Fiat 500 review

The organic shapes and textures of the seats and dash are pretty. They have a comforting familiarity to their 1957 and 2007 ancestors but a refreshing difference to everything else. Lots of neat little 500-related Easter eggs around the place too if you like that sort of thing. 

It’s mostly well finished in here too, though not as expensive feeling as say a Mini. The flip-down cupholder is especially flimsy, for instance.

Is the infotainment any good?

You get a 10.25in screen as standard, and connecting your phone is easy. The screen has nice definition and logic too, though the interface is a bit fiddly in places. You get wireless Apple and Android as standard, which is useful. 

The climate controls get their own off-screen buttons, hurrah. Below them is a phone cubby (with wireless charging in top spec), and below these the PRND buttons. OK, they’re buttons not a lever but if you’ve driven a petrol 500 this is at least where you naturally expect to find the control for going forward or back.

What are the seats like?

You sit perkily upright on good-looking seats with inadequate thigh support. Unlike the last 500 the steering wheel adjusts for both reach AND rake, which is great, but annoyingly the driver’s seat doesn’t adjust for height unless you’re in the top spec model. 

It’s a must have if you’re 6ft or just under, otherwise you sit way too high and your view out the windscreen is obscured by the rearview mirror’s chunky mounting.

Is there decent space?

The back seat’s cramped – adults simply will not fit behind the driver, unless either driver or passenger is especially small – and the boot is a mediocre 185 litres. The shape of the boot is pretty good, but the sharp rake of the hatch cuts into the space.

Those seats are great for popping your bags on though, and there’s a decent amount of storage space around the cabin, on account of the absence of an exhaust pipe tunnel. And in the top spec car you can fold the rear seats 50:50 to carry larger items.

Anything else that doesn’t work?

The doors are big but light enough – the handles have been replaced with an electric catch operated by a button. It’s fun watching passengers try and work it out (there’s a physical release lower down if you need it). Other niggles include the fact there’s nowhere for the driver’s left foot, and the dashboard could do with padding for resting your knee on.