Fiat 600e: The Italian Car of the Year
Do you remember the Fiat 600? It was the slightly larger brother of the 500 with the rounded back. The new Fiat 600e is once again Fiat’s big brother, but gets its technical genes from other family members. We are the first to test it.
The 600e is not new in many ways. A larger variant that builds on the success of New Cinquecento We’ve seen it before in the form of the 500L and the X. This 600 is actually the successor to those cars.
The technology of the new Fiat 600e
The technology of the new Fiat 600e is not new either, as we already know it inside out from many other Stellantis family members, such as the Car of the Year Jeep Avenger, but also the Peugeot e-2008 and the Opel Mokka, just to name a few just to name a few. to name just two. This 600 also has the same eCMP platform and drivetrain with a 156 hp electric motor driving the front wheels.
The battery of the Fiat 600e is also identical with a capacity of 54 kWh, of which more than 50 kWh can be used. This allows a maximum range of over 400 kilometers according to the WLTP measurement method.
Cheap basic transport, including the new Fiat 600e
The Fiat 500 and 600 from the 1950s and 1960s were primarily functional and affordable basic means of transport for the masses. The new 600 So it has to be absolutely contemporary, fully electric and still reasonably affordable at a price of just under 36 grand.
For this you get a B-segment car with a length of 4.17 meters and a wheelbase of 256 cm. This means that the Fiat 600 is slightly longer than the Avenger and the volume of the luggage compartment is also slightly larger at 360 liters than in the compact Jeep. However, the differences are too small to be decisive, and the same applies to the luggage volume, which at 360 liters is only a few liters larger than that of the Jeep.
Not disgustingly fast
Time to drive. We start at the legendary Lingotto circuit on the roof of Fiat’s industrial heritage. A nice Italian cultural introduction for a car made in Tychi, Poland. We test Fiat’s new family friend in and around Turin. And it doesn’t react nervously to the accelerator pedal, but moves in a controlled manner. The differences in throttle response in the Eco, Normal and Sport driving modes are not large: in Eco the Fiat 600e reacts a little more cautiously to your accelerator pedal, in Sport a little more sharply.
Slowing down is also not a problem in the Fiat 600e, even if you choose B mode or regeneration mode, which allows you to drive almost entirely with one pedal.
The suspension tune is firm, but the Fiat 600e has enough resilience to handle bumps and pits and holes as secondary problems. The main thing is that it offers sufficient all-round comfort.
The Fiat 600e is sensible and smooth
The performance is in line with the segment and, with a top speed of 150 kilometers per hour and a sprint time from 0 to 100 in 9 seconds, can definitely be described as reasonable and smooth. Anyone who keeps up with the traffic, avoids the left lane and sticks to 100 km/h should be able to cover the specified 400 kilometers. Fiat even states 600 kilometers in the city.
The Fiat 600e can fast charge with a maximum of 100 kW and is suitable for a half-hour coffee break to charge from 10 to 80 percent. At least if you occasionally use the expensive fast charger. Charging at home or in the office is possible with 11 kW at a significantly cheaper rate.
Speaking of prices: The new Fiat 600e is available from 35,990 euros and that is a very competitive price for a reasonably complete car.
The full test and video follow online and in Autovisie magazine.