The design is not for everybody, however I like how the 500X seems.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
Fiat launched the 500X in 2016 and ever since, it has been an uphill battle to achieve gross sales momentum. Even placing apart the present COVID-19 financial points, the 500X sells a number of hundred items every month, whereas opponents just like the Honda HR-V and Toyota C-HR transfer a number of thousand. After every week in Fiat’s little crossover, it is simple to see why.
LikeStylish design inside and outRobust infotainment suite
Don’t LikeSub-par gas economySmall cargo areaGets costly rapidly
Perhaps the one factor the 500X has going for it’s some cute model. It’s just like the common Fiat 500 and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man had a child. The 500X is rather a lot bigger than the diminutive 500, with practically eight inches of floor clearance and two ft of further size, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a tiny-tough little factor.For 2020, there is a new Sport trim, along with the standard Pop, Trekking and Trekking Plus fashions. All-wheel drive is commonplace throughout the board, as is a 1.3-liter turbocharged I4 and a nine-speed computerized transmission.
If simply commuting is your jam, then the 500X does an sufficient job. The turbocharged engine delivers 177 horsepower and a punchy 210 pound-feet of torque. That best-in-class torque quantity means the 500X feels fairly fast off the road and may simply merge into high-speed visitors. The issues include the 9-speed computerized, which is de facto lazy to downshift. Plan your freeway passes accordingly.The Fiat 500X is not going to win any dealing with contests; it will get actually sloppy when the highway goes twisty. There are plenty of physique motions and the chassis is not all that composed whereas cornering. The super-numb steering does not assist issues, both. If you are in search of a fun-to-drive small CUV, keep on with the Mazda CX-3 or Mini Countryman.
The 500X will get an EPA-estimated gas economic system score of 24 miles per gallon within the metropolis, 30 mpg freeway and 26 mpg mixed. That falls a bit behind different all-wheel-drive choices within the class just like the aforementioned Mazda and Mini, in addition to the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Kona. If effectivity is what you are after, take a look at the Nissan Kicks with its front-wheel-drive structure and constantly variable transmission, good for an EPA score of 33 mpg mixed. During my week with the 500X, which included a highway-heavy journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles and again, I averaged 26.6 miles per gallon — correct so far as the EPA information goes, however nonetheless behind the competitors.
When it involves cabin tech, the excellent news is that Fiat-Chrysler’s glorious Uconnect software program is used on a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto commonplace. I’ve all the time preferred this tech for its considerate format and ease of use. It’s positively probably the greatest methods out there in the present day. The Fiat’s display screen is not as massive as different FCA merchandise, however Uconnect isn’t any much less efficient right here.The dangerous information is that driver’s aids like blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and adaptive cruise management are elective, even on my top-trim tester. Drivers even need to possibility up for full-speed ahead collision warning and emergency braking, one thing you will get on the sub-$19,000 Nissan Kicks as commonplace gear.Even on a 7-inch display screen, FCA’s Uconnect tech is nice.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
That stated, I like that the driver-assistance options could be dialed in by way of Uconnect. I choose my blind-spot monitoring simply as a warning mild, however those that need the system to offer an audible chime can set it up that manner. You can even set your emergency braking ranges, timing for lane-departure warning and the energy of the lane-keeping help’s steering intervention. It’s nice to have choices.The 500X does not have a wi-fi charging pad, however there are two USB-A ports for entrance seat passengers in addition to a 12-volt outlet. Rear seat passengers get to argue over the one USB-A port.The within the 500X is adorbs, with rounded corners and a body-color sprint panel for a pleasant pop of coloration. My tester is provided with a two-piece sunroof that provides a little bit of asymmetrical appeal for rear-seat passengers. Speaking of which, when sitting in again with the driving force’s seat set for my 5-foot, 9-inch body, I’ve about an inch of headroom and about an inch and a half of house earlier than the driving force’s seat would make issues uncomfortable on my knees. Maybe preserve the again seats for youths solely.Storage house for little gadgets is not dangerous, with a two-tiered glovebox and door pockets deep sufficient for a really massive water bottle or a Big Gulp of Diet Dr. Pepper. Cargo house for bigger gadgets, nevertheless, is on the low facet. There are 14 cubic ft of house behind the rear seats, which solely expands to 32 cubes with the seats folded. Meanwhile the Honda HR-V goes huge with 23.2 and 57.6 cubic ft, respectively. Even the 500X’s company cousin, the Jeep Renegade, does higher with 18.0 and 50.8 cubes.It’s cute, however that is about it.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
Overall, the 500X is only a dangerous worth when you think about what else you will get within the class. A base Pop trim begins round $25,000, however possibility it up with the stuff you need and it will get critically costly. For my cash, I’d begin with a Trekking trim, as it is the least-expensive strategy to acquire entry to the $1,395 Advanced Driver-Assistance Group. Of course, that additionally means including the $895 Basic Driver Assistance Group, with issues like LED lighting and parking aids. With simply these choices, I’m $30,030 together with $1,495 for vacation spot. That’s already costlier than numerous top-trim subcompact SUVs. Now contemplate that my loaded tester prices greater than $35,000. For that form of coin I may get a properly outfitted Mazda CX-5 with more room, a greater inside and a nicer driving expertise. Heck, the mid-$30Okay worth vary even begins to open up entry-level luxurious choices.It’s actually robust to suggest the 2020 Fiat 500X. It seems distinctive and I feel there’s rather a lot to be stated for that, nevertheless it’s not that good to drive, has a cramped inside and will get costly once you pack it stuffed with helpful options. If it had been priced equally to, say, the Nissan Kicks, and even the Kia Soul or Seltos, I would not be yucking the yum right here. But because it stands, the 500X is pricey and compromised and that is simply not good on this extremely aggressive section.Originally revealed July 23, 2:00 a.m. PT.Update, 1:40 p.m.: An earlier model of this story said the engine makes 117 hp. It’s truly 177 hp. The textual content has been modified to mirror this.