The Second Era Electrical Cinquecento Provides Dolce Vita!
It wasn’t an enormous shock when Fiat introduced the 2019 500e was in its last yr of being imported to America. Solely out there in California and Oregon, its attraction was challenged by an 84-mile all-electric driving vary (AER) that had lengthy been surpassed by opponents.
Transfer forward 5 years. All-new for 2024, the second technology Fiat 500e this time is out there in all 50 states. It brings a number of upgrades, together with being larger (two inches wider, longer and taller), extra highly effective, with an extended driving vary and extra normal options. The 500e works onerous to make Fiat’s case of “not needing to set foot in Italy to expertise Dolce Vita!”
Probably larger information is the five hundred will now include electrical propulsion solely. Here’s a flashback to our time within the sporty 2019 500c Abarth Cabrio; the final inside combustion 500 was a blast to drive.
Easy, Quiet and Zippy
You energy up by urgent the beginning/off button (accompanied by distinctive tones). The sprint gauges awaken, telling you the 500e is able to drive. With none engine noise or vibration, the sprint readouts are your solely indication you might be good-to-go.
The electrical motor places out 117 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. A single-speed transmission drives the entrance wheels, managed by massive buttons on the sprint. Powered by a 42-kWh battery, the 500e scoots alongside from a cease to 60 mph in about 8.5 seconds. Its high pace is 94 mph. We discovered this tempo to be completely acceptable because it felt even quicker for freeway merging and passing massive rigs. The acceleration is easy, quiet and zippy—and fairly addictive—the great thing about EV torque is it being out there, at any pace, any time. When taking your check drive, pay attention for the music that performs at 20 miles per hour.
The 2024 Fiat 500e is rated at a 149-mile all-electric vary, which is a markedly important improve from the primary technology. It’s also just about what we skilled. With a lot emphasis positioned on driving vary, it is very important word 39.7 miles is the common pushed day by day in the US. Yep, that’s it people. Which means the 500e would fulfill a really massive variety of these individuals’s wants. Clear Fleet Report placed on 182 miles tooling round Southern California the place we averaged a really respectable 3.9 miles per kWh.
Rivals based mostly on AER are the Mini Cooper SE at 114 miles and the Nissan Leaf S, additionally at 149 miles. The Mazda MX-30, at 100 miles, was discontinued following the 2023 mannequin yr, however could also be out there used.
Automotive Leisure
The Fiat 500e is enjoyable to drive, and possibly may very well be thought-about a type of automotive leisure. Round city as a metropolis automotive, it’s utterly in its factor. The 31.5-feet turning radius and the electrical energy steering made simple work of shifting the two,952-pound 500e in-and-out of parking areas and navigating the tightest of alleys.
Out on the open highway, even with the brief 91.4-inch wheelbase, it felt assured at freeway speeds. No gusts of wind or highway situations gave any concern. The McPherson strut entrance and twist-beam axle within the rear smoothed-out most highway irregularities. Our solely problem is the 205/45R Pirelli Cintuarato all-season tires will be loud at freeway speeds.
The 500e is nicely balanced because the battery weight underneath the floorboard makes for a low middle of gravity. The responsive steering has a correctly heavy really feel and good highway suggestions. Being tight and sporty, we have been tempted to assault a number of tight curves the place we discovered there to be no physique roll, pushing or lack of grip. A smile was our reward!
Plug-in Charging
Charging the lithium-ion battery is thru the 11 kW onboard charger. You will need to word chilly climate can have an effect on the charging time and driving vary.
- 120V (Stage 1) @ 13 Amps – 37 hours – 5% – 100%
- 240V (Stage 2) @ 48 Amps – 6 hours – 0% – 100%
- DC Quick Charging @ 85 kW – 35 minutes – 0% to 80%
Unique 2024 500e homeowners have the choice to obtain a Stage 2 charging wall unit by way of Fiat, or $600 in charging credit by way of Free2Move Cost. This explains the program to ease the electrification transition.
