Retro is in, and the latest entrant to the nostalgia arena is the new Fiat 500

It’s almost 20 years since Mazda essentially single-handedly relaunched the affordable two-seat roadster market with its seminal MX-5 in 1989. Competitors swiftly sat up and took notice, and once the predictable direct competitors had entered the market, manufacturers began looking for what else could be revived to add further retro-dollars to an increasingly competitive international market.

Among the small car sector, Volkswagen were quick out of the blocks with the new Beetle in 1998, but perhaps the most successful relaunch to date came when VW’s German compatriot’s at BMW bought British Rover Group to
complete an Italian job with the new Mini, and the cash registers have barely stopped ringing since.

Not content to be left out of the nostalgia fest, Italians Fiat will be hoping complete a similarly Italian job with the return of the iconic Fiat 500, launched in Italy fifty years to the day after Dante Giacosa’s original was unleashed on the world, and now finally reaching these shores too.

The new version takes clear design cues from the fifties legend, but brings it bang up to date in terms of safety, technology, comfort and equipment. The five-star NCAP rating – the first time such a compact car has achieved top marks - puts it at the top of its class, while it is also the first car to be launched with an entire model range complying not only to Euro IV emissions standards, but also to the expected Euro V standard, two years before the legislative deadline.

So, it has the retro-credibility, it ticks the eco-friendly boxes, but how does it drive?

Well, the purists may be disappointed to learn that that this time around the engine lives under the bonnet, debatably removing some of the revvy rear-engined fun that made its successor such a success, but the ride is entertaining enough, even if the 1.2 litre engine tested is far from nippy, delivering only 69bhp maximum. None the less, the engine is happy enough to rev to the redline ,and while a 99 mph top speed may not see you setting any world records, it’s certainly enough for a city car of its type, while the emissions respond in kind. Reliability should be assured as the 500 shares many of its underpinnings with the tried and tested Panda.

In terms of trim, the specs are excellent for a car in its price range, and even on the basic Pop model tested such features as multiple airbags, CD/MP3, adjustable headlights and mirrors and chrome trim come as standard. Clearly, this may not be the car of choice for fleet buyers who expect their vehicles to notch up thousands of motorway miles, or regularly carry a full complement of passengers. For those looking for a nippy round town car, with excellent eco-credentials and a sense of style which is rare in the city car sector, however, and bearing in mind that the price tag of the 1.2 Pop is over £2,000 less than the cheapest comparable Mini One, it could prove a popular option.

Verdict
With the European Car of the Year award for 2007 already in the bag, it looks like the 500 has a few years in it yet!