Fiat 500 C (09 on) - Review

With the roof down, the 500C is reasonably quiet - even at motorway speeds. Wind noise is low and it's possible to hold a conversation comfortably. Up front there's plenty of room for two, while the two seats in the back are acceptable for shorter trips, though headroom is a bit tight. Air conditioning is standard on both trim levels (it's climate control on Lounge models), while electric windows are standard across the range.

The roof can be opened by using either the button in the cabin, next to the interior light, or by using the key fob. It folds down either in part (like a sunroof) or all the way back to open the full roof. The fabric roof folds quickly and usefully can be operated at up to 37mph. The boot is a different design to the hatchback - to accommodate the roof and its workings - but only fractionally smaller in total volume with 182 litres of carrying space. It's still larger than other small cars like the MINI hatchback and Toyota Aygo.

With the roof up, visibility is severely restricted. It's a particular problem at the back, where there's only a small rear window and especially when there are passengers in the rear. The driving position is reasonably good. Although the height of the seatbelt cannot be adjusted, the seat height can, which means most drivers should be able to find it easy to get comfortable. The gearstick is mounted on the dashboard making it ideally placed without cluttering up the floor of the car.