whatcar.com^ April 2020 25
Chicvaluecarmakesaneffort
togogreenwitha newmild
hybridengineOnsaleNow
Pricefrom£12,6 6 5
IFIT’SRETROcharmyou’reafter,therearen’t
manynewcarsonsalethatcomecloseto
theFiat500.Morethanadecadeonfromits
launch,itremainsoneofthebest-sellingcity
cars,despitethefactthatit’swellbehindmost
ofitsrivalsintermsoftechnology,safety,
practicalityanddrivingmanners.
Theregular 500 isduetobejoinedbyan
all-new,fullyelectric500elaterthisyear,but
inthemeantime,it’sbeentreatedtoadoseof
electrificationwiththeintroductionofanew
1.0-litrethree-cylinderpetrolenginefeaturing
mildhybridtechnology.This
isnowtheonlyengineoption
youcangetinthe500.
Withatinyelectric
motorandbatteryto
sharetheeffort,thisnew
enginepromisesimproved
accelerationandfuel
economycomparedwith
previous 500 variants,while
reducingCO 2 emissions.The
carcan’ttravelonelectric
poweralone,though.
Newengineis hardlyan
improvement,whilerivalsare
betterin virtuallyeveryway
S AY S
Don’texpectTesla-likeacceleration,either.
Sure,there’senoughzipforthe 500 tokeep
upwithhecticcitytraffic,butifyouneeda
meaningfulburstofpace,you’llsoonhavethe
enginewheezingawaylikeanoverlyambitious
joggerontheirfirst(andlast)runoftheyear.
RivalssuchastheHyundaii10andKiaPicanto
soundfarquieterandmorecivilised.
Theyrideandhandlebetter,too.Therideis
jigglyaroundtownanddoesn’tsettledownat
higherspeeds.Thesteeringis
reasonablywellweightedbut
feelsvague.Andforsucha
smallcar,the 500 leansalot
throughcorners.
Inside,youcannowgeta
seatupholsterymadefrom
recycledplastic–ofwhich
Fiatsays10%comesfromsea
waste–andsomehybrid-
specificdisplaysonthe
digitalinstrumentpanel.
Therestoftheinterior
remainsasbrightandbubblyasachildren’s
TVpresenter,butthei10andPicantoaremore
solidlybuilt.Theinfotainmentsystemdoes
littletoinspire,withsmalltouchscreenbuttons
andaslowresponsetime,whilerearseatspace
istightandthebootremainssmall.
Ifyou’rehopingthehybridtechmakesthe
500 anecowarrior,you’llbedisappointed.Fuel
economyandCO 2 emissionsremainaverage
comparedwithrivals.
Thefactis,thei10andPicantohavethe 500
soundlybeateninallareas;they’recomfier,
morepracticalandbettertodrive,plusthey
costaboutthesametobuy.
Price £16,795
Engine 3 cyl,999cc,petrol,plus
electricmotor
Power 69bhp@6000rpm
Torque 68lbft @3500rpm
Gearbox 6-spdmanual
0-62mph 13.8sec
Topspeed 104mph
Economy 53.3mpg(combined)
CO 2 , taxband120g/km(WLTP),27%
Fiat 500 HybridLaunchEdition
BUYER’SFILE
Thepickofthe range thanks to
its strong engine, but missing
some handling delicacy
S AY S
Jaguar F-Type Convertible
JAGUAR’SF-TYPESPORTScarhasanewlook
andanewengineoption.The5.0-litreV8P450
slotsintotheline-upbetweenthe2.0-litre
P300andtherange-topping567bhpV8R.
With444bhpand516lbftoftorque,theP450
isabrute,seeingoffthe0-60mphdashinjust
4.4secinbothrear-wheel-driveandfour-wheel-
driveguises.Theenginemakesathunderous
noiseunderacceleration,andperformanceis
strongenoughtopinyoufirmlytoyourseat.
Evenwithallthatpowersenttotherear
wheelsalone,acceleratingoutofacorner
isentertainingratherthanscary,thanks
totweakstothetractioncontrol.Butwhile
twistingB-roadsarefunintheP450,it’s
notblessedwithgreathandlingfinesse.
Adjustmentstothesteering
haveaddedalittlemorelife
toit,butthereisn’tenough
weightbuild-upduring
corneringandtheF-Type
doesn’tfeelasnimbleoralert
asrivalssuchasPorsche’s 718
BoxsterandCaymanmodels
andthemoreexpensive911.
Price £75,470
Engine V8,5000cc,s’charged,petrol
Power 444bhp@ 6000rpm
Torque 516lbft @ 2500-5000rpm
Gearbox 8-spdautomatic
0-60mph 4.4sec
Topspeed 177mph
Economy 26.5mpg(combined)
CO 2 , taxband 241g/km(WLTP),37%
JaguarF-TypeP450R-Dynamic
ConvertibleRWD
BUYER’S FILE
On the motorway, the F-Type munches
through miles effortlessly, thanks to strong
straight-line stability and an impressively
supple ride (on standard adaptive suspension).
Inside, build quality remains reasonable
rather than outstanding, and there’s a new
12.3in digital instrument panel, replacing the
old analogue dials. Large, razor-sharp graphics
make it easy to see. Standard Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto are welcome additions, although
the infotainment still isn’t as user-friendly as
the class best.
The convertible version’s
fabric roof opens or closes
electrically in just 12 seconds
and doesn’t rob any space
from the boot. But you’ll
be lucky to fit much in
there anyway; it’s small and
awkwardly shaped.
The price jump from four
cylinders to eight is around
£13,000. For that, you gain
a lot of performance, noise
and smiles for your cash,
making the P450 feel far more special than the
P300. However, the cheaper, sharper-handling
Boxster remains a better sports car.
Revamp for Jaguar’s sports car includes a tantalising new
444bhpV8engineoptionOn sale Now Price from £54,060
Fiat 500 Hybrid
Doug Revolta
[email protected]
FIRST DRIVE
P450 F-Type comes
in coupé form as
well as a convertible
Doug Revolta
[email protected]