There is a new 600 in Fiat’s catalogue. No, it’s not a very small city runabout with the engine at the back and suicide doors. Still cute though.
The original Fiat 600 was launched in 1955 and became an icon in its own right. One of the most relevant elements of the Italian economic miracle of the post-war years, it is one of the most important cars ever made.
Produced over a lifespan of 14 years, almost 2.7 million left the Mirafiori factory in Turin boasting the Fiat logo. But there were many more on sale elsewhere, as far as Argentina, as Fiat licensed the design to other manufacturers.
The little Fiat was also the basis for the even smaller Nuova 500, the tiny cousin that came out in 1957 and which became an even bigger legend, seen today as one of the most important objects ever designed and a hallmark of western culture.
My father had a 600 as his first car, so it has always been a subject matter in the family history. “I wish I had never sold it,” I often heard my dad say. Me too. How cool would it be to drive around in that car today?
The 600 has finally been given its own chance to shine again … in the form of an electric SUV, of course. Still, it looks really rather good and has a strong, distinctive personality. It needs it too – this is one crowded market segment!
Unlike the 500X you may think it replaces, but it does not, the new 600 comes in fully electric and hybrid forms, but there is no diesel or pure petrol variants. However, as there are many customers who still want those cars, Fiat will keep the 500X on sale to accommodate them, while marketing the 600 as a more sustainable future.
Why not have a 600 with a diesel engine or a normal petrol variant? Because politicians don’t want it, that’s why. Everyone loses, but they don’t care. They need to be seen to be saving the world.
Anyway, I drove the 600e, the EV version. As with the petrol-electric variant, it is built on the Stellantis Group e-CMP2 chassis, battery and motor technology. The La Prima is a kind of launch edition that will be available for the first months the car is on the market and brings with it heated massage seats, extra chrome trim, a parking camera, wireless device charging, powered tailgate, 18in wheels, factory navigation and six audio speakers instead of four.
The 600e uses the same 154 hp motor and 54kWh battery as many other Stellantis products, such as the Peugeot e308 or the new electric Opel Astra. It is front-wheel drive only and lighter than most rivals at 1600kg.
On the road, for good and for bad, the 600e feels like most other small(ish) EVs. Brisk and reactive, with more than enough performance for real-world driving and not a hint of excitement. Still, it plays the EV game with class, showing good noise insulation and with a refinement a petrol car finds very hard to emulate.
As a daily companion, the 600e is quite a nice choice. Comfortable, practical, easy to use, still small enough for city driving (4.17m) but with sufficient space for the supermarket run or a weekend away with the kids and the bags. The 385 litres of boot are good if not excellent, but rivals do no better.
The cabin is an interesting place to be, dominated by a 10.3in centre screen housing the UConnect infotainment system, one I found to be fairly intuitive. There is the usual Italian flair in some interior touches. It doesn’t feel like a Rolls-Royce in terms of quality and trim but nor does it feel cheap. The balance is just right and, for the price, you definitely get what you paid for.
The 600e starts at €36,350, in line with its main rivals, but has one very important thing going for it: it looks the best of them all, closely followed by the Jeep Avenger, a very intimate cousin built on the same chassis, in the same factory in Poland. It just shows that the merger of the PSA Group with the FCA Group has created some very interesting cars.
The 600e was showing precisely 400km of range when I picked it up and I drove it 290km before handing it back with 30km to spare. It’s a very good result in my book and if you have somewhere to charge it without having to rely on public charging, I believe it’s a pretty cool car to be seen in – especially in launch spec Sun of Italy orange.
I am sure it will not become the legend its grandfather was, but the new 600 is very much a car for the times we live in. I liked it quite a lot and can’t wait to drive the hybrid version. I suspect I will like that one even more.
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