2021 Fiat 500e: All-new, all-electric and much better than before

It may look like an older gas-burning 500, but the new Fiat 500e is better in every way and not just because it’s electric.

If you are looking for history charm and premium price, you can approach the elegant and all-new Fiat 500e . It carries design touches from the classics of the fifties, but it brings to mind the price segment of the old 500 model, and takes us to the launch of the first generation of the “Nova 500” in 2007, where the Fiat 500 city car was a huge success for the Italian brand. The switch to pure electric power for the third generation model shows that the 500 can move with time and with so much range on offer, it is right there with the best in its class.

Overview

Confusingly, there are two versions of the Fiat 500 to choose from: the pure electric version Fiat is launching with the new Fiat 500e badge, along with the previous-generation gasoline-powered model that was rebranded to the 500 Hybrid and is still for sale. It is currently out of our calculations for now, and we will choose the electric version that we focus on here. But let’s enjoy together this promotional video of our test car.

Fiat 500e competitors

The electric Fiat has slipped its way among major competitors to its electric Fiat 500e, and the Smart EQ Fortwo is certainly one of the contenders, but the young Fiat 500e must also maintain its individuality against larger alternatives including Honda E, Mini Electric, Peugeot e-208 and Renault Zoe.

I won’t deny that I’ve driven a 2010 Fiat 500 every now and then over the past year or so, it’s tried the good and the bad and for me it was poorly designed, and no more than ten seconds into the all-new 2021 Fiat 500e I realized that many Those flaws have been fixed and the car ditched the ICE for a clean electric powertrain that made it smoother.

Fiat 500e design

But let’s talk about design first. Obviously, Fiat was very careful when designing the new Fiat 500e , a car that shares no connection with the old car, but Fiat has strived to maintain the car’s instantly recognizable appearance. It’s built on a new platform, but it’s bigger and more comfortable, because of course it’s aimed at a much more expensive price point than the petrol version (which has been around for over a decade now).

The front end may look very similar, but when I took a closer look, I saw that it had completely different headlights, there is no longer a Fiat badge in the front, and there are details that make the car look more distinct, for example, the headlights get very stylish LED rings Inside, they light up more softly, the indicators are LED rings just below them and the side repeaters are like little wings that protrude outward.

From the side, I’ve been driving around a few times, some might think it’s the same car as before, but this new electric car is a bit bigger, and unless you get really close, you might not be able to tell this is a new car, even if it’s a bit bigger overall. But the rear is quite conservative, and doesn’t stray too far from the styling of the previous car, but you’ll discover stunning LED headlight clusters and a large spoiler that looks like it came out of an Abarth model.

Fiat 500e cabin

I climbed into the Fiat 500e with all my memories and strong knowledge of the old car, and noticed that they didn’t look alike. The cabin of the Fiat 500e is wider and more airy, the materials and build quality are better and it doesn’t look as old as before. It got a digital instrument cluster, a modern infotainment system (Uconnect with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) and, most importantly to me, access to a steering wheel tuning.

As for the steering wheel itself, it has a flat bottom and feels quite sporty to grip, and feels like a more premium component. The seating position was just as high as in the old car, though, if you didn’t like it before, you won’t like it now, but the driving position of the competing Mini Cooper SE is more sporty, and the seat height adjustment didn’t lower the seat completely, not Just put it around the hinges in the front of it.

More ride and smooth suspension with feedback

As I said at the beginning of this article, I’ve driven a petrol 500 quite often, and the thing that surprised me the most about our new Fiat 500e was how well it maneuvered. The older model rolled on a laughably large radius, and I often had to turn two points to get it out of the same parking lot that I had no trouble getting my BMW 3 Series out of. However, in the new electric version I didn’t even have to apply a full lock, it wraps almost as tightly as the Honda e, the class leader in this respect.

I sometimes struggled with the older 500 because of the very weird suspension. Its suspension was very tough and sturdy over the bumps, but if you were driving it fast around a corner, it could veer a lot. It was literally the worst of both worlds, but the electric version of the new Fiat is much better at bumps and that’s certainly a welcome change, although it still tends to lean around the bends if you’re driving fast.

Engine Tests

My test car was the more powerful Fiat 500e class with 118 hp (there is an option with 95 hp less powerful with a smaller battery), peak torque of 220 Nm (162 lb-ft). Its zero-to-100 km/h (62 mph) takes a leisurely 9 seconds (although I didn’t feel slow on the go), and I found its top speed to be 150 km/h (93 mph).

If you opt for the more powerful engine, you also get a larger 42 kWh battery pack, which has a usable capacity of 37.3 kWh and this gives the Fiat 500e a larger 320 km (199 miles) according to the company and WLTP circuit tests, although the Its true global range really exceeds 250 kilometers (155 miles). With a smaller 24 kWh battery, while the WLTP record for the same battery stood at just 180 km (112 miles), you shouldn’t expect to get much more than the 140 km (87 miles) small battery in the real world. just in case.

Battery and charging

With a fully charged battery, the 42 kWh tester showed a maximum theoretical range of 257 km depending on the device I measured, but I didn’t have enough time with the car to do a proper range test and check the number on the road. In general, the Fiat 500e’s battery can be charged very quickly, being able to charge up to 85 kW, making the charging state almost flat to about 80 percent in 25 minutes. But if you rely on the 11kW on-board charger