Regenerative Charging and Drive Modes
Charging additionally happens by way of motor regeneration when coasting or braking, which converts kinetic power into electrical power and returns it to the battery. The 500e has two one-pedal driving settings, the place the regeneration will be set to completely different ranges of pressure.
There are three driver selectable drive mode settings, managed by the “e-MODE”a change on the middle console, permitting the driving force to optimize vary and return power to the battery.
- Regular – Essentially the most related setting to a gasoline powered automotive and doesn’t have regeneration
- Vary – Prompts the one-pedal-drive and regeneration perform
- Sherpa – Retains the regeneration pressure. Sherpa additionally limits the highest pace to 50 mph, turns-off the heating and air-con, and reduces the ability, however doesn’t limit a full throttle if wanted.
The placement of the regen settings management change is exclusive to the Fiat 500e. On nearly all of the plug-in vehicles Clear Fleet Report exams the regeneration is ready by paddles on the bottom of the steering wheel. We favor this method as drivers can modify motor regeneration with their fingertips, by no means eradicating their eyes from the highway.
The 500e structure on the middle console requires a fast look to search out the change. After every week driving the 500e, we grew to become snug with the placement, however want to see it moved to a extra typical set-up.
Retro Design
Constructed on the Mirafiori meeting plant in Turin, Italy, the Fiat 500e is all about being cool, and having unmistakable Italian design and enjoyable. Fiat proudly says it’s “100-percent Electrical, 100-percent Italian.” Primarily based on the long-lasting Cinquecento (first launched in 1957 and offered in varied kinds in the US by way of 1983), the brand new, first technology 500 was launched in 2012, adopted by the all-electric 500e for 2013-2019.
Fiat has a novel method to introducing the 500e, taking a web page from the style world. There shall be a sequence of “drops” similar to the style homes do with their clothes traces. The primary drop earlier this yr was “RED”; every buy despatched a donation to the International Fund to help life-saving prevention and therapy packages in communities most in want. All the launch version 2024 Fiat 500e fashions are painted in non-metallic clear coat Pink.
The subsequent drops, with every solely coming in a single exterior colour, but additionally with extra normal options, have been “Impressed By Magnificence” (Rose Gold), “Impressed By Music” (Tuxedo Black). “Impressed by Los Angeles” (Marine Layer Mist) was launched late Summer time 2024. On the LA Auto Present in November Fiat introduced a Giorgio Armani Collector’s Version coming in early 2025.
The 500e has a enjoyable face with spherical LED projector headlights, with eyebrows and daytime operating lights, and a pleasant smile within the mouth-like grille. At slightly below 12-feet lengthy the 500e has an upright design with sides that slope inward in the direction of the roof, which ends with a rear hatch spoiler. Chrome items are non-existent save however for the “500” badge on the elevate gate subsequent to the LED tail lights. The automotive has angle.
Cozy Inside
The cabin is compact, however in actuality it truly is roomier than anticipated for the driving force and passenger. The heated entrance seats have guide changes, making it snug and offering ample headroom even for 6-footers.
The rear seat is for 2 adults of as much as about 5-foot nine-inches, so don’t plan on taking buddies any additional than a neighborhood restaurant except you don’t need them to be your folks for much longer. The very best use for the 500e is to put down the 50:50 break up rear seat and luxuriate in zipping round with sufficient cupboard space for in-town errands. The cargo capability is compromised a bit because the rear seat doesn’t lay utterly flat. Similar story with the passenger seat, which implies lengthy objects can’t be accommodated.
The 500e sprint has been utterly redesigned from the sooner technology. It’s clear, fashionable, modern and fashionable with every part nicely inside attain of the driving force. The flat backside steering wheel has controls for the cruise management on the appropriate facet, and voice activation and controls for the 7-inch instrument cluster on the left facet.
