adjustable steering wheel, seats, headlamps and power steering.
It’s a car that will turn heads and you can make your own through personalisation. And have a thoroughly good time driving and being seen in – you don’t have to buy a Ferrari or Lambo to look good in an Italian car now!
l Rockingham Cars, Cockerell Road, Phoenix Parkway, Corby, NN17 5DU (01536 268991) and John Street, Rushden, Northants., NN10 9NL (01933 357500). Pop £7,900, Lounge and Sport £10,700 on the road