Are Fiat good first cars?

Those in the fortunate position to be shopping for a brand new first vehicle are entering a market packed to the brim with tempting propositions from some of the most well-established brands on earth. There are many factors at play when you are looking for a first vehicle, including price, practicality, performance, efficiency and aftersales service.

In this article, we will be examining Fiat’s local model range to determine if they will make for good first cars. 

Space

The entry point into the Fiat range is the 500, which measures 3 546mm in length, 1 893mm wide and 1 488mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2 300mm, making it compact, with a 185-litre boot that expands to 688-litres with the seats folded flat. Moving up the range, the 500X is a far bigger vehicle, measuring 4 248mm long, 1 796mm wide and 1 600mm tall, providing 245-litres of boot space and an impressive 910-litres of volume with the second row folded away.

The most recently updated model in the Fiat range is the Tipo, which, in hatch guise, measures 4 348mm long, 1 792mm wide, 1 495mm tall and features a wheelbase of 2 636mm, providing space for five occupants and 440-litres of boot space. The Tipo sedan is bigger still, measuring 4 532mm long, 1 792mm wide, 1 497mm tall and has a 2 636mm wheelbase while offering 520-litres of boot space.

 

Performance and pricing

The peppy Fiat 500 is powered by a tiny, turbocharged 0.9-litre two-cylinder petrol engine that produces 63kW and 145Nm of torque and is paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automated manual gearbox. The larger 400x is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and is paired with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic gearbox. The Tipo hatch and sedan are available with either a 1.4-litre or a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated engine, the former with a 6-speed manual gearbox and the latter a 6-speed automatic.

 

Fiat 500

	Fiat 500 TwinAir Cult	Fiat 500 TwinAir Connect	Fiat 500 TwinAir Sport	Fiat 500 TwinAir Dolcevita	Fiat 500C TwinAir Dolcevita	Fiat 500C TwinAir Sport
Engine	0.9-litre 2-cylinder	0.9-litre 2-cylinder	0.9-litre 2-cylinder	0.9-litre 2-cylinder	0.9-litre 2-cylinder	0.9-litre 2-cylinder
Gearbox	5-speed manual	5-speed manual	5-speed manual	5-speed automated manual	5-speed automated manual	5-speed manual
Power	63kW/ 145Nm	63kW/145Nm	63kW/145Nm	63kW/145Nm	63kW/145Nm	63kW/145Nm
0-100km/h	11.0 sec	11.0 sec	11.0 sec	11.5 sec	11.5 sec	11.0 sec
Fuel consumption	4.0 L/100km	4.0 L/100km	4.0 L/100km	3.8 L/100km	3.8 L/100km	4.0 L/100km
CO2 emissions	90 g/km	90 g/km	90 g/km	88 g/km	88 g/km	90 g/km
Price	R219 900	R260 900	R274 900	R279 900	R324 900	R329 900

 

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

 

Fiat 500X

	Fiat 500X 1.4T Cult	Fiat 500X 1.4T Connect	Fiat 500X 1.4T Sport	Fiat 500X 1.4T Cross
Engine	1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol	1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol	1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol	1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol
Transmission	6-speed manual	6-speed manual	6-speed automatic	6-speed automatic
Power	103 kW	103 kW	103 kW	103 kW
Torque	230 Nm	230 Nm	230 Nm	230 Nm
0-100km/h	9.8 sec	9.8 sec	9.8 sec	9.8 sec
Fuel consumption	6.0 L / 100 km	6.0 L / 100 km	5.7 L/100km	5.7 L/100km
CO2 emission	139 g/km	139 g/km	133 g/km	133 g/km
Price	R394 900	R449 900	R519 900	R519 900

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

Fiat Tipo

	Fiat Tipo sedan 1.4	Fiat Tipo sedan City Life 1.4	Fiat Tipo hatch City Life 1.4	Fiat Tipo hatch Life 1.4	Fiat Tipo hatch City Life 1.6	Fiat Tipo sedan City Life 1.6	Fiat Tipo hatch Life 1.6
Engine	1.4-litre 4-cylinder	1.4-litre 4-cylinder	1.4-litre 4-cylinder	1.4-litre 4-cylinder	1.6-litre 4-cylinder	1.6-litre 4-cylinder	1.6-litre 4-cylinder
Gearbox	6-speed manual	6-speed manual	6-speed manual	6-speed manual	6-speed automatic	6-speed automatic	6-speed automatic
Power	70 kW	70 kW	70 kW	70 kW	81 kW	81 kW	81 kW
Torque	127 Nm	127 Nm	127 Nm	160 Nm	152 Nm	152 Nm	152 NM
0-100km/h	11.5 sec	11.5 sec	11.5 sec	11.5 sec	11.2 sec	11.2 sec	11.2 sec
Fuel consumption	5.7 L / 100 km	5.7 L / 100 km	5.7 L/100km	5.7 L/100km	6.3 L/100km	6.3 L/100km	6.3 L/100km
CO2 emission	141 g/km	141 g/km	141 g/km	141 g/km	146 g/km	146 g/km	146 g/km
Price	R299 900	R369 900	R369 900	R399 900	R419 900	R429 900	R449 900

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

 

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

 

Warranty & Service

All new Fiat models are sold with a standard comprehensive warranty that is valid for 5-years or 100 000km. The 500 range does not come with a standard service plan, however, the 500X SUV comes as standard with a 3-year/60 000km service plan. The Tipo range, on the other hand, comes with a 3-year/100 000km service plan. 

Safety

In terms of safety in the event of a collision, Fiat produces safe products, generally speaking. The 500 was crash tested by EuroNCAP in 2017, scoring a reasonable 3-Star rating overall.  Moving to the 500X, in the same EuroNCAP new car assessment programme we see the 500X achieve a 4-star safety rating when it was tested back in 2015. The Tipo was tested in 2016 and achieved a 4-Star safety rating from EuroNCAP.

Verdict

There are just three new Fiat passenger cars for sale in South Africa, however, having looked at them more closely, the 500 and 500X would likely make for good first cars, while the Tipo is more suited to a young family. Aside from a lacklustre safety score from the 500, the current Fiat line-up can be considered safe, while all models are certainly efficient, reasonably practical and competitively priced, making it fair to declare that a Fiat may make for a good first car.