Of the engines the 1.2-litre petrol offers the best tax bet. The car doesn’t go on sale until January and so will quickly fall into the new 10% tax bracket due in April 2008 with its 119g/km CO2 rating. The 69PS unit is very sluggish, though – the 75PS 1.3 diesel is the more responsive and a much more solid driving experience (as should be the 100PS 1.4 too).
The big unknown six months from UK launch are costs. In Italy the car has just gone on sale ranging from 10,500-14,500 Euros (£7000-£10,000), but expect UK prices to start at £9500 and half-decent spec cars – Lounge and Sport – to cost £10,000 upwards. Yes, the car gets seven airbags as standard, Euro5-compliant engines and an expected 5-star NCAP crash safety rating, but other specification is likely to be low, with Fiat playing the Mini card of endless optional customisation from a superb range of exterior body stickers to changeable keyfob covers that match the car’s exterior.
With a car as well-designed as the 500, promised quality levels higher than Fiat has ever offered, plus a five-year, 500,000km (310,000 miles) warranty expected to come to the UK too, very few drivers will care about the compromises – they’ll just want one.
