Fiat is marking its return to the B-segment with a “bigger sister” of the Fiat 500, the brand-new Fiat 600e, a revival of the iconic Fiat Seicento but there’s not much common with its predecessor models.
To begin with, it’s not a hatchback anymore, but a more practical 5-door subcompact crossover SUV. Mechanically related to the Jeep Avenger, the new Fiat 600e rides on the same e-CMP2 platform developed by Stellantis, Fiat’s parent company, which will also spawn an equivalent Alfa Romeo model in 2024.
“Iconic outside, Dolce Vita inside,” are the words from Fiat, adding that the new Fiat 600e “perfectly expresses Italian beauty and lifestyle”. Its engineers have focused on three main pillars for 600e: maximise space in a compact body, make it a cool city mover, and combine iconicity with efficiency.
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So is the 600e the new BEV icon for the Italian brand with more than 120 years of experience in making automobiles? Well, Fiat believes so, and the new EV has got the chops, offering increased space and increased range.
Dolce Vita: Continuing Fiat’s tradition
The new Fiat 600e represents the ideal solution for both city lovers and outdoor enthusiasts and is the perfect embodiment of the brand’s values of Italian style and sustainability.
It has a generous size of 4,17m length with comfortable space for five occupants, “best-in-class” front storage, and boasts an electric range of more than 250 miles (WLTP combined cycle) and up to 375 miles in the city (WLTP urban cycle) with state-of-the-art safety features.
And it’s got the classic Fiat looks going for it: small, chic, and beautiful — and of course it’s got some Italian style, too, with a sharper assertive hood, a deeper curve on the back and other details like chrome signatures, and in typical Italian style, an Italian flag on the rear bumper.
Inside, it is reminiscent of the 500, like the original two-spoke design of the steering wheel and the belt line. Besides an overall “electric feel”, there are several features designed to offer the Dolce Vita experience — for instance, the driver seat which is equipped with power seat adjustment and a back-massage function to relax, maybe after a long trip, a busy day at work, or just driving on British roads.
Cute and stylish, with great power and range too
Under the hood, it packs a great electric punch. The lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 54 kWh give the new 600e a range of more than 250 miles in the WLTP combined cycle and up to 375 miles in the urban cycle.
To optimise charging time, the new 600e is equipped with a 100-kW fast charger system to charge the battery rapidly. It takes less than half an hour to charge the battery from 20 per cent to 80 per cent. The model also comes with an 11kW onboard charger and a Mode 3 cable for charging at home or in public, which ensures a full charge in less than six hours.
The electric powertrain has an output of 115 kW, delivering acceleration from 0-62 mph in nine seconds. The new Fiat 600e gives drivers the option of three driving modes – eco, normal and sport – which can be selected to match your individual styles.
The 600e will launch in two trims, the 600e Red, starting at £32,995 and the top-of-the-line 600e La Prima, which starts at £36,995. Orders will be opening from October, with deliveries expected to start from the first quarter of next year. Besides, Fiat has also announced the return of the 600, the hybrid version of the all-electric 600e with a 54kWh battery, which is dated for a launch in spring 2024.
