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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.
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History
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.
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What you get
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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What to look for
You'll need to buy carefully. The rear shock absorbers, springs and brake lines are prone to corrosion. And the A/C compressor is known to wear out prematurely. We've heard of jerkiness from the DCT auto transmissions. And there have been reports of misfires from the 1.6-litre E-torQ engine. Spurious sensor and warning lights are common, often triggered by weak battery or faulty body control modules. Condensation or leaks can drip onto the body control module (located beneath the glovebox) leading to starting failures and electric shorts. You'll also need to thoroughly check the infotainment screen (known to freeze) for glitches. Plus door handles and boot releases are known to snap off.
Check for upholstery damage caused by child seats in the back, wheel scratches and typical supermarket dints and scrapes. The 500X isn't bad on consumables like brake pads and most people should be able to park it without nerfing the extremities.
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Replacement parts
[based on 500X 1.0 - 2020 - autodoc.co.uk - ex-VAT] Expect to pay around £4-£11 for an oil filter, around £8-£16 for an air filter and around £110-£200 for an alternator. Front brake pads vary in price between £16-£61 for a set. Front brake discs cost in the £30-£76 bracket. A radiator costs in the £81-£138 bracket. A starter motor is around £84-£190.
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On the road
This post 2018-era 500X model offered a far more relevant engineering package to the sector for small SUVs in this revised form, principally because it at last got some up-to-date petrol powerplants beneath the bonnet. By 2018, diesel had been dispensed with by Fiat, fitting with the segment's preference for green pump fuel. Most will choose the mainstream petrol unit, a 120hp 1.0-litre 'FireFly'-series three cylinder turbo engine which develops a spirited 120hp and is mated only to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The efficiency stats here are significantly better than those of the entry-level 110hp 1.6-litre e-TorQ version, a normally aspirated 110hp variant we'd encourage you to try and avoid.
If you want a little more power than this base 1.0-litre derivative can provide, the alternative is another little 'FireFly'-series turbo powerplant, this one a 1.3-litre unit with four cylinders and 150hp. Unfortunately though, it had to be had with automatic transmission, a 6-speed DCT dual-clutch unit which rather dulls what would otherwise be quite reasonable levels of performance. All three of these engines were replaced in 2022 by a 1.5-litre 48V mild hybrid petrol unit.
Whatever engine you choose, you'll find that not much changed with this updated model about the way this 500X goes down the road. The ride's slightly on the firm side, but that means well managed standard of body roll through the bends, which in turn ought to give you the confidence to explore the decent reserves of traction and agility on offer. Inevitably, anything other than very light off road antics are beyond this 500X model's remit, despite its adventurous styling. By 2018, 4WD was no longer offered as an option and there's just 162mm of ground clearance. But of course, none of this will bother likely buyers. For them, it'll matter only that this is a faithful interpretation of 500 model line values to a larger family-class car.
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Overall
Though this 500X drew upon the heritage and history of Fiat's 500 model line, it didn't depend on it in the way that previous spin-off models had done. Even if you had no idea what the original 500 was, you might well enjoy this car. It looks good, is easy to drive, is nicely equipped and is anything but boring. And, in this revised form, it could at last offer some decently class-competitive petrol engines that deliver reasonably efficient running costs too.
Of course, these attributes are hardly unique in the Juke and Captur-dominated small SUV sector from the 2018-2024 period. What is unusual in this segment from this era is to have combined these virtues with an authentic sense of retro style that comes with a modern twist. Like Fiat's 500 citycar (but unlike the brand's old 500L MPV), this model's greatest selling point lay in the way it looks. In short this remains a contender you can't ignore if you're looking for a small crossover from this period and are charmed by the Juke-genre. It has the X-factor. And for that, continues to deserve a prominent place on your shortlist of small SUVs.
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