At launch in 2015 Fiat’s 500X was an interesting breath of fresh air – a compact SUV that avoided the aggressively-styled and pumped-up trappings of the class in favour of a cute, rounded body and plenty of retro touches.

Styled to look like the larger sibling of the popular 500, the X offered more space and a higher driving position in a package that was a little more appealing than the 500L MPV.

However, seven years on and despite numerous small facelifts the Fiat 500X is now seriously off the pace compared with more modern rivals. Compared with the best cars in the class such as the Skoda Kamiq, Ford Puma or Peugeot 2008, the 500X feels clunky, outdated and past its prime in numerous areas – whether that’s the unpleasant engine or the desperately elderly infotainment system.

The 500X is now fully ‘electrified’, with the only option under that curvaceous bonnet being a new hybrid system. You can still opt for several trim levels, and optionally available is a lovely full-length fabric sunroof that’s the next best thing to a full convertible.

The hybrid system’s nothing like as good as the one in the Toyota Yaris Cross, though, being neither powerful nor particularly efficient. And you can no longer specify the 500X with four-wheel drive, which was an interesting selling point at launch – making the closely-related Jeep Renegade or a cheaper rival like the Dacia Duster a better bet if you need to occasionally head off the beaten track.

The new hybrid system has the side effect of making the Fiat 500X very expensive to buy, too.

All of this makes the 500X a difficult car to recommend at the outset, but if you’ve got your heart set on one, keep reading through the next few pages to see what we think about the practicality, interior, running costs and what it’s like to drive.