Latest news with #LaPrima
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Fiat 500e review – electric city car with surprising long-distance comfort
The 500e is bigger than its petrol predecessor - not by much, but it does make a difference | Fiat This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Gareth Butterfield takes the Fiat 500e on a road trip and finds that a city car can be fun and comfortable even on longer journeys. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Quite a long time ago, I took a Fiat 500 on a road trip from Derbyshire to Kent. And it nearly crippled me. I couldn't get on with the driving position, the small engine wasn't great on the motorway, and pounding the clutch in stop-start traffic on the M25 properly finished me off. You might think it odd, then, but I've always had a soft spot for Fiat's little retro recreation. And can you believe it's been around for about 17 years? It won't be long before it's outlived its 1950s predecessor. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Small cars is what Fiat does best, it always has been, and the Fiat 500 just gets the recipe right. I can honestly see why it's been such a big success, despite the fact I'm obviously the wrong shape for it. At least, I always was, until now. Because I've just come back from a road trip in the Fiat 500e - the latest offspring from the 500 family - and I feel perfectly fine. I feel so comfortable I could go off and do it again. It stays very true to its roots, with cute, retro styling | Fiat There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, this new car is a little bit bigger. Only a few centimetres here and there, but it makes quite a difference. It's also fully electric. And that makes a huge difference. It has more power, it has a roomier interior, and it has no clutch. It's still very much a city car, but it's a city car that can dust off long journeys with ease. Especially, I must admit, if you have the top La Prima version with its adaptive cruise control, plush heated leather seats, and plenty of other driver aids. We'll gloss over the fact this is a city car costing north of £30,000 for a bit, but if you're posh enough, it's just lovely. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In case you're not after a car for long motorway jaunts, and most 500e buyers aren't, there's a version with a smaller battery, which brings down the price and the power output and, consequentially, the range. It also shaves about £3,000 off the price, but the bigger 42kWh battery is obviously the better bet, least of all because you get a WLTP range of 199 miles, 117bhp and a 0-60mph time of just nine seconds. The interior is less compact than you might think, and the La Prima version gets comfy seats and an armrest | Fiat And yes, you guessed it, that makes it feel pretty brisk. It won't win any drag races, sure, but it justifies the use of that awful word "nippy", and it won't embarrass or endanger itself in a cheeky overtake, either. The range on my road trip, on a fairly warm day with a generous helping of the hilly Pennines thrown in, was impressive. The 42kWh version I was testing polished off a 160 mile jaunt with enough battery left over to get me to the corner shop and back a few times. Admittedly this was mostly achieved in the brutal "Sherpa" driving mode, which limits speed to 50mph and pretty much shuts down your climate control - but I was impressed nonetheless. Let's make no bones about it though, this is not a mile-muncher. Charging input, even in the bigger-batteried model is only up to 85kW DC, and any sort of spirited driving will see you testing that out fairly often. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A better driving position makes all the difference | Fiat And that's a shame, because spirited driving is rather fun in the 500e. Light steering and a choppy ride might scrub off some of the excitement, but through the twisty stretches of Yorkshire A-road it was great fun. There's loads of grip, the instant punch from the electric motor hurls you out of corners and, although it's obviously quite a heavy car for its size, it still puts a smile on your face. And then, when you settle back down to a gentleman's pace, you get time to admire the ergonomics of the interior. It's still a small car, but it's very comfortable with plenty of elbow room, and the layout is sensible and functional - with just enough retro charm to make it interesting, too. I'm not a fan of the gears being selected by buttons, and there isn't much space to rest your left foot, but it's a world apart from the earlier 500s. Luggage and passenger space takes a hit, however, with a modest boot and little in the way of luxury for rear-seat passengers. It's a shame there wasn't any room for a "frunk", too. Even if it was just to stow away charging cables. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Boot space isn't brilliant, and there's no room under the bonnet, either | Fiat But it's important not to lose sight of the fact that this is very much a city car. And it fits that bill beautifully. Even the cheaper versions with the smaller battery will make for a fine urban chariot, and who does more than 118 miles in one stint around town anyway? It's also worth remembering that the 500e qualifies for its E-grant, which has been reintroduced in August 2025 and knocks a further £1,500 off the price. It takes the sting off the price of a posh La Prima version, but it also makes the base models extremely affordable, in electric car terms. Given how big cars are getting now, small cars like the 500e are presenting a fresh appeal. And, as I've found out, small cars are no longer suited solely to short stints. You really can take a 500e on a long journey without having a physiotherapist on speed dial. Get genuine Manuka honey – the same brand trusted by Dr Hilary Jones £ 7.84 Buy now Buy now Not all Manuka honey is the real deal – but Manuka Doctor's is. Harvested and packed in New Zealand, every jar is independently tested, certified for MGO content, and traceable back to the hive. That's why it's the only brand endorsed by TV health expert Dr Hilary Jones. 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Auto Express
01-08-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Fiat 600 Hybrid Icon joins range, offering more kit for your money
Fiat has added a new Icon trim level to the 600 Hybrid range in the UK, splitting the base car and top-spec La Prima models on price and standard equipment. The new variant will be available with 99bhp or 135bhp hybrid powertrain options, costing from £26,860 for the former and £27,860 for the latter. Both are £1,500 more than the base car, and on sale now. Standard equipment for the Icon includes 17-inch bi-tone alloy wheels, a two-tone white and black interior, front and rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, embedded navigation and keyless entry and start. There's also a wireless charging pad for mobile devices. Advertisement - Article continues below This builds on a decent level of standard equipment on the base 600 Hybrid, which comes with air-conditioning, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, seven-inch digital driver's display, LED headlights and gearshift paddles for the automatic transmission. If you're in the market for the 600 Hybrid, or any of Fiat's electrified models, check out the Auto Express marketplace for some great deals. The two specifications of hybrid powertrain are based on the same technical package, which combines a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with a small electric motor and 48V mild-hybrid system. Both options come with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and can deliver 57.8mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and 109g/km. Performance varies between the two, though, with the 99bhp variant claimed to take 10.9 seconds to reach 62mph, while the 135bhp option brings that figure down to 8.5 seconds. There's no word yet whether Fiat will also offer an Icon trim level for the all-electric 600e. For now it will soldier on with base RED and top-spec La Prima variants. Buy a car with Auto Express. Our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from...
Top Gear
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Little mix: what's the best compact EV on sale right now?
Big Reads Stylish, small, retrofuturistic... these are the EVs that everyone's talking about. Where should you spend your hard earned cash? Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Before you cry foul... yes, we know this page is a playing field that's badly unlevel. The price of this top of the range electric Mini is half as much again as this electric Panda. It's not a normal comparison test. We're here to show how much choice there is amongst desirable little cars. I don't just mean in the way they look, either, but also how you interact with them and drive them. These aren't just cars, they're characters, somehow animate. In an age where the global auto biz has decided – because it thinks you have decided – that what you need is a blobby crossover with a generic twin screen interface and blasé dynamics, that's a relief. If you really want to save money, the Grande Panda is for you. There's a cheaper trim than this one, called Red, at £20,995. It has the same power and the same 199 miles of WLTP measured range as this top spec La Prima version. The Red is the one to buy because the Grande Panda, like all Pandas through history, feels cheap because it is. It doesn't insult you with the notion that cheap is boring. The Red saves money by rolling on (perfectly attractive) white steel wheels and goes without the roof rails and heated seats, its climate control is manual and its centre screen has no built in satnav but you'll be mirroring your phone anyway. Advertisement - Page continues below Good design costs nothing. The sheet metal is neat and chunky. Pixel motifs for the lights are copied in the cabin vents. A homogeneous set of rectangles with semicircular ends covers off the dash, binnacle, lower console and door handle plinths. The cabin trim isn't made of expensive multilayered soft plastics, but the textures, like