500 ways to stay cool

Jul 3 2009 Jonathan Smith

500 ways to stay cool

WE'RE starting to get to grips with change. The British, so often criticised for being conservative and stuck in our ways, are at last moving with the times.

These days, us chaps don shorts at the glimmer of summer sun; all of us are chasing bargains and more than willing to haggle for a good deal and the concept that 'big is best' is finally going out the window. Undoubtedly influenced by the biggest slump in living memory we are finding fun for less dosh.

Whether it is clothes-buying, eating out or stumping up for a new motor, life has changed. It's the latter that interests me most and after a couple of days in the company of a miniscule convertible with a performance no more enthralling than your average hatchback and costing about the same, I came away with a smile from ear to ear.

The reason: simply it looks great, drove impeccably and at the touch of button I had the open sky above.

If ever there was a car launched at the right time it is the Fiat 500C, a little chunk of retro history which offers an unusual blend of economy, chic and driving dynamics.

Closely based on the model from 1957, it retains the roof rails and pillars and has, in effect, a giant electric sunroof that folds down above the bootlid. The action does so in several stages so that you can have open a slot the size of a conventional sunroof, a larger space with the rear glass window in situ, or fully folded to allow the breeze to blow around you.

The 500C, with prices from £11,300 to £14,100, looks great and remains amazingly faithful to the original design. There are three engine options - a 1.2litre 69bhp petrol, a 1.4litre 100bhp petrol and a 1.3litre 75bhp diesel.

The cabin continues the retro feel with colour-keyed painted dash, large round speedo dial and lots of chrome-work. The effect is instant and guaranteed to put a smile on the most po-faced motorist. Passenger and driver sit fairly close together because this is a narrow vehicle but the front seats are superb - well-shaped, grippy and very comfy over long distances.

The only gripe I had about the dash is that with the roof open and the sunlight flooding in, it was difficult to read the milometer and speedo.

With rear suspension adopted from the tuned Abarth version of the 500 and some extra strengthening, the convertible handles and rides even more fluently than the tin top. With 100bhp on tap from the 1.4 version, there's useful performance and a nice sporty sound - 62mph comes up in 10.5 seconds and top speed is 113mph. Combined fuel consumption is 48.7mpg.

The diesel manages a 12.5sec figure to 62mph and will top 103mph but feels somewhat less fizzy.

There's a complete absence of shake or rattles and the wind commotion when the roof is fully open is minimal. When it is positioned in the other setting there is a degree of buffeting unless you marginally open one of the side windows.

One problem with the roof right back is rear visibility - the fabric bunches at the rear, leaving mainly a skywards view. For such a compact four-seater, luggage space is generous at 182litres - just slightly less than the saloon. The small rear seats also fold and split to increase cargo capacity.

Fiat is anticipating buyers to come mainly from the 25 to 35 age groups but maybe they haven't bargained for the 'born-again' 500 owners who will immediately be won over by the new design which truly pays homage to the little car's heritage.