Review: Fiat 500 TwinAir Pop Star

Little Illusionist

I didn't want to like the powder blue little Fiat 500 TwinAir that arrived at our offices. In my eyes, it was a rehash of a classic that was trying too hard to evoke a sense of nostalgia in a day and age where none of its target buyers had even seen an original 500. We saw this approach from BMW when they bought over the MINI nameplate, producing a recreated solution to modern living. Look where it is now, a far cry from the original Mini, heavier and larger in size.

I don't doubt that this approach is challenging. Trying to capture the essence of the original vehicle and attempting to harness this character in something that is contemporary, functional and meets the current nanny-state regulations of passenger and pedestrian safety. That's no easy task, in the original Fiat 500 you were the crumple zone and airbags were best left at home, lest they chattered all through the journey.

Firstly, the little Fiat 500 TwinAir is small. I have a minuscule garage and anything larger than a VW Polo requires me to suck in my gut and hold my breath as I pull it in through the narrow opening, praying that I can edge close enough to the front wall so that the back end clears the garage door. Disembarking is also best done through a sunroof - my garage is a hole. But despite this, I could fling the 500 in at near full tilt and still have time to brake. With deft parallel parking skills, I'm quite sure that I would be able to squeeze two Fiat 500s into my garage.

The diminutive external dimensions are misleading though, because interior space is disturbingly generous. Usually, when this happens, the doors are wafer thin and the seats buried deep in the pile of the carpet, but that is not the case with the 500. Somehow, through black magic or something, they have managed to extract a healthy whack of interior room from something the size of a rugby ball.

With this most recent facelift of the 500, Fiat has done away with the lightly-coloured panels in the interior and opted for dark, or body-coloured trim pieces. While this does lend itself to making the cabin appear smaller than it is, it brings with it a touch of sophistication and practicality. A new three-spoke steering wheel does duty for the driver and the entertainment is taken care of with a new 5-inch UConnect colour touch screen unit.

The large single speedometer and tachometer combination in front of the driver, retains a classic typeface but now has a larger LCD-display in the center that will show water temperature and fuel level. Automatic climate control is now included as well.

Changes to the exterior are just as significant. New headlights rest in the front corners with LED daytime running lights. A single slat grille with a revised airdam does away with the toothy appearance of the outgoing model. Fiat also revised the badge and chrome wings on either side of both the badge and lower airdam (on Lounge models).

Around the back, the chrome bumper bar sits lower, flanked by the fog lamps and reverse lights. The taillights are now LED items while the body-coloured centre section has been enlarged.

While the Fiat 500 is small, its engine is even smaller. This compact little car is powered by a 875cc, two-cylinder engine. While most will think that an engine this small is only suitable for powering a kitchen appliance, it was probably one of the biggest surprises of the 500.

Producing 63kW from its turbocharged powerplant, the torque is an impressive 145Nm. Compare it to the naturally aspirated 1.0-litre three-cylinder found in the Volkswagen Up!, which makes 55kW and only 95Nm, and the Fiat 500 has the upper hand. In fact, this additional torque makes driving the 500 quite a fun experience. It won't light up the tyres on a quick pull-away, but it will get up to speed surprisingly quick and stay there with little effort. Highway speeds are not a problem for the little Fiat and while many have criticized the fuel consumption, some easy driving had me down to a respectable 5.5l/100km.

Combine its sprightly performance with its compact size and the 500 TwinAir is a hoot to drive in and around town, darting through traffic with consummate ease. It's one of those cars that makes you happy. It's a cheerful machine and so pleasantly engineered that you completely forget about the powder blue exterior and the pre-conceived stereotypes associated with a guy driving a Fiat 500.

To hell with them all, I'm having fun!

The Fiat 500 TwinAir Pop Star retails for R204 900 with the slightly lower spec TwinAir Pop starting at R179 900. All Fiat 500s are sold with a 3-year / 100 000km warranty and a 3-year / 100 000km maintenance plan.