Shall we give the large herbivore a quick once-over first so as to get the obvious topic out of the way? No, not a Panda but an elephant. In the room. Which Stellantis won’t be wanting to talk about: the collapse of Fiat all over Europe.
Grande Panda, Panda facelift and new 600 arriving in the nick of time
Let’s start with Italy, which is a disaster and with production of the electric 500 now on hiatus it’s going to get a lot worse. Brand sales are down by 44 per cent with Fiat falling to third behind VW and Toyota. But, it should also get better, and soon. Other markets look almost as awful, for now at least.
Take Germany, where September data show brand registrations down by 40 per cent. Pricey-profitable versions of the Ducato have sold in big volumes for many years, this being the darling of the campervan set (the number of rich German retirees remains sky-high). Yet shockingly, even Tesla outsold Fiat last month. Just: 3,758 compared to only 3,757. Britain was also bad, down 29 per cent and beaten by of all brands, Polestar.
How about Turkey, a big market for Fiat? Down by 50 per cent (as with the numbers above, year-on-year). Still, it managed to at least limit the plunge to second place in September (Renault took first). Moreover, the Italian marque remains top dog year to date, just as it does in Italy. Brazil remains a major success too, Fiat selling 49,644 vehicles last month, meaning it is now almost 100,000 units clear of VW and far, far ahead of Chevrolet, its other long-term rival.
Off to a good start at home
So a mixed bag but as ever in the car industry, even one new model can transform a brand’s performance if it hits the market at the right time. Could the new 600 be that car? The signs are good, the little crossover lobbing into the Italian sales charts with a four-figure number (1,115) during its first month. October should be good too. And now the Seicento is also available here in the UK.
MHEV or EV
So what exactly is the Fiat 600? I call it a tall five-door hatchback, others might say crossover or SUV, even though it can only be front-wheel drive. You sit high, it’s pretty small and there isn’t a great amount of rear seat knee room but most people will be comfortable in every other way.
You’ve two choices for motive force, these being 48V mild hybrid or electric. The second of those is marketed as a separate model and called 600e. The ‘600 Hybrid’ has the now very familiar 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo engine plus an ISG and a 0.89 kWh battery. There are two power outputs, these being quoted as 100 PS and 136 PS but the high-output one isn’t offered in Britain. A six-speed DSG is also standard.
Way lighter than the 600e
The little car I just gave back to Stellantis UK after a rather wonderful week came with the 74 kilowatt engine. The extra electric boost is via a 22 kW and 55 Nm motor, this being handy for getting you off the mark and aiding fuel consumption via stored kinetic energy. It does work well too. The 600 is quite light so this tried and tested powertrain - albeit still fairly new to all the many Stellantis models which offer it - is in one of its best applications here.
What is especially great about pretty much all Stellantis cars and SUVs is how distinct a character there somehow tends to be. This car could only be a Fiat, even though if you know where to look, there are lots of shared components. The same applies to Peugeot, Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Abarth and even DS vehicles. And amazingly enough, those premium brand models tend to have enough clever detail tweaks to make them worth the extra cost compared to the similar yet not quite same-same Fiat.
Some specifics. Glance at the front of the 600 (and try not to smile). What other car looks like this? Well, other Fiats do. Yet the Seicento dances to its own tune and how have those cheeky headlights not been given a wink-upon-switching-off function (just like the Twingo concept)? This car will likely still look terrific in a decade’s time, inevitably scuffing to those dark plastic wheel-arch outlines (eyebrows?) included.
Twelve times six hundred
The wheels on the as-tested La Prima trim level - see picture above - are like flower petals, and even the 600 on each hubcap isn’t too much: including these and others within the light modules front and rear there are TWELVE such three-digits model identifiers on the exterior. This continues inside.
You’ll find a 600 on the steering wheel centre and stitched into each front seat as well as on a folding plastic cover for one of several large cubby spaces. The plastics are far better quality than you might expect from a Fiat and in-the-know owners will delight to telling their friends “Look, you press these four buttons on the central console to choose P, R, N or D/M, just like in a Maserati”.
An airship-shaped theme is everywhere up front, this being visible in the steering wheel spokes, right across the dashboard, around the transmission switches and even serving as the backdrop to a most welcome bank of HVAC buttons. How marvellous that Stellantis is rejecting the ridiculous safety-last trend for such functions on a screen. Oh, and the screen itself isn’t large - more plaudits - though it up fairly high, which is a shame for those of us who prefer not to have bright lights assailing us.
Made in Poland
On the manufacturing side of things, production is at Tychy and the platform is CMP or eCMP for the 600e. Length (4.2 metres) and wheelbases are identical, while the new baby Jeep comes out of the same plant and is more or less identically sized. Build should endure for perhaps eight years, meaning a facelift is likely in 2028.
Four variants in the British market
There are three trim levels in the UK: Hybrid (GBP23,975), Hybrid La Prima (GBP26,975) and Hybrid Red (GBP32,995). The as-tested mid-ranger also brings leather-look seat facings with F I A T embossed into them along with quite a big cache of standard goodies.
It’s a really good little car this, but I wish Stellantis would delete certain unwanted features. Such as the awful beeping each time you approach or walk away. Particularly when locking or unlocking and the mirrors whirring-pivoting are clearly audible (and these sound good). The new Junior emits the same nasty-loud noise. Isn’t Alfa Romeo officially a premium marque? These small things matter.
Conclusion
Silly annoyances aside, the new 600 is sure to be a success, thanks in no small part to how cute it looks and the right-for-the-segment driving dynamics. There isn’t much roll, the ride is soft, steering light, performance good and economy excellent. October should prove to have been the start of Fiat’s effective relaunch all over Europe, thanks to this car.
"Seicento: Fiat’s new product offensive begins" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.
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