FIAT 600 Hybrid | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

FIAT 600 Hybrid | Test Drive

FIAT 600

Words Andrea Albertazzi / Photos S. Lomax

If twenty years ago you had walked into a FIAT dealership to buy a new 600 for thirty thousand Euros, you would have left with three cars and still have enough money to go for a dinner out with your family. Now they would barely be enough, unless you decide to opt for the electric version, much more expensive than the Hybrid variant recently introduced in the catalogue. Is there something wrong? I have to be honest, absolutely not.

The new 600 is no longer the small city car ready to sneak its way into the war against wild parking in big cities, much less the all-rounder suitable for life in the countryside and capable of stowing loads of all kinds in just a few meters, without the slightest care for a fabric upholstery that would have had a short life anyway, a bit like the poor quality and rubbery plastics that covered the rounded cockpit. No, a car like that is no longer fine in today’s motoring panorama. People have no use for these anymore and to tell the truth, not even for half a size bigger. That’s why the reincarnation of the FIAT 600 is exactly what today’s drivers look for in a car: space, comfort, on-board technology and that small SUV look that has made crossovers must-have, at least in recent years. And until a new segment arrives to oust them, the possibility of choosing from the many, many (or even too many) models available is welcome.

At Stellantis there are four of these: Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka, Jeep Avenger and now also FIAT 600. They are all based on the same platform and share much more than a few mechanical and aesthetic details. So, which one to choose, taking into account that in this precise moment FIAT also has the 500X in its lineup? It’s up to the customer to say and judging by the numbers it doesn’t seem like the embarrassment of choice has penalized anyone, at least as long as there is the possibility of saving a few thousand Euros at the time of purchase and at the same time taking home a hybrid unit. Zero worries in terms of charging and consumption that are significantly reduced. But let’s get back to us and the 600. A name that brings to mind the beautiful Italy of the sixties, much more than some other recent models are able to do. A bit like what happened with the 500, FIAT has decided to dust off a glorious name, which would allow it to instill in its customers a sense of belonging that would simplify the process of analyzing yet another crossover, precisely.

Reality is that the new 600 is extremely similar to the 500X mentioned above, even more than to its closest siblings from the Stellantis group. However, you only need to look at it a bit better and you will notice the details that differentiate them, with the 600 using a fresher design that is less indebted to the small 500 – we are giving numbers, I know – and small light clusters at the rear that make you perceive how generous the dimensions are for five people on board, four of whom will sit really comfortably. At the front, the designers have played with round headlights, letting a profile in the same color as the body lighten the look, making it very fluid at the same time, thanks also to an almost completely closed grille (like the electric ones) and with the 600 badge clearly displayed in the center.

Opening the door, the differences with the 500X are consistent. The interior of the 600 is modern and well-finished, even if you can feel how some plastics are more rigid than you might think at first glance. The two displays, the one behind the two-spoke steering wheel and the one in the center of the dash are the link with the infotainment brain of a car that has now severed every last remnant umbilical cord with its predecessor. There are still some physical buttons – piano keys – for the climate control, which is a good thing, even if the on-board system is very intuitive and with an interface similar to that of a smartphone, just to make you feel at home. 6-speed automatic transmission and therefore no lever, but buttons like in the electric variant, all just above one of the many storage compartments scattered here and there in the cabin, in this case covered by a folding cover in fake leather on the outside and in fabric on the inside. Here we also have the badge of the La Prima edition, the best equipped in the price list at the moment, which for €6,000 more than the starting price enriches your 600.

There are 18” rims, as big as the ones I had on my Porsche Boxster in 2005, a design halfway between sobriety and taste for the future. In short, the new 600 is really well made, it is spacious and with the La Prima spec offers leather seats with a pattern that echoes the FIAT logo endlessly, for a not bad look. Even though it is a crossover and no longer a small utility vehicle, the natural habitat remains the city. The 1.2 inline 3-cylinder is proof of this. It is lively, but not as brilliant as for example the petrol only recently tested on the Avenger. In fact, consumption is better and the presence of an automatic transmission makes coexistence in traffic as relaxing as a hot bath at the end of the day.

Did I tell you that the gearbox is even a dual clutch and that there are paddles on the steering wheel to shift up and down? Now you know, as well as the fact that FIAT engineers decided to equip it with a single driving mode, which is not a bad thing either. It is a shame, however, that there is no way to regulate battery regeneration when braking, an aspect that has highlighted the system’s lack of precision, with the consequent need to adjust from time to time to how much engine braking comes into play. As usual, we decide to mix things up and leave the city. With the comfort zone behind, the 600 heads for the hills and shows how relaxing it is to drive, even after several kilometers. The driver’s seat also has different types of massage and lumbar adjustment, the seating is very good and the extra centimeters from the ground allow you to tackle potholes and obstacles that are increasingly present on our roads, urban or otherwise.

The 1.2 delivers 101 horsepower and 205 Nm of torque. In this situation, the automatic transmission always handles gear changes well, with the internal combustion engine never excessively noisy, not even when cold. In electric mode, you sail and move, albeit for a short time, but the collaboration between the two units is what makes long distances possible without paying attention to the fuel gauge. With curves that increase, the 600 maintains that sort of lightheartedness also offered by the fact that FIAT has long focused on bright and sophisticated colors, as in the case of this Azzurro Cielo (Sky Blue). There is no creaking and the old 600 is a distant relative to which you struggle to believe there could be any connection that is not solely related to the first name.

In some circumstances, the vibrations of the 3-cylinder are felt more, but the perception when driving is that of being at the wheel of one of those cars designed for a family that needs space, but without exaggerating with the ruler. The 600 remains easy to park, winks with its charm and satisfies every need of that customer who, looking at the proposals of Stellantis, prefers a pinch of Italianness in their choice, at least in terms of image. After all, a Peugeot 2008 will never have the charm of a revival queen like the 500 and now the 600. But there’s more, ‘cause the family has also been joined by the small and all-electric Topolino, but that’s another story. If at this moment you are massaging your chin intrigued by a look that is as jaunty as timeless – because the new 500 and 600 are just like that – know that the substance underneath the new 600 is up to its external appearance.