True to the lines that have characterized it for over 50 years, the Fiat 500 reinvented itself and now arrives in a 100% electric version with the aim of continuing to be the sales success it has always been.
After having already conducted it in Turin, we met again with the small Italian town boy, this time in Lisbon, where Diogo Teixeira had the opportunity to put him to the test to try to answer a question: is this the best 100% segment electric?
With the Honda and as its main rival, the new Fiat 500 maintains the retro look that has guaranteed it a lot of success, but received an important technological reinforcement. Much of this reinforcement is evident in the interior, where details such as the new digital instrument panel or the also new UConnect 5 infotainment system — which uses a 10.25” screen and allows connection to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay systems without use of wires — they “jump” on sight.
Furthermore, the small Italian comes not with one, nor with two, but with three body shapes. In this way, the three-door and cabriolet versions are now joined by the 3+1 variant, which has a small side door with an inverted opening — as in the Mazda MX-30 and BMW i3 — on the passenger side.
two engines, two batteries
It's not just in terms of bodywork that the new Fiat 500 offers several options to choose from, as is the case with regard to power and battery. Thus, the base version, with the Action equipment level and available only in the three-door version, has a less powerful electric motor, with 95 hp (70 kW), and a lower capacity battery with just 23. 8 kWh.
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It can be quickly charged up to 50 kW and allows a range of 180 km (WLTP cycle) or 240 km (WLTP city cycle). In this case, the 500 accelerates to 100 km/h in just 9.5 seconds and has its top speed limited to 135 km/h.
The other versions are equipped with a 118 hp (87 kW) engine that is powered by a 42 kWh battery that allows a range of 320 km (WLTP cycle) to 460 km (WLTP city cycle). As for the performance, this engine allows reaching 50 km/h in 3.1s, 100 km/h in 9s and 150 km/h of maximum speed (limited).
And the loading?
In total, the Fiat 500 has three driving modes: Normal, Range and Sherpa. With regard to charging, the fast charging capacity varies, as would be expected, depending on the battery that equips the city's Turin brand.
Starting with the smallest battery, the 23.8 kWh battery, the Fiat 500s equipped with it have a 50 kW quick-charging system that allows you to restore around 50 km of autonomy in around 10 minutes. In addition, it can also be charged at home using the Mode 2 cable (3 kW) or at public payphones or in a wallbox with the Mode 3 3-phase cable of 11 kW.
As for the 42 kW battery, the Fiat 500s that come equipped with it are equipped with an 85 kW quick-charging system. This means that in just 5 minutes it is possible to restore 50 km of autonomy and in just 35 minutes it is possible to recharge the battery up to 80%.
In addition, this battery can also be recharged in a socket of up to 3 kW or in a wallbox of up to 7.4 kW, in which case it is possible to recharge the entire battery in just six hours.