Fiat is expanding the 500 EV lineup, and for the first time since the sixties, you'll be able to buy a 500 with more than three doors (assuming you count the rear hatch as a door, of course).
An extra door for the 500
Launched at the famous Lingotto site in Turin, formerly Fiat's major factory (the one with an oval test track on the roof) the Fiat 500 'La Prima' 3+1 is an electric 500 with a difference - namely an extra, rear-hinged, side door that opens up to allow extra access to the back seats. Sadly, for us, it's a left-hand drive model only for the moment, but we hold out hope that Fiat will eventually offer the 3+1 in right-hand drive.
The whole point of the 3+1 is an effort to keep buyers within the 500 and Fiat brands when they outgrow a conventional 500. As Fiat puts it: "The young person who darted onto the city streets aboard their 500 after a day's work, is now a 'working mom or dad', struggling to get their one or more children to school in the morning before heading to work, then to their dance class or foreign language lessons in the afternoon, all the while keeping their own personal commitments going. That customer has therefore become a family that needs the interiors to be more accessible, but still 'cool'."
As Fiat's designer also point out, the extra door is a nod to the heritage of the original 1957 500, as that had doors hinged at the rear. There's no centre pillar for the 500 3+1, and Fiat reckons that it makes chores such as getting kids in and out of the back, and especially loading up child car seats, that much easier. The only penalty, according to Fiat, is an extra 30kg of weight.
As with the electric 500 cabrio and hatchback, the 3+1 is being launched, initially, only in top-spec 'La Prima' form, which includes full LED headlights with an 'Infinity design", two-tone 17-inch diamond-cut wheel rims and chrome-plated inserts on the windows and side panels, the seats, dashboard and steering wheel are wrapped in eco-leather, with a Fiat monogram on the seats, two-tone steering wheel and exclusive "la Prima" tag on the console. There's also an electrochrome internal rearview mirror and a 360-degree 'drone view' parking camera.
Choice of battery sizes
Fiat is finally expanding the electric 500 hatchback range beyond the La Prima, though, with the introduction of the Action, Passion, and Icon models. The Action comes with a 70kW (95hp) electric motor, and a top-speed limited to 135km/h. 0-100km/h comes up in 9.5 seconds. Fiat says that the Action is: "Aimed at young customers with a hectic lifestyle and a daily routine made up of short journeys, who require an environmentally responsible car. They therefore need range for driving in the city and optimum safety, achieved with all the electronic driver aids on board."
The Action gets a relatively small 23.9kWh battery, giving it an overall range of just 180km, on the WLTP cycle, but it should go for around 240km in city traffic. It gets a rapid 50kW charging system though, so that you can add 50km range in as little as ten minutes. The Action also comes with a long list of safety aids, including 'Drowsy Driver Detection', to monitor driver concentration levels; autonomous emergency braking', which can also recognise cyclists and pedestrians; 'Lane Keep Assist', a system that alerts the driver to get back in lane when it detects any drifting in trajectory; and traffic sign recognition.
On the outside, there are mere halogen headlights and 15-inch steel wheels, but inside you get keyless ignition and a seven-inch instrument screen, plus the new 'Seaqual' recycled seat fabric. There's no central touchscreen, but instead there's a cradle for your smartphone and a Bluetooth connection (which seems to make a lot of sense to us).
The 500 Passion gets a bigger battery and more power - 118hp, and a WLTP range of 320km (or 460km if you're in town all the time). It gets an 85kW charging system so that you can add an extra 50km of range in just five minutes. It gets the same 15-inch steelies and seven-inch instrument panel as the Action, but adds a seven-inch touchscreen, cruise control and wireless phone charging, plus a DAB radio and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connections. The Passion also gets the three-mode driving selector, which allows you to switch between Normal, Range and Sherpa modes, depending on how range-anxious you're feeling. Range mode activates a city-friendly 'one-pedal' driving setup, while Sherpa cuts back on all non-essential electrical items, and restricts performance, to squeeze as much range out of the battery as possible. The Passion has a top speed of 150km/h, and does 0-100km/h in 9.0 seconds.
A new type of key
Finally, there's the 500 Icon, which gets the same 320km WLTP range as the Passion, and the same 85kW rapid charging system. It also comes with a 10.25-inch central touchscreen, which includes a digital 'Hey, Fiat' voice control system, 16-inch alloys, and a new kind of key - black button-free pebble, a smart wearable key, made from recycled biowaste, which you carry in your pocket or bag, which communicates with the car and automatically unlocks the doors when you come close to the car, then locks them again with a simple tap on the door handle when you leave. Inside, there's richer trim, and copper accents, with a 'vegan' leather option.
We don't have any Irish prices or arrival dates for these new electric 500s yet, but we'll update you when we do.