2019年菲亚特500Performance

The inner-city optimized Fiat 500 produces 135 hp and 150 lb-ft from its turbocharged 1.4-liter Multi-Air four-cylinder engine, dispatched to the front-wheel-drive drivetrain. With the five-speed manual gearbox, the 500 gets from 0-60 mph in nine seconds, slower than the Honda Fit despite the turbo-power at hand. The Italian hatchback makes for a great city explorer but demonstrates inefficiency on highways and discomfort over long distance journeys. The Fiat's competition in the subcompact hatchback division only offers FWD models, of which most garner more power than the Fiat. If it's real performance you're in search of, however, the Abarth trim offers hot-hatch power in a micro-sized package.

All Fiat 500 trims harness 135 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque derived from a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Power is diverted through the standard five-speed manual transmission to the front wheels. There is an optional six-speed automatic transmission available, however it delivers sluggish, jerky shift changes. The new turbo engine in the 500 has presented major improvements in passing power and overall acceleration and as a plus, gives the hatchback a louder, grumbling soundtrack through a standard sports exhaust. It does, however, present a bit of turbo lag as the turbocharger spools up, delaying acceleration but quickly getting up to speed thereafter.

Compared to the competition the Fiat matches up only in torque, which makes it great for maneuverability on tight city roads, but its lack of power has the little hatchback struggling to reach highway speeds with its rivals providing zippier and more comfortable performance in this regard. The manual five-speed gearbox is marginally better than the six-speed automatic option, delivering a little more power, managing boost better, and avoiding the jerky shift changes of the automatic.

For a small, low-powered turbocharged hatchback the Fiat 500 isn't particularly economical. The Fiat geared up with the five-speed manual transmission earns EPA estimates of 28/33/30 mpg in the city/highways/combined EPA cycles, whereas the six-speed automatic is marginally lower at 24/32/27 mpg respectively. The fuel tank has a capacity of 10.5 gallons and takes only premium fuel to cater to the new turbocharged engine. With these figures, the manual 500 can get up to 315 miles on a full tank of gas with mixed driving styles, with the automatic maxing out at 283.5 miles. The base LX model Honda Fit dominates with class-leading economy figures of 33/40/36 mpg on the city/highway/combined EPA cycles with the CVT-transmission equipped.