the shapes, make it obvious the designers thought about it, and they nudge you with endless Fiat logos carved into the plastic and fabric and very panels of the bodywork. Behind the Fiat lettering on the front hides the Panda's brilliant unique feature, a fixed spiral wound charge cable. You pull it out, plug in, then watch it twang back in afterward, saving you from the grimy inconvenience of coiling it into the boot. Photography: Jonny Fleetwood You might like The Renault feels more expensive, but it's still value. Base price is £22,995, but stepping up another £4k to the tested 5 Techno's price of £26,995, you get useful extra kit and meaningfully more electric range – 254 miles per WLTP. The 5's design leans on Renault's historical 5s, but not in particular on a single version or generation. It's a modern shape, but with a bunch of samples in the mix. Inside, the R5 uses cloth and stitching to set an effectively chic, upmarket vibe. Its centre screen is easy to use and has intuitive Google-based navigation that arranges charge stops. But the graphics on its driver's screen are a fussily distracting series of oblique stripes. Still, the info's all there once you look past that. Advertisement - Page continues below The latest generation of Minis does well to move on from the slightly slavish retro of previous generations. The cabin is properly modern and interesting in its use of cloth that's given depth by graded colour weaves. The round screen is a silly idea, or at least an interesting idea that they didn't quite find a way of making best use of. This test version has a headup display, and while in most cars that's a bit superfluous, here it's all but vital. The Mini also has the fewest switches, and leaves you fumbling in screen menus too often. That said, it's better than it first seems because some of the switches, for the lights for instance, also pull up screen shortcuts. There's a quick menu key that takes you close to, if not quite actually at, the point where you can turn off lane assist and speed buzzers. The Renault and Fiat do this more simply with their actual buttons. Renaults have more hardware switches than almost any car on sale these days, plus a copse of column stalks, and we like them for it. The Fiat has fewer, but then it has far fewer software systems for you to control. It's a wonderfully Zen car: no drive modes, no configurable displays, no paralysis of choice. Skip 10 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. The Mini and R5 sit you low down so you feel sporty and connected. The Panda has no interest in being sporty, so you're higher, with a better view. In the back, the Mini has just two seatbelts but grownups can fit as well as they can in the Fiat, which is probably too narrow for three. The Renault is wider but squeezes your shins and feet. If you need a lot of bootspace, forget the Mini altogether. On the move, the Fiat does nothing to dent the air of good cheer. Its gait is soft and its pace slow. You're untroubled by power understeer because there's so little power. See also torque steer. So you just throw it down the road, and mostly it maintains decorum. Steering and brakes are light but progressive, so it's easy to build up the loads smoothly. The long travel suspension lets the body move around a bit, but not in a way that deflects your course. It takes quite big hits and severe cambers without much complaint. There's little audible commotion either, so the general impression is that it's a solidly made article. If you want to know why it's often more fun to drive a slow car as fast as it'll go than a fast car slowly, take a Panda down a bumpy rural road. Look at the gaps between wheels and arches in the Fiat, and the same in the Mini. Right there is how their approaches to suspension dynamics differ. The Mini is wide, squat, unyielding. Which makes it quick witted and grippy on the smooth roads that our country conspicuously lacks. On a less pristine surface it pogoes with the undulations, and, worse, gets knocked off course if one front wheel hits a bump or dip. The steering doesn't help. Either side of the straight-ahead, the steering isn't quick, so it stays stable on motorways. But add lock and it suddenly dives overeagerly into the arc. If that coincides with a bump that knocks you into the apex, or you get too eager with the accelerator and bring on the torque steer, then suddenly it's all a bit of a handful. This is the Mini Cooper E with the JCW pack. Cooper SE offers more power, John Cooper Works spec more again. They're 184, 218 and 258bhp. Things just seem a bit overwrought with the JCW. But then, the three cylinder petrol Coopers were usually more fun than the top power fours. Skip 9 photos in the image carousel and continue reading The Renault sits neatly in the middle of the Fiat and Mini for performance and suspension firmness, but down a road it has a harmony and neatness of motion neither of them can match. It's tautly sprung like the Mini, but has better travel over big bumps, and is far less knocked off course when it hits a bump while busy doing something else – turning