Press trip provided. The honest opinions are my own.
I am sure that many of you know about Chrysler combining with Fiat and forming Fiat Chrysler Auto (FCA), what many of us didn’t know at the time was what the future would hold and what to expect. Last week I had the opportunity to attend a media event in Beverly Hills where flights, accommodations, meals, and activities for FCA to learn about the new Fiat 500X, and I came away very impressed with the brand itself, and took an even bigger liking to the 500X.
Fiat doesn’t have a huge number of owners here in the States (yet), but the ones who own one now are borderline obsessive about them and very proud of their cars. Some of you have seen the Fiat 500 series – the c & L, and they are definitely cute, euro-inspired cars, they make you do a double take because you don’t know what they are, but as they drive by, they leave you wondering about it.
Joining the lineup for 2016, the new Fiat 500X looks like the other 500 series cars, just bigger . . . and stronger . . . and sportier . . . and better!
At first glance,the 500X looks fun, cool and definitely unique. We saw pretty much every color they have and the paint job really helps make the car jump out, it is almost as if the car has a personality, and it’s tough not to smile when you see it.
We were able to drive the 500X thru a great mountain track, we were able to experience inclines, declines and lots of hairpin turns as my driving partner and myself took turns making the other one feel nauseous due to the speed & frequency of our turns. The Fiat 500X handled the turns surprisingly well, it is a wide vehicle that had no problem with the course, also we were able to try out the multiple driving modes, and Sport Mode was my fave as we were going thru the mountains.
We put the 500X to a test on the mountains and in regards to its acceleration, it was way better than expected, the engine did whine a little loud as we pushed it, but for the few times you drive like that, it is a non-factor. The 500X will continue to grow in popularity and they also have the 500X available in all-wheel drive for those of us who have to deal with snow.
The Italian influence in the 500X is pretty obvious, Fiat did a great job of honoring the history of the 500 series, there are major similarities to the original cars. However, my favorite holdovers are the front end that just looks like a smiling car and the front dashboard which is the colorful and stands out like the rest of the car. Another fun feature that was brought over from the Italian originals is the cool box. Not cool as in hip or neat-o, but rather cold or chillin’, like a mini fridge. There is a little box that sits above the glove box that you can fit a couple of water bottles into, the air conditioner runs thru hear and will keep things nice and cool, it will not cool a warm water, but it is perfect for snacks and sandwiches.
The 500X is a good size, the back seat has enough leg room for an adult to be comfy as long as the front seat riders are not all the way back, if they are, it is pretty tight in the back. The trunk offers more room than you would think, you could easily fit a couple of larger suitcases. However, it is not big enough that buddies will be asking you to bring it over to help you move anything that big.
Another awesome feature of the 500X is the price, the 500X Pop starts off at $20,000 and the high end model – the 500X Trekking Plus starts at $27,100. These are very reasonable and you get a lot of car for this price.
I had an awesome time on this event, the cars were awesome and so were the people at the event. For anyone in the market for a small SUV, this is one that you have to keep in mind, just go check it out, it will put a smile on your face! The 500X is coming to a dealer near you now, they should be available between now and the first of May, go take one on a test drive and see how you like it.
