Fiat 500 Hatchback (08 on) - Review

The 500 will be fine for two adults on short town trips but the lack of lumbar support really shows up on longer trips. The engine has a rather raucous note at high revs, but the 1.4-litre in particular wasn't responsive enough at low revs to avoid having to change down through the gears. There's just about enough leg room behind the front seat for average sized adults, but rear headroom isn't so good. However air conditioning is standard on Lounge and Sport models (and an option on the base Pop model) while electric windows are standard across the range.

As a small car the 500 has a small boot, but at 185 litres it is larger than the luggage space offered in similar sized cars like the Toyota Aygo and the MINI hatchback. Pop and Sport models offer a folding rear seat while Lounge models have a split folding rear seat for extra versatility. Maximum luggage capacity to roof height with the rear seats folded is 550 litres which is less than its main rivals.

The appealing looks of the 500 extend to the interior with a choice of sport or luxury finishes for the dashboard on higher-specification models (seemingly influenced by the 2003 Nissan Micra with the ivory coloured finishes on the Lounge model). The gearstick is mounted on the dashboard making it ideally placed without cluttering up the floor of the car. Visibility is good thanks to the proportionally large glass area and decent sized door mirrors.