Fiat 500 twin air: in need of some colour therapy?

Fiat have boosted the iconic 500’s personality even further with new ‘Colour Therapy’ models designed to bring back the spirit of the ‘70s. Ian Bond hops behind the wheel to see how it performs

Fiat make a point of telling us that the Colour Therapy models are designed to bring back the ‘spirit of the 1970s’ with vibrant colours and retro white detailing. This gives the car’s already distinctive and iconic personality a further boost.

The model I test drove was a very vibrant ‘Countrypolitan Yellow’. Details like contrasting white hub caps, aerial and wing mirrors – plus its coordinated interior colours – made it very eye catching indeed. Other colour options in the range include the quirky sounding ‘Pasodoble Red’, ‘Volare Blue’, and ‘Tech House Grey’. The Fiat 500 also gives you the options to customise your car with its rims, roof, mirrors, stickers and even the key cover.

But it’s not all about good looks: the Fiat 500 TwinAir has low CO2 emissions of just 90g/km, along with an impressive 70mpg fuel economy (combined cycle). And for a small car with a 0.9 litre engine, its performance is surprisingly strong, achieving 0-62mph acceleration in 11 seconds, and achieving a maximum speed of 108mph.

SETTING OFF
On turning on the engine, you immediately hear its distinct ‘turbo’ sound, which for a 0.9-litre 
engine gives you a feel of a much bigger car. Driving the Fiat 500 was easy and fun. Being light weight and small, I found the car pretty nippy, zipping effortlessly in and out of traffic. It’s also quite roomy on the inside, even with passengers in the back.

I mainly used the Fiat 500 for short, stop‑start, urban commutes and yet still managed a very respectable average of 50mpg. Fuel economy is of course helped by the stop-start function which temporarily cuts the engine when the car has stopped and is in neutral and re-fires it when the clutch is pressed.

As a city car, I thought it was perfectly suited and it’s not hard to understand why it has achieved the accolades and sales that it has (it won our very own City Car of the Year at the 2011 GreenFleet Awards).

AT SPEED
When at speed on the motorway, the Fiat 500 held the road well and was a comfortable and smooth ride. It was also amusing to see the looks I was getting from other drivers when overtaking them, when they saw the size of he car going past. Again I was impressed by its economical petrol consumption as I achieved an excellent 64mpg.

Safety is of course taken care of with an extensive list of standard equipment including ABS anti-lock brakes, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, ASR Anti-Slip Regulation and numerous airbags.

Fiat’s quoted CO2 figure of only 90g/km means you are exempt from car tax and London’s congestion charge. Certainly if you are running a fair size fleet of cars that run around town on medium length journeys then the extra saving on taxes and fuel savings soon add up.

The Fiat 500 Colour Therapy range starts at £10,760 (OTR) for the 1.2 Colour Therapy, rising to £14,510 (OTR) for the 500C 0.9-litre Colour Therapy TwinAir.