We’re massive followers of the fast-operating and easy-to-understand Fiat UConnect 5 system that’s the gateway to the infotainment system, 3-D navigation and different useful security and security measures.
The 7-speaker JBL audio system offered AM/FM/HD and SiriusXM, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus entry to entrainment apps. Controlling the radio features on the 500e is our favourite of all of the programs we check. There are small up-and-down buttons on the bottom of the steering wheel to, with a easy contact of a finger tip, management the channel and audio settings. No taking eyes off the highway to search out your favourite station.
Comfort options embody energy home windows and door locks, keyless entry, 12V and USB energy shops, a wi-fi cellphone charging pad, automated temperature management (Yay for bodily buttons!) with cabin air filtration, energy exterior mirrors, entrance and rear seat cup holders, tilt and telescopic steering wheel column, rain sensing wipers and a safety alarm.
Security
Commonplace superior driver help programs (ADAS) embody Stage 2 autonomous driving, seven airbags, backup digicam, digital stability management, traction management, entrance and rear park help, blind spot and rear cross detection, distant keyless entry, engine immobilizer, tire strain monitoring system, tire restore equipment, brake help, hill begin help and auto maintain.
Pricing and Warranties
The 2024 Fiat 500e RED we drove had a base worth of $32,500. There are not any choices out there, so together with the $1,595 vacation spot charge, the MSRP was $34,095. Communicate together with your CPA earlier than visiting a Fiat vendor to see if the 500e qualifies for federal or a state tax credit. The 500e is eligible in lots of states for a solo driver HOV sticker.
All Fiat 500e fashions include these warranties.
- Fundamental/Powertrain – 4 Years/50,000 miles
- Electrical Powertrain/Lithium-ion Battery – Eight Years/100,000 miles
- Corrosion – Eight Years/Limitless Miles
Observations: 2024 Fiat 500e
The 2024 Fiat 500e is nimble and enjoyable to drive, simple to park and handles twisties nice. The design is exclusive in comparison with the rest you will notice on the highway. It isn’t onerous to think about your self in Rome, the place the Cinquecento appears to be all over the place.
Effectively utilizing its saved electrical energy and respectable charging instances, it’s right-sized for one or two individuals to deal with all their in-town, city and brief journey wants. If you don’t want to haul round 4 adults, the 500e may very well be an excellent second automotive.
Fiat calls the 500e a “metropolis automotive” which after all it’s, however that sells it brief. It additionally works nicely for suburban dwellers, not simply these residing in a metropolis middle comparable to San Francisco, Boston, New York Metropolis and Chicago. In case you spend nearly all of your time on brief haul commuter freeway driving, operating errands and sometimes negotiating the craziness of a metropolis, the 500e is perhaps best for you.
The 2024 Fiat 500e is strictly what it’s meant to be. Mission completed.
Ensure to opt-in to the Clear Fleet Report e-newsletter (high proper of web page) to be notified of all new tales and car critiques.
Story and images by John Faulkner.
Ensure to opt-in to the Clear Fleet Report e-newsletter (high proper of web page) to be notified of all new tales and car critiques.
Disclosure
Clear Fleet Report is loaned free check automobiles from automakers to guage, sometimes for every week at a time. Our highway exams are based mostly on this one-week drive of a brand new car. Due to this we don’t tackle points comparable to long-term reliability or complete price of possession. As well as, we are sometimes invited to producer occasions highlighting new automobiles or know-how. As a part of these occasions we could also be supplied free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our greatest to current our unvarnished evaluations of automobiles and information irrespective of those inducements.
Our focus is on automobiles that supply one of the best gas financial system of their class, which leads us to emphasise electrical vehicles, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and different environment friendly powertrains. We additionally characteristic these environment friendly gas-powered automobiles which can be among the many high mpg automobiles of their class. As well as, we intention to supply critiques and information on superior know-how and the choice gas car market. We welcome any suggestions from car homeowners and are devoted to offering a discussion board for different viewpoints. Please tell us your views at [email protected].
