Fiat 500X review

As a change from the usual flat white, the only standard colour is 'cappuccino beige'. It's more like greige really and if my drink was that colour I'd send it back but as a paint scheme it's bearable enough to save you the cost of metallic.

Standard kit includes speed limit sign recognition and lane departure assist. City brake and blind spot warning are optional as a £650 pack. The city brake part, £285 on its own, and the third rear head restraint (£75) ought to be standard.

Otherwise spec is either fairly generous as standard or cheap to add as an option. Get the £250 comfort pack as it includes practical storage additions too. LED headlights are £750 and standard on the top trim. Beats stereo is £700 and its sound lacks clarity, plus it steals boot space – avoid.

At this writing, Fiat has interest-free deals across three years, putting a 120bhp 500X at £179 a month after a deposit of £4,276, with three years' servicing thrown in. But you'll pay excess mileage beyond 6,000 a year.

The turbo engines have a particulate filter and all powertrains are Euro 6d compliant, and they make 36.7 to 42.2mpg on the WLTP cycle, depending on whether it's the 120bhp or 150bhp engine, and on tyre size. The CO2 of the 120bhp one is 131g/km. That consumption is pretty tolerable for a petrol crossover, given we only managed 44mpg in our long-term diesel 500X.

Reassuringly, that car didn't deteriorate over our test and the only unreliable part was the screen system which has now been totally updated.

In base trim the 120bhp is just insurance group 8, rising to 16 for the top-trim 150bhp.