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By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 95

In the latter part of this century's second decade, Fiat offered buyers in the small SUV segment an improved version of its characterful 500X Crossover model. This small SUV is bigger than it looks and if you choose this later version, you'll get to choose from a more sophisticated range of more efficient three and four cylinder petrol turbo engines, plus improved connectivity - and even a cabrio version. If you're searching for a car of this kind from the 2018-2024 period and looking for a sure-fire conversation starter, you can't do a lot better.

Modelsword count: 11

5dr SUV (0.9, 1.3, 1.6, 1.5 petrol [Pop, Connect, Sport, Cross])

Historyword count: 473

If you like the trendy little Fiat 500 city car but need something just as characterful but rather larger, the Italian brand gave you various options in this century's second decade. One of them was this 500X small SUV, originally launched in 2015, but examined here in the much improved form the brand brought us in late 2018. It's easy to see what the Italian brand was trying to do here. Just as BMW broadened the appeal of its modern day MINI by spinning from it a whole range of more versatile body styles, Fiat tried to do much the same sort of thing with its iconic little 500 model, using the same design DNA first to bring us the 500L small MPV in 2012 and then this 500X SUV Crossover, three years later. You won't be surprised to learn that this 'X' model proved to be by far the more successful of the pair, shifting almost 1.5 million units in its first three years on sale alone. That was partly because of the sales boom in the SUV segment following this 500X model's original launch. And partly because aesthetically, most agreed it to be a considerably more appealing interpretation of what a larger 500 should be. Not quite appealing enough though, to prevent sales rather stalling two years into its production run - just 5,000 500Xs were sold in our market in 2017 as other brands piled into this part of the Crossover class. So Fiat's had a re-think and came back with the much improved car we're going to look at here. Like the original model, this updated version shared just about all its engineering with its Stellantis Group cousin, the Jeep Renegade, but quite a lot else changed. As part of the changes made with this update, the Italian brand wisely decided not to bother with a few of the key engineering elements that most buyers decided they could do without on the original version of this model - things like diesel engines, automatic transmission and four wheel drive. Instead, the whole range gained a feel much more relevant to the kind of car that by 2018 people wanted in the rapidly evolving segment for supermini-based SUVs. The most important thing Fiat had to deal with was the original design's rather outdated petrol engine line-up. Hence the need for the completely new 1.0-litre and 1.3-litre petrol 'FireFly'-series powerplants fitted to this revised model. As you might expect, this mid-term update also brought a smartening of the looks, a few extra cabin tweaks and welcome upgrades to both safety and media connectivity. A Dolce Vita open-topped version was added to the range in 2021. In 2022, the engine range was rationalised into a single 1.5-litre 48V hybrid petrol unit. In this form, the 500X sold until 2024. It wasn't directly replaced.

What You Getword count: 383

There aren't too many small SUVs with styling that gets an almost universal vote of confidence, but we really haven't chanced upon anyone who doesn't like the 500X. This revised post-2018-era model got a closer family resemblance with the brand's little 500 citycar, thanks to uniquely-illuminated mid-level daytime running lights, plus there was a re-styled bumper and the option of full-LED headlights. In profile, you realise the cleverness of a shape that's a good deal bigger than it looks, the curvy styling disguising dimensions that make this 500X one of the larger small SUVs you can buy. Seat yourself at the wheel and some semblance of brand familiarity is maintained by a smattering of '500' model line design cues. You sit a little lower than is the Crossover norm but potential buyers will like the way that it's possible to create a very personal and even quite exclusive feel if the original buyer made a careful choice from the huge range of fabric, leather and trim panel colour configurations possible. This improved model got a restyled steering wheel and a revised instrument cluster, but the key change lay with the installation of a slightly larger 7-inch 'Uconnect' centre-dash infotainment screen, which included 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring as well as a whole range of other media functions. A wide range of features and apps can be added in if you download the available UConnect LIVE app. At the back, once inside, there's certainly considerably more space than would be available to you in, say, a rival Nissan Juke, though sombre cabin colours rather disguise the fact. As usual in this class of car, room for your knees and legs is at a bit of a premium and the seat base doesn't slide back and forth to improve it as it would, say, in a rival Renault Captur or Citroen C3 Aircross. Overall, the amount of room you get in the back is pitched somewhere between the space you'd get in a Fiesta-sized supermini and a Focus-sized family hatch. Which means it's fine by segment standards, though taller folk will find their hair brushing the ceiling. 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.

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