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By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 51

In 2015, Fiat brought us this characterful 500X small SUV Crossover model. It's bigger than it looks and there's lots of choice when it comes to engines, drive systems, transmissions and a whole stack of personalisation options. If you're looking for a surefire conversation starter, you can't do a lot better.

Modelsword count: 25

5dr small SUV (petrol 1.6 [110hp], 1.4 [140 & 170hp] / diesel 1.3 [95hp], 1.6 [120hp], 2.0 [140hp]) [Pop, Pop Star, Lounge, Cross, Cross Plus])

Historyword count: 130

These days, every mainstream brand needs a small, trendy SUV Crossover. In 2015, we got Fiat's take on the Juke-genre, the fashionable 500X. This car's pert shape has none of the awkwardness of its MPV stablemate, the 500L. And it shares just about all its engineering with its FCA Fiat Group cousin, the Jeep Renegade. Predictably, the 500X is more affordable though, priced to deliver the numbers in this sector and engineered to build on this Italian maker's heritage of affordable compact little all-weather runabouts. Does it make sense as a used buy? Let's take a look. Here, we're going to concentrate on the earliest version, produced between 2015 and 2018. This was replaced in early 2019 by a facelifted version with new petrol engines and a front driven-only format.

What You Getword count: 347

There aren't too many small Crossovers with styling that gets an almost universal vote of confidence, but we really haven't chanced upon anyone who doesn't like the 500X. Designed in-house by Fiat's Centro Stile studio, this model not only has clear links to its siblings in the current 500 family but also to the iconic 1957 original, most notably when it comes to the large circular headlamps, the brightwork on the nose and the distinctive clamshell bonnet. 'Cross' and 'Cross Plus' models get the full 'urban SUV' look, with extra plastic cladding, roof rails and chunkier bumpers with skidplates front and rear. In short, all the calling cards you'd expect to find from a vehicle of the Juke genre. Seat yourself at the wheel and it doesn't initially feel very 'Fiat 500'. What's delivered here is as different from that little citycar as you'd expect it would be, this being a larger and more expensive design. Some semblance of familiarity is maintained by a smattering of '500' model line design cues - things like the quirky metal door handles, the hard round head restraints, the boiled sweet-like buttons and the pool ball-style gear knob you get on manual gearbox models. The model-branded body-coloured plastic dashboard facing is a familiar touch too, though the enamelled surface you get on cheaper versions is preferable to the sandpaper-style finish applied to plusher models. This panel surrounds what is arguably the cabin's most eye-catching feature, the 5-inch Uconnect infotainment touchscreen fitted to all but entry-level versions and expanded to 6.5-inches in size on top variants. In the rear, there's reasonable room for three. As usual in this class of car, room for your knees and legs is at a bit of a premium, pitched somewhere between the space you'd get in a Fiesta-sized supermini and a Focus-sized family hatch. But it's fine by segment standards. Raise the tailgate and you discover a 350-litre boot capacity. Push forward the 'Fold&Tumble' 60:40 split-folding rear bench and 1,000-litres of fresh air will be freed up thanks to seat backs that fold almost completely flat.

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