By: Dave Abrahams
Cape Town - Before we buzz off into the brave new world of the Fiat 500X crossover, released in South Africa this week, a little reality check.
The original 1957 Fiat 500 was nicknamed 'Topolino' (mouse) because it was tiny - significantly smaller in every dimension except length than a Smart ForTwo (and, in fact, only 275mm longer).
To suggest, then, that the 500X - at 4250mm long (4450mm in the Cross variants), 1800mm wide and 1610mm high, shares anything beyond the badge, the cute round headlights and its chromed bonnet trim with its namesake would be, at the very least, disingenuous.
But the times they are indeed a-changing, and I shudder to think what the earnest whitecoats at the Euro NCAP test facility would say about a 1957 Topolino. So, let's state at the outset that the 500X shares its platform with the new Jeep Renegade - among others - and treat it as what it is, a new (well, sort of) mini-SUV.
It comes in three flavours - Pop Star, Cross and Cross Plus - with a choice of two petrol fours - the 81kW, 1.6-litre E-TorQ with five-speed manual 'box, and the 103kW, 1.4-litre MultiAir II turbo with either a six-speed manual or six-speed double-clutch auto, each driving the front wheels.
TRACTION PLUS
What Fiat calls the Drive Mood Selector switches between Auto, Sport and All Weather - tuning the throttle, brakes, steering and transmission responses for economy, performance and grip, respectively. On the Cross versions, however, All Weather becomes Traction Plus, an electronic limited-slip differential that maximises traction on treacherous surfaces.
The interior trim can be mixed and matched in seven combinations of fabric, leather and colour, but the 245-litre luggage compartment, electronic stability programme, six airbags, daytime running lights and adaptive foglights are standard across the range.
Lane-keeping assist and blind-spot assist are optional on base models, standard on upscale versions; a reversing camera is an option on any of them.
The 500X is fitted with either a five-inch or 6.5 inch Uconnect touchscreen, each with Bluetooth connectivity, USB and auxiliary ports, and voice command. The five-inch set-up has Tom Tom 2.5D navigation pre-loaded, while the 6.5 inch Radio Nav features 3D maps, progressive route guidance and 'One Shot Voice Destination Entry'.
The 500X range will initially be launched in July 2015 with the 1.4 Cross in either six-speed manual or - in limited numbers - dual-clutch format. The 1.4 Cross Plus will join them at the end of August and the 1.6 Pop Star at the end of September, with the top-of-the-range Cross Plus dual-clutch to follow in the fourth quarter of the year.
PRICES
1.6 Pop Star - R310 900
1.4 Cross - R344 900
1.4 Cross AT - R359 900
1.4 Cross Plus - R379 900
1.4 Cross Plus AT - R394 900
All Fiats come with a three year or 100 000km warranty and maintenance plan.