First there was the Nissan Juke. Then there were about a million crossover impersonators from rival car manufacturers, the latest being the Fiat 500X. To be fair, we first reported on this car back in January 2013.
The Fiat 500X was formally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show 2014. It’s based on a modified version of the SCCS platform used for the Fiat Punto and Vauxhall Corsa and measures 4.25 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and 1.6 metres tall.
There are two versions to choose between, one for urban motoring and a more rugged version that favours the big outdoors. Both are reminiscent of the standard new Fiat 500 and, dare we say it, better looking than the tried and tested Juke.
Fiat will offer the 500X with a choice of three petrol engines and three diesels in the UK. There’s a 110hp 1.6-litre E-torQ and 140hp 1.4-litre Turbo MultiAir II for the front-wheel drive models. For the all-wheel drive, there’s a 170hp 1.4-litre Turbo MultiAir II. The 2.4-litre Tigershark lump wont be released.
In the diesel corner is a 140hp 2.0-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel, 95hp 1.3-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel and a 120hp 1.6-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel. No word on fuel economy, performance or efficiency figures.
A first for Fiat is a nine-speed automatic, which is standard on the all-wheel drive petrol and all-wheel drive diesel engines. The rest come with either a five, six-speed manual or six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.
Three driving modes – Auto, Sport and All Weather – adjust the handling and feel of the car. Sport goes for performance, while Auto adjusts as necessary. The rugged 500X swaps Traction with All Weather, which enables Traction Plus on the front-wheel drive car and speeds up torque transfer to the rear axle on the rear-wheel drive.
The interior of the Fiat 500X includes either a 5- or 6.5-inch UConnect colour touchscreen infotainment display with Bluetooth and AUX-in connectivity. Navigation is optional for both displays. Boot space is 350 litres, which is the same as the 2014 Nissan Juke.
A choice of 12 paintjobs, eight different styles for the 16-, 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels and seven interior fabrics, leather and colour configurations ensure your Fiat 500X has a good chance of being different to another.
The Fiat 500X, which joins the 500L and 500L Trekking, will go on sale in the ‘second quarter of 2015’. A price is yet to be confirmed.
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