FIAT 600e: an icon of comfortable style | Auto Edition

A wonderful ‘look and feel’.

FIAT is changing and doing so in the right direction in our opinion. If the brand continues like this, it will be taken more seriously by a larger audience. After the 500e, the 600e is an interesting and valuable addition to the range in every respect. If we had to sum it up in one sentence (and we’ve been thinking about it for a long time) you could say that the Italian taste of driving – which we’ve adored for years – has a more international appeal. The best combination. This may read like the last bit of chatter on the first row display, but we need to get it off our chest right away. The FIAT 600e therefore leaves a very good first impression. It is the best and most stylish family car and thus has added value in a busy segment. That said, let’s now move on to the experience behind this conclusion.

The wealth of La Prima.

Naturally, we keep our first look at the well-equipped launch edition of La Prima (‘The First’). This version of the 600e is the best of the plant and the best calling card in FIAT’s most luxurious lifestyle range. The new Panda will show us this summer that there is also a more economical and practical FIAT for a different type of customer. Hopefully the new Panda also offers that delicious, typically Italian sauce like the 600. Because that’s exactly what makes the FIAT so interesting and different. The 600e we’re driving shines admirably against the gray wall of small five-door SUVs. As we drove, the sun rose just as brightly, in a vast field of heavy Dutch rain. This impressive climate really shows the feeling that FIAT is interested in bringing to the market. Good level of color in a beautiful Italian coat. As far as we’re concerned, it’s not an opportunistic slogan, but a truly successful name on a widely used product. La Prima is full of fine details, designed in a way that you could call ‘friendly luxury’. Attractive shapes, good equipment, useful features and, above all, very good driving characteristics.

Convenience serves people.

It’s also like a salon in the dark. Like going out for a night in your own car. The beautifully stitched seats with the blue 600 logo are, in a word, good with ample support and the dashboard glows from the dim light behind the round panel across the entire width. The buttons on the steering wheel and on the dashboard (hurrah, there is also a rotary knob to turn on the radio 🙂 ) are made of good materials and the whole is beautifully finished. No matter how hard this part is, the FIAT 600 feels spacious enough. We’ve driven the larger 500X several times, but the difference in aerodynamics isn’t that great. You can store most of your stuff and that means you know you’re dealing with a great family car. FIAT itself talks about 15 liters of storage rooms. We believe so, because the room under the beautiful folding lid between the front seats alone is a kind of ‘bucket’ where you can quickly store a lot. So the 600 is also practical and not just stylish. Simplicity serves people, that’s what you get to experience with this La Prima. The car opens and closes automatically when you approach and leave respectively. The trunk lid is also automatic on this version. When driving, you receive guidance from a reversing camera with a 180° viewing angle. Excellent. The turning circle is very small (10.5 m).

Pleasant travel comfort.

Electric 54 kWh and 115 kW/156 hp FIAT 600e is very pleasant to use. The distance of around 400 km feels sufficient and so is the acceleration. It’s not a racing principle, but smooth (in Sport it’s more direct on the gas) and we don’t want more, because the damping of the chassis feels like a well-seated couch at home. Driving the 600 La Prima feels relaxed. Sometimes you come across potholed roads that have not been maintained for a while. 600e is very good at softening these imperfections. It’s smooth, so it doesn’t go too far in bends, but that’s why you have other cars. The regenerative braking that we really liked on the 500e is small and the only feature that works. Let’s just say it also keeps you on your toes. With an 11 kW AC charger on board, charging at home or via (half) public charging takes less than six hours.

There is no basic version yet.

Technical platform (eCMP) we are very pleased with this car from FIAT’s Polish factory in Tychy (where they are now ready for the third new production model, Alfa Romeo Milano). The rally mate Jeep Avenger also has these qualities and now it continues. We offer the same FIAT, but it needs more offers for it. We have now seen the least expensive 600e RED (from €35,990) on Dutch roads. The equally equipped 600 Hybrid La Prima can be temporarily ordered from €29,490 and is therefore on its way. There is still no affordable entry-level product. The top model we drive starts at €40,990. The quality features of the 600e La Prima make us curious about the other two luxury cars on the same basis, but with sportier modifications. Abarth 600e and Alfa Romeo Milano with up to 240 hp. FIAT does not need this now and it is a fully equipped electric family car. Everyone’s beautiful friend who is proud to carry the Italian tricolor. Hats off to FIAT.