Fiat 500e “La Prima” Cabriolet Tested By An Italian

This is the perfect opportunity for our CJ Junior Tommy Faes to show his Italian side to you, and explain why the Fiat 500e is very good at being Italian.

“E”

Yes, so now the time has come that even Italian car makers are making their way into the electric market. When I first picked up the car, I have to say that I didn’t know what to expect. Would it be fun to drive? Or rather dull…. Those were all big question marks, until I drove off the parking lot and witnessed the most unique sound any EV ever made. Fiat likes to describe it as an Italian orchestra greeting you. But as I found out, it’s actually the intro song of the Italian series “Amarcord (1973) - Federico Fellini”. So yes, the electric driving was already off to a great start.

During the week of testing I had nothing else than smiles on my face when I put most cars to shame at the lights, purely because of the instant torque it has. Do note that it’s not quite that powerful, so after about 50 kph, the torque will fade away. It’s a FWD car, so cornering isn’t that great, nor is dynamic driving. This really is a car to enjoy in an easy way, just cruise along. The powertrain I had (60kW), will last a fair 260km with a fully charged battery. I only got to use a max of 60% of it in one day. Highway driving will eat away noticeably more battery life, but it’s still reasonable. Also worth mentioning is the stability this car has at high speeds (120kph+). This makes you feel way more safe and confident. Also wind noise has significantly reduced when comparing to the previous gen 500.

The driving itself is very straight forward. You have 4 buttons positioned in great reach of the driver, to select your gear. I found the switching between Drive and Reverse to be very easy whilst manoeuvring, because of the electric drivetrain.

La Prima, classy and chique

At first glance, this car might appear similar to the 500e my colleague Ward tested, which you can read up on here.

But in fact, it’s a night and day difference. The “La Prima” package makes up for a price difference of around €6.000 compared to the “Action” version. Many people remark the fact that this interior looks so much more refined and sophisticated compared to its previous generations. And I have to say, they’re more than right. I had times where I was driving it, and wasn’t even conscious of the fact I was inside of a Fiat 500, but more in like a German car of some kind.

From the beautifully embroidered seats, to the funky looking soft top, guess what, it all says “Fiat” on there. Pretty rad if you ask me! The finishing touch I enjoyed the most, was the leather wrapped steering wheel. The two-tone made up for an elegant cockpit view.

Cabriolet

As you already noticed, this is the cabriolet version. So that means it’s equipped with a soft-top, which has two levels of opening. The first level is perfect for highway, or colder weather use. The second level (which also puts down the rear window) is perfect for city and low speed use. Mainly because the top in its up position blocks a lot of your visibility in the rear view mirror, and it lets in a lot more air when down.

The opening and closing mechanism works seamlessly and is a joy to use. And of course, it enhanced the driving experience in this car noticeably.

Very Italian

This is my favourite part, obviously. The CJ guys were already joking around when they heard about me testing an Italian car. Since they all know me as a partly Italian/Spanish lad.

Anyhow, onto the car now. As I mentioned earlier, it’s from the moment you take off in your 500e, that you’re greeted with an Italian orchestra sound, to the moment you shut it down, and it makes a sad ‘Italian’ sound, haha. And that’s exactly what I love so much about it, the fact that it has some character to it. Which cannot be said about most other EV’s. Somehow I also just felt like I was in Italy, when driving with the top down, and listening to some Eros Ramazzotti.

Also, if you take a closer look at the second picture down below, you can see the indicators are sticking out a bit. This is a nice hint to its ancestors from the early 1900s, when the indicators used to pop out.

To me personally, it all came down to the little details Fiat put in this car. For example, the little rubber insert which shows you an old 500 and it says ‘Made in Torino’. It’s clear they want you to feel special, and I love that.

What’s also worth noticing, is that there is still a community around these 500s. So I experienced, when someone parked next to me with an older 500, and was admiring the car inside and out. It’s a car that sells itself really…

Technology

Also here they majorly improved compared to the previous generations of 500. The tone of the display is just right, so that when the sun shines on it, it’s still perfectly visible. The touch screen is a joy to use and interact with, so are the controls on the steering wheel. They’re firm buttons with a clear function.

I found myself using the Apple Carplay a lot, just because the display is so great to use. On that note, the display can get full of finger prints even after one day of use, and that just ruins the whole cabin look to be honest. So you should bring wipes at all times people!

Conclusion

This particular 500e was very well equipped, which made it even easier to fall in love with. From the beautiful interior, to the stunning exterior, I couldn’t recommend this car more to anyone who’s in the market for a (unique) luxurious compact car with some history to it. Fiat did a very good job on this one!