Car: Fiat 500 C 1.3 Multijet
Prices: £12,700-£14,100 - on the road
Insurance Group: 5
Emissions: 110g/km
Performance: 0-62mph 13s / Max Speed 103mph
Fuel Consumption: [1.4] (urban) 53.3mpg / (extra urban) 78.5mpg / (combined) 67.3mpg
Safety: Seven airbags, ABS
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 3546/1627/1488mm
RETRO AIR STYLE
Our Rating: 7.4 / 10
Fiat’s 500C is an achingly pretty little convertible but why fit a diesel engine? Steve Walker takes a look.
Some cars suit a nice sensible diesel engine but you wouldn’t really group the Fiat 500C amongst them. Would you? This convertible version of the sweet 500 city car isn’t a vehicle usually bought following an exhaustive analysis of the facts and figures: it’s one that people glimpse and fall in love with. From that fateful nanosecond, a purchase is almost inevitable. So why would you choose an object of desire like the 500C and equip it with an intensely sensible diesel engine? It will probably be something to do with its potential for fuel economy of nearly 70mpg, but that’s hardly in the true spirit of this Fiat.
At this stage it’s safe to label the Fiat 500 a runaway success. Such an outcome was never really in doubt from the moment the covers first fell from its retro bodywork. MINI had shown what was possible with an old classic updated for the modern era and Fiat had both the perfect design and the ideal platform to pull it off. The 500C is the convertible version of the 500 citycar and if anything, this open-topped model is an even more seductive prospect for the people who go fuzzy with nostalgia at the sight of those rounded lines and circular headlamps. With Fiat’s diesel engine, it can even turn in some of the best economy figures you’ll get this side of a solar-powered moped.
The 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine appears across the Fiat range and is amongst the best small diesel engines about. In the 500C, it can reach the 60mph barrier in a reasonable 13s, so it’s a shade faster than the 1.2-litre entry-level engine. It will also reach a 103mph top speed. In comparison to the other 500 engines, it fares even better around town where torque of 145Nm, the strongest of any non-Abarth 500, gives it useful muscle. There’s still a flat spot at the very bottom of the rev range while the turbo gets going but it’s brief and can be negated by staying on top of the gears.
The driving experience will be a virtual irrelevance to lots of Fiat 500 C buyers. They’ll have already fallen in love with the car in a brochure, on a TV ad or upon seeing one in the street. Nevertheless, the car promises to be fairly adept on the road with the same basic set-up as the hard-topped 500, a chassis that’s also shared with the Fiat Panda and Ford Ka. A rear-anti-roll bar stiffens things up and the electric power steering is shared with other 500 models. Fiat’s fuel saving Start&Stop technology is also available.
It’s hard not to appreciate the lovable looks of the standard 500 city car. Borrowing its retro design themes straight from the 1950s original, it’s undeniably a model with the rare capacity to bring a smile to your face. The convertible 500C version cranks the cute factor up a couple of notches and also has its roots in Fiat’s past as we’re told it pays homage to the original 500 cabriolet of 1957. It’s better to think of the roof arrangement as a huge canvas sunroof rather than a full folding canopy. At the touch of a button, the entire centre section of the roof retracts into a concertinaed bundle just above the boot. It’s not the most elegant piece of engineering but the sight of car with its roof retracted adds to the retro appeal and with the roof-up, it’s tough to tell a convertible 500 from a hard-top one. The roof itself features a glass rear window and is available in a choice of colours, so buyers can personalise their car.
The simple roof arrangement also means that there’s a decent amount of room in the rear seats of the 500C. There are some convertible cars twice the size of the little Fiat that are stingier with the legroom they lay on for passengers in the back. Delicious design details drip from the 500’s interior. It’s like a tiny pearl, especially when the ivory finish is specified. There’s a very well-judged blend of retro chic and ruthlessly modern contemporary design inside, with circular head restraints and neat 500C b
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