Fiat 500 wins Convertible of the Year award
The Fiat 500, not a particularly popular car in South Africa, has just won two titles at the What Car? Car of the Year 2021 awards.
It was named “Convertible of the Year” and “Best Small Electric Car for the City”.
The little car was applauded for its driving style, range and quality interior finish and fit.
“The Fiat New 500 is FCA’s first full-electric model and boasts numerous top-of-the-range features. For instance, the 42kW battery guarantees extended range, up to 320 kilometres in the WLTP cycle, increasing to 450 kilometres in the urban cycle, and comes with an 85kW battery charger as standard in both the Passion and Icon versions.”
“It only takes five minutes to charge it up to drive 50 kilometres, more than necessary for average daily use. The fast charger can also charge the battery to 80% in just 35 minutes. In terms of performance, the batteries are combined with an 87kW (118hp) electric motor, delivering an automatically limited maximum speed of 150 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 9,0 seconds and from 0 to 50 km/h in 3,1 seconds.”
Modern small cars like the 500 are packed with technology. The New 500 boasts Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and it is fitted with Level 2 autonomous driving.
“In only two months since launching, we have already sold over 10 000 New 500 units in Europe, becoming number one in the Italian electric vehicle market in December,” said Fiat.
Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said, “The New 500 is the first electric car to receive the Convertible of the Year award. If any car had ever been created to be driven in the city, it’s definitely the Fiat 500. Its shorter length than its competitors, ultra-light steering and wide front visibility make the New 500 the most agile car for all manoeuvres in city centres. And its range, an improvement on its competitors, is also suitable for any out-of-town journey.”
Source: QuickPic
