Fiat has just announced prices for its gorgeous 500, and it’s not been greedy.
As well as the 1.3-litre 75bhp diesel, and 1.4-litre 100bhp petrol, the range will now start with a 1.2-litre 69bhp petrol engine that Fiat had originally said wouldn’t be coming to the UK. A base 1.2-litre in Pop spec will start at just £7900, rising up to £10,700 for a top-level 1.4-litre.
By comparison, the Mini costs from £11,625, Ford’s top-spec 1.4-litre Fiesta is £11,595, while at the other end of the scale a basic Twingo starts at £8375, £475 more than a 500. Even the 500’s premium over a 1.2-litre Fiat Panda isn’t that much, being a mere £445 more.
The Pop spec includes five airbags, a CD/MP3 player, power steering, electric mirrors, colour-coded bumpers, and of course ABS. All 500’s are of course five-star Euro NCAP cars. Sport or Lounge spec adds £1400 to the price, and both trim levels include hands-free, air-con and 15-inch wheels. Lounge trim includes split and folding rear seats and a fixed glass roof, while Sport spec means a rear roof spoiler, fog lights, dark tinted rear windows, and what Fiat calls a ‘sports interior’.
Trading up to the 1.3 or 1.4 from the 1.2 costs £1400, and choosing Sport or Lounge trim over and above the Pop level will also cost you £1400 more. The 500 is on sale in Fiat’s 162 dealers from January 2008.