Fiat Barchetta (95-05) - Review

Obviously has no back seats, providing the front passenger and driver with generous amounts of legroom. Longer motorway trips with the roof up may be uncomfortable - there's a substantial amount of wind noise. Air conditioning is a £1000 option, but well worth having fitted for damp days. Seats are good quality and offer a decent amount of support.

The clean lines of the interior are uncluttered by cupholders. That'll appeal to some, but appall others. Little interior storage, aside from two small door pockets and a central lockable storage box behind the handbrake. It doesn't even have a glovebox, but the boot provides a fair amount of space for a weekend away. Roof mechanism folds into a separate area with its own body-coloured tonneau cover. That means the size of the boot remains the same, whether it is up or down.

Once you've adjusted to the left-hand-drive set-up, the biggest problem is visibility. Fine with the roof down, but with it up, there're blind spots down the right-hand-side and it can be tricky overtaking and pulling out of junctions. All controls are well within the driver's reach and the interior looks good, with quality plastics and body-coloured metal inside. A fun car to drive on a summer's day with the roof down, but not so good for commuting into Slough on a wet January morning.