Fiat 500 87kW Giorgio Armani 42kWh 3dr Auto

Ten Second Review

Is this Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani the most desirable electric 500 ever made? It's certainly the priciest, with lots of little Armani touches intended to set it apart.

Background

Armani. A legendary name in fashion. To some extent, you could say the same about the Fiat 500. So a tie-up between these two famous Italian brands seems right. And has created this car, the Fiat 500 Giorgio Armani. This supposedly limited run model is actually called the 'Giorgio Armani Collectors Edition' and according to its maker is supposed to be 'the best expression of made in Italy on four wheels'. Back in the real world, it's a special edition Fiat 500e EV with a hefty price tag and no enabling government grant. But might you still want one? Let's see.

Driving Experience

As you'd expect, this top 500e comes only with the largest-available battery, 42kWh in size, mated to an 118hp motor. This is good for 186-199 miles and the car manages the 0-62mph time in 9 seconds. The 500e feels even quicker off the mark than that figure suggests (30mph can be reached from rest in just 3.1s), though Fiat has tried to make power delivery quite linear so that you don't use up all your battery charge at once. Maximum speed is restricted though - to just 93mph. Various types of automated driving technology are available, including adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and intelligent speed limit assist. There's lots here that owners of previous 500 models will recognise - the high-ish seating position and manoeuvrability for instance; there's a tight 9.6-metre turning circle. You also get the previous model's rather brittle low speed ride quality, though it copes with poorer pot holes and speed humps quite well and anyway, things smooth out quite a lot once you get out of town. When you might discover that this Fiat actually handles quite well, despite having to carry around 350kgs more weight around than the MK2 mild hybrid petrol model. All the weight of the mattress-shaped Samsung battery has been positioned well down, compensating for the extra bulk with a lower centre of gravity, hence the well-controlled body roll at speed through the corners, though the effect is somewhat masked by the rather anaesthetised electric steering. A series of drive modes are available that will enable you to maximise your driving range. There are three settings - 'Normal', 'Range' and the curiously named 'Sherpa', with the last of these being focused on getting the maximum from the battery, including a navigation