Tags: #ev-technology #electric-vehicles
For the first time since the turn of the 1970s, Fiat will have both a 500 and a 600 in its showrooms. Back then it was known as a roomy, practical family wagon, but fast forward to today and I wonder whether it will give 500 owners a new and interesting reason to come back and trade up? Is it a car for the city-slicker singles and couples, or could it serve as a main car for small families? We find out over our week of living with one as a family of four.
Discover EV expert verdict...
Firstly I hate compact SUVs – annoyingly electric cars have only made this worse and that's because a skateboard architecture, or modular EV platform, enables companies to design vehicles in several different body segments without engineering each one independently.
So you can imagine my response when I get the keys to this: a 600e especially as I had so little praise to heap on its smaller sibling, the 500e, awarding it three out of five stars. Why? Well for three main reasons: Rival cars drove better; it was very cramped for rear passengers and the boot space was pointless; and the interior quality was poor.
Fortunately things have improved with this B segment contender.
It has more performance and a more usable range for starters, and that's because it's based on the same platform as the Jeep Avenger Electric and many other small cars from the Stellantis range of which there are many so it's equipped with a 54kW battery rather than a 24 or a 42kW hour battery like the Fiat 500e giving it a 252 mile range and 154hp electric motor. That is a lot better than the top spec 500e which had a 199 mile range and 115hp.
To drive it feels a lot like the Jeep Avenger Electric and that's basically because they share the same wheelbase except that the suspension hasn’t been tweaked to go off road instead it feels a lot more at home around town, in that I can nip it into small spaces and it's got that low-end punchy performance. The steering is light but not very communicative – it's literally got nothing between 1 and 3 o’clock positions. In summary, it's easy to drive and comfortable, but its performance and refinement tail off at motorway speeds with road and wind noise, and when pushing on through the twisties with vague steering and inconsistent brake pedal feel.
As previously mentioned it’s got a claimed 252 mile range, but real world range is around 200 to 215 miles, meaning more frequent stops if you’re doing long motorway stints. A heat pump is standard at least, helping in cold weather with stronger efficiency, and running costs are low, especially with cheap home charging and minimal road tax/Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) for company cars, although take this with a pinch of salt given the high initial purchase price and steep depreciation compared to some rivals.
Standard 100kW DC charging is average for this segment of car, and a 20 to 80 per cent top-up will take less than half an hour. If you don’t have the three-phase electrics required to make use of the 600e’s maximum 11kW AC charging speed, a standard 7.4kW home wallbox will take around seven-and-a-half hours for a full charge.
It's got a lot of 500 design cues, I like the cutesy front end with big headlights and smiling grille that’s been scaled up to look more assertive, while the higher ride height, plastic black cladding and larger 18 inch alloy wheels help to give it a crossover feel. There are four pretentious, erm, unique colours Sky, Earth, Sea and Sun of Italy, can you guess which one ours is, and nice Italian flag detailing on the rear.
Inside, it's a bit of a mix between a 500e and a Jeep Adventure Electric in terms of styling and components. Fiat are apparently going for retro Italian flair thanks to the rounded dashboard and circular digital cluster presumably, but there’s just too much scratchy plastics to make this feel like understated elegance. There’s a focus on sustainability at least with recycled fabrics for seats and mats.
In terms of space in the back, I’m almost 6ft so the driver’s seat is set quite far back and I've got loads of head room but limited legroom, there's also only one USB C Port which the kids are going to argue about. Just saying.
Do you know what I hate most about stellantis cars though? It’s the tiny little zips which are impossible to open, and then just when you’ve run out of patience you have to locate the bar by feel to affix the seat to. It just fills me with dread every time I have to get the children in the back of the car.
It’s got 360 litres of boot space versus 185 litres for the 500e, so it's a vast improvement but it's still rubbish for this segment of car.
On the upside the new entertainment system, while not the best, is a vast improvement over the one of old, but there’s a flappy old school iPad magnetic cover of disappointment, which I managed to break.
There are two versions the Red Edition and La Prima, which is the one we have so we get two more speakers and a touchscreen that's half an inch bigger and benefits from integrated sat nav and DAB, and it’s got electrically adjustable seats and a built-in masseuse.
So, it's improved on most of the things we didn't like about its smaller sibling – it's a little roomier, slightly more efficient, it's got a bigger range and the interior quality has improved but it does cost between £33,000 and £37,000 and that's quite punchy. Fiat does at least give car buyers a three grand grant in absence of the government failing to support people into EV motoring so kudos to them for that.
To answer my original question – this car makes sense for a family with younger kids. But outside of that? It’s either a couple who wants the high seating position without needing real space, or an urban commuter who likes the SUV look more than the SUV reality.
And yeah, Fiat wheeling out the 600 is clearly them planting a flag back in the B-segment, but if you’re already allergic to small electric SUVs, it’s not the cure. For me this car lives in that awkward middle ground of being: not fun enough to justify its compromises; not practical enough to feel clever; and not charming enough to win over sceptics.
Some people will love the vibe; others (me included) just feel its failing to make a convincing emotional argument. So if the 600 didn’t flip you, that’s not you being stubborn – that’s the segment failing to make a convincing emotional argument – it’s a tall hatchback pretending to be adventurous.
Price (RRP OTR): From £33,000, £37,000 (model as tested)
Top speed: 93 mph
0-62mph: 9seconds
Power: 114kW (154hp)
Torque: 192lb-ft
Driving range (combined): 252 miles
Charging time: 7.5 hrs (7.4kW, 0-100%), 5.5 hrs (11kW, 0-100%), 27 min (100kW, 20-80%)
Insurance group: 24 - 25
Vehicle warranty: 3 years / 60,000 miles
Battery warranty: 8 years / 100,000 miles
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