FIRSTDRIVE FIAT 500C:Fiat has gone back to its roots, but the result is a very unique type of open-top motoring, finds MARK NICHOL.
THE “C” in the new little Fiat’s name stands for “convertible”, although it would actually be much more appropriate to call it the 500 “BS”.
That refers, of course, to “big sunroof”, which is really all that separates the 500C from the plain old 500. And in that case, a four-figure premium on the price of the 500 seems rather substantial, doesn’t it?
Fortunately, the big hole in the 500C’s roof imbues the Italian fashion box with so much more than an interior vulnerable to pigeon ordure.
To explain, when the original Nuova 500 launched in 1957, it was a rear-engined convertible with suicide doors, which today would make it nearly the same as a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead coupé, sans teak decking.
But it was no Roller – in fact, it wasn’t even supposed to be the style trinket it became. The Cinquecento was a “car for everyone”, as Fiat put it, whose aim was to do for Italy what the VW Type 1 (aka the Beetle) had done for Germany two decades earlier. The 500’s fabric roof rolled back and sat on top of the engine bay – handy for scorching Italian climes – but left the roof pillars and side structure intact.
And so it is with the new one. Its engine and door hinges are at the opposite ends to those of its forebear, but the unique concertina roof makes a comeback, reworked for our airbagged age and, if possible, making the 500 even more alluring.
It’s visually unique for a start, although its fundamental shape doesn’t change with the roof up. Plus, by keeping its roof pillars intact, the 500 keeps much of its structural rigidity and allows the hatchback’s full quota of airbags to stay in situ – including the all-important curtain ones.
It gets seven in total, so it’s as safe as the hatch and the drive is virtually unchanged. It’s marginally heavier, but you can’t tell, and because there are no stowage requirements for the roof, the boot loses just three litres from the hatch’s 185. It’s also better equipped, with air conditioning as standard, and a flashier interior – all for around €3,000 more. Not such a pricey sunroof now, eh?
So, which to buy? Well, we'd keep it as basic as possible: a 1.2-litre petrol in Pop spec should do nicely. All versions are nice and quiet with the roof up or down – even the diesel – but the smallest engine on the littler wheels is smoother, feels nimbler to steer and more rewarding to push near the rev limiter than the 1.3 MultiJet oil burner. Bellissimo,Fiat.
Factfile Fiat 500C
Engine:1.2-litre petrol
Peak power:69bhp
Peak torque:102Nm
Transmission:Five-speed manual
0-100km/h:12.9 seconds
CO2 emissions:119g/km
L/100km:5.1
Price:estimated to start at €20,000