or braking or accelerating. The damping is fluid and mature. So you feel confident in working it hard, and finding its precise and slightly playful reactions to on/off accelerator inputs as a way of trimming the cornering line. It's a sophisticated car. Unsurprisingly the battery capacity and performance of these three as tested rises with price. The Panda has 43.8kWh for 199 miles, taking 11.0secs to 62mph. The Renault's 52kWh are good for 254 miles and 7.9secs – it feels as much quicker as the numbers suggest, with a hit of motorway power too. Mini E is swifter than you think for a base car – 62mph takes 7.3secs. Want more pace? You have choice. All have 49.2kWh for – depending on tyre size – up to 250 miles of range. The Mini and R5 can comfortably operate at motorway overtaking speed, making little noise. But that'll impact range. The Panda, as its power tapers away after 60mph-odd, will probably see you cruising more slowly than the other two, and getting closer to its WLTP range. The 5 is the best car here, justifying its price over the Fiat. The fact it's better than the dearer Mini is also a big win The reason we urge you to go for the cheapest Panda is that it's the clear bargain. The spec tested here is the same money and range as the cheapest small battery R5. But the R5 is a better car. Meanwhile the cheapest electric Mini is £29,420 – about the same as the R5 in this tested spec (Techno, bigger battery, more power) – but has Panda-like range. When people complain electric cars are expensive I always say, 'Yes, but that's because all cars are expensive". Match the spec and power of a petrol Corsa to the R5 here and the sticker price is the same too. The Panda is different. Choose the Red spec and it's significantly cheaper than the others, but it'll still make you happy. The 5 is the best car here, justifying its price over the Fiat. The fact it's better than the dearer Mini is also a big win. So it's the best of these three.
Irish Independent
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
First Drive: Iconic Fiat Panda is back – and it's bigger, bolder and better
Now part of the Stellantis group, the Italian car giant is confident the rebirth of this car will get it back in the game across Europe, and we think they have cracked it. As the name suggests, this third generation model is vastly bigger than its two predecessors, and comes as a B-segment SUV rather than a quirky city run-around. Size-wise, the new offering is just a millimetre under four metres, is 1.75 metres wide, 1.57 metres high and has a wheelbase of 2.54 metres – well matched to square up to rivals like the Dacia Sandero, Toyota Yaris Cross and Skoda Kamiq. Thankfully, the tale of the tape is where the comparisons end as the Panda is a masterclass in retro design and pays homage to the original. Confession time – I have very fond memories of the 1980s original as my mum had a horrid beige-coloured one, and even the crippling deckchair-styled seats, spartan dash and woeful gearbox couldn't taint those halcyon days. The new model simply oozes style and sophistication, and you can't help but be smitten by the ultra-cool grille incorporating pixel LED lights that are a nod to Fiat's Lingotto plant in Turin, which has a race track on the roof. The 3D lettering across the bottom of the doors and tailgate looks cool too, as do the subtle laser-etched panels in the C-pillar windows that spell Fiat one way and highlight the old four-stripe logo the other way. Inside, it's a similar affair with a digital cockpit that is encased in an illuminated oval backdrop that mimics the 1.5km La Pista 500 circuit and even features a miniature MK1 Panda in the corner. Behind it sits a 10-inch instrument cluster plus a 10.25-inch infotainment screen incorporating wireless smartphone mirroring. Irish customers can choose from three trims – Pop, Icon and La Prima – and all are generously equipped The cabin itself is unexpectedly roomy and the Blu Tasmania colour scheme is energised by bright yellow accents peppered around the dash, infotainment area and seat stitching. The boot is decent too, with 412 litres of luggage, but the rear seats can get quite snug with a couple of six-footers up front. Irish customers can choose from three trims – Pop, Icon and La Prima – and all are generously equipped. The entry-level model comes with manual AC, a 10-inch digital cluster, automatic eDCT transmission and a smartphone station featuring NFC-based Autolaunch. This allows users to interact with their digital devices thanks to a dedicated home button that simplifies access to their favourite screen or app. Icon trim adds a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, full LED headlamps and rear lamps and three customisable upgrade packs – Tech, Style and Winter. The Tech pack includes automatic climate control, navigation, front parking sensors, a rear-view camera and wireless charging. Style gets you 16-inch alloy wheels, roof bars, privacy glasses and skid plates, while the Winter pack (available only with the Tech pack) includes heated seats, steering wheel and windscreen. Top