Is the Fiat 500 good for new Drivers? Here’s our verdict

By Stuart Johnston

Fiat’s 500 has been back with us since 2008, and although it has never set the sales charts alight in this country, the new twin-cylinder versions are easy to drive and super economical. We examine how good they are for first-time drivers.

Fiat’s 500 is based on the original twin-cylinder 500 Nuova that began scurrying around the alleyways of Italy in 1957. That car was seen as Italy’s answer to the German “people’s car”, the VW Beetle, and  the 500 was a huge success in Italy, being produced until 1975, with close to four-million units sold.

The spiritual successor to the 500 came in in 2007, with the “new” 500 being sold initially with a small-capacity four-cylinder engine.  Fiat has also sold the highly-tuned Abarth versions here, following on a sporting tradition started in Italy with the original 500, thanks to efforts of legendary “tuner” Carlo Abarth.

The new 500 Twin Cylinder

In 2016 Fiat South Africa introduced the latest version of the 500 which featured a twin-cylinder engine once again. This time around the little 900 cc twin-cylinder engine is turbocharged, and about four times as powerful as the 1957 original. The entire Fiat 500 range here now uses the so-called TwinAir engine, and it is available in either 63 kW or 77 kW form.

Is the Fiat 500 suitable for first time drivers?

In many respects the Fiat 500 is the ideal “starter pack” car. The chief reason for this is its size which makes it easy to drive in crowded city streets and also to park.

The Fiat 500 is only just over 3,5 metres long. By comparison, a Renault Captur Cross Over is 4,1 metres long and a BMW X3 is 4,7 metres long. This very short length with virtually no overhangs, handy when honing your parking skills!

The steering is also very light and easy to use in parking situations. The car is nevertheless stable at freeway speeds.

The power output is more than adequate for a first time driver. However, there is quite a gap between second and third gears, so the driver has to learn to rev the car a little higher in second gear to make sure it pulls properly when third gear is selected.

Manual or automatic?

The Fiat 500 is available in both manual and automatic form, with five-speed and six-speed gearboxes used, depending on the model chosen.

We would recommend learning on a manual. It’s much easier to convert from a manual to an automatic than it is to convert the other way around, so get manual transmission experience at the outset of your driving career. This way, if you are forced to hire a manual car at an airport due to budget or availability, you won’t have any problems, even if you generally drive an automatic car. For an article on the ideal car for students, which lists the Fiat 500 but offers many alternatives,  click here.

Safety

Generally speaking, the bigger the car, the safer it is in an accident, as there is lots of sheet-metal around you.  In this respect you could feel a bit vulnerable in such a small car. However, the Fiat 500 has good manoeuvrability, which makes it ideal for avoiding accidents! It also has very good roadholding.

As far as safety equipment is concerned the Fiat  500 is excellently equipped, with traction control, ABS braking, brake assist, and no less than seven airbags, unusual for a small, relatively inexpensive car.

Image

One thing’s for sure, if you are buying this car for your son or daughter, they are going to thank you for providing a first-time car with lots of street-cred. The Fiat 500 has become a bit of a cult city car in the fashionable suburbs in South Africa’s major centres.

Fuel economy

The Fiat 500 is also extremely economical. In fact the manufacturer claims a figure of just 3,8 ltres/100 km. In reality, overall consumption will work out at between 5,0 to 6,0 ltres/100 km which is still excellent.

So what’s our verdict?

As a first car, this is one smart set of wheels. If you buy it new it will set you back between R206 900 and R323 900. We suggest going for the base Pop model in manual. Better still, why not consider a pre-owned Fiat 500?  You can click here to see an article on the differences between new and used Fiat 500s. These earlier (pre-2016) Fiat 500s will be available with the 1,2-litre and 1,4-litre four-cylinder engines, but they will still prove very economical.

Of course there are many alternatives to the Fiat 500 in the small city car segment, and many of them are less pricey. You will find an interesting article on the safest small cars for new drivers if you  click here. But if it’s a funky image you are after, you won’t go far wrong with the little 500, which is so cute looking it makes you want to take it home and spoil it.

Click here to check out AutoTrader’s  80-plus listings of new and used Fiat 500s for sale.