Drive with us: Test driving the Fiat 500X

On the lookout for a small SUV?

Fiat have taken the quirky design of a hugely popular Fiat 500 and placed it on the platform of an SUV to create the Fiat 500X. It offers competition to the Renault Captur and SEAT Arona, whilst providing that famous Fiat retro design. 

It’s a popular choice for those not wanting to commit to a large SUV lease, but still want a bit more practicality than what can be offered by our favourite tea-cup sized city cars. Are you interested in a Fiat 500X lease and want to find out a bit more about it? Let's take a look. 

Model Lines

At the time of writing this review, Fiat were in the midst of a model revamp, but as of Feb 2021, these are the current variants on offer and some of the key features identified by the manufacturer. 

Fiat 500X Urban

Within the Urban there are 2 model lines; Pop and Connect. 

- Pop

• Dedicated blue fabric seats with Fiat monogram
• Cruise Control w/Speed limiter
• Lane assist and traffic sign recognition

- Connect

• Dedicated interiors with "flashy" seats and silver matt dashboard
• 7’’ touchscreen DAB radio, Apple CarPlay™ compatibility and Android Auto™ integration
• Front armrest

Fiat 500X Sport

• Alcantara steering wheel
• Titanium dashboard
• Aluminium pedals
• Full LED headlamps and LED fog lights

Fiat 500X Cross 

• Automatic dual-zone climate control
• Parkview rear parking camera
• LED headlights
• 7" DAB radio with 3D nav. and Apple CarPlay / AndroidAuto
• Camouflage seats and cold grey dashboard
• 19" high efficiency T&N wheels

Exterior

Now, we’re going to use the word ‘bulbus’ here, but we mean so in the most complimentary way possible. This car is essentially a wider, taller version of its smaller namesake, and features those same headlights and rounded bonnet, and retains that nostalgic retro feel the 500 is famed for. But remember, it’s the Jeep Renegade that this one strikes the most similarities with in terms of size. If fact, the 500X shares the exact same as platform as the Jeep Renegade we reviewed a few weeks ago. 

Interior

Inside the Fiat 500X, you have a stylish interior with a well-sized touchscreen at the heart of what is also a well-presented cabin. This particular car had black fabric seats with leather inserts and red contrast stitching. This ties in incredibly well with the red stitching on the sporty steering wheel. The steering wheel allows for good adjustment and the seats are remarkably comfortable as well as good looking. 

Many touch points around the car are soft touch, and overall, the cabin is incredibly inviting. This Sport model featured a Sports Plus pack as standard which contains:

• Overhead Ambient Interior Lighting
• Aluminium finishes,
• Alcantara Steering wheel inserts & cluster cover
• Puddle lights

Technology

This 500X features a responsive touchscreen, with Sat Nav powered by Tom Tom. In all honesty, the Sat Nav looks a little dated and though this car features a reversing camera, it leaves a lot to be desired. We’d much rather stick to just some reversing sensors and a bit of awareness makes the car more than easy enough to park and manoeuvre.

The drivers display is small and a little pixelated but does the job well enough. There are also two USB ports for connectivity, and Beats speakers – though these can sometimes be a little bit tinny. The 500X also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility as standard. All in all the technology, though not overwhelming, is plenty enough for the everyday driving needs.

Space and Practicality 

The rear seats fold down in a 60:40 configuration to extend the boot capacity. Speak of which, is 350 litres in total and just short of that in the Renault Captur or SEAT Arona, however all but the same of that in the Jeep Renegade.

Whilst yes, this is indeed the Fiat ‘X’ – don’t let that fool you, it may not have as much room as you’d expect – it is literally a slightly widened and stretched Fiat 500. But it does offer those vital few extra inches in the back to make it a much for comfortable and practical experience for passengers.

Engine Options and Drive

The 500X is currently available as either a 1.0 or 1.3 litre petrol engine providing 120 and 150 horsepower, respectively. Each of the 1.3 models come with dual-clutch transmission and automatic gearbox as standard but manual gearboxes are available on the 1.0 litre variants. 

This 1.3 litre Firefly engine is certainly nippy enough, if not a little loud in acceleration, and the automatic gearbox exceeded expectations in terms of overall responsiveness. It was also incredibly easy to shift between Park and Drive etc., which is always nice when forced to reverse up a lane in a hurry as we always seem to have to do during our test drives!

Watch our Fiat 500X video review 

Take a look around the 500X with us as we go for a drive. 

If you're interested in a Fiat 500X lease on either personal or business contract hire, we can help. Just get in touch with one of the team our search our latest Fiat lease deals.