of the range La Prima combines all packages, along with 17-inch rims, premium interior finishes and exclusive use of Bambox Bamboo Fiber Tex for the dashboard. All models come equipped with Fiat's ADAS safety suite, including cruise control, speed limiter, active safety brake, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning and open-door alerts. If like me you have a soft spot for the old model, you're certain to fall head over heels as soon as you lay eyes on it We tested the hybrid around the outskirts of Turin last week and left more than impressed. First, it drives nothing like the first generation – proving peppy, agile and remarkably composed. The T-Gen-3 hybrid set-up twinned with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine delivering 110bhp is a perfect fit for the Panda, and the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission never missed a beat. Around town it was nippy and responsive and wafted along in EV mode (under 30km) in stop/start traffic. On more challenging roads and surfaces the suspension, although a tad firm, dealt with potholed B roads with gusto. It won't set your hair on fire, though – 0-100kph takes around 11 seconds – but once you get the Panda into treble figures it will cruise effortlessly, devouring mile after mile with ease. That said, the new Panda is all about fast fashion and standing out from the crowd allure, which it has in spades. If like me you have a soft spot for the old model, you're certain to fall head over heels as soon as you lay eyes on it. A rugged 4x4 may also be in the pipeline. The new Panda will arrive here next month, with prices announced closer to launch.
TimesLIVE
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Everything you need to know about the new Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid
Fiat's new Grande Punto has been launched as a hybrid. The funky new model that made its international Debut in June 2024 is available in multiple powertrains, including full electric derivatives launched earlier in the year. The company also revealed a new Grande Panda 4x4 concept model during the hybrid media drive, with exclusive details of dark red livery and an all-terrain drivetrain. The newly debuted hybrid drivetrain is a front-wheel drive with a new 83kW turbocharged three-cylinder 1.2 l engine paired with a 21kW electric motor and a 48V lithium-ion battery. An eDCT six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, regenerative braking and driving modes of e-launch, e-creeping and e-parking are available. The company doesn't share fuel consumption averages at this stage. Designed in Italy at the Centro Stile in Turin, the modern interpretation of the iconic Panda is a cool urban car that measures 3.99m in length. The car sits on the Stellantis 'Smart Car' platform, a flexible, multi-energy architecture designed to offer a wide range of cost-effective electric vehicles to compete with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers. It has enough room to carry five passengers and a 412 l boot. Smart storage solutions totalling 16 l to store loose items is integrated in the cabin. The exterior cues of a wedge-like profile are enhanced by retro PXL LED headlamps, cube-like taillights and blacked-out pillars. Details such as 3D-branded 'Panda' lettering on the doors and 'Fiat' on the rear, a lenticular C-pillar graphic, and glossy black bezel are further stylistic touches. Bright exterior colours finish the fun driving vibe, while a choice of trims — Pop, Icon and La Prima — offer customer personalisation. The Blu Tasmania colour scheme with bright yellow accents on the dashboard, infotainment area and as seat stitching energises the cabin. Amenities include air-conditioning, digital clusters, electric parking brake, smartphone station, navigation, front parking sensors, rearview camera and wireless charging, depending on the model. Three customisable upgrade packs including Tech, Style and Winter are also available. They introduce further items such as automatic climate control, 16-inch alloy wheels, roof bars, privacy glass, skid plates, heated seats, steering wheel and windshield. The range-topping La Prima trim combines all packages, along with 17-inch alloy wheels, premium interior finishes, including BAMBOX Bamboo Fiber Tex that contains 33% of the natural fibres for the dashboard. Recycled beverage cartons are repurposed as blue plastic with a shimmering aluminium finish as touch point finishers. Safety is taken care of by a comprehensive ADAS suite including cruise control, speed limiter, active safety brake, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning and open-door alerts. The La Prima trim boasts front sensors and a rearview camera. Connectivity is supported with wireless smartphone mirroring, multiple USB-C ports and a wireless charging pad. The initial Fiat Panda model debuted in 1980, and SA welcomed the second-generation car in 2003. Stellantis SA confirms it has no plans to introduce the new Grande Panda models to this market, but the hybrid pricing starts at €19,000 (R386,000) for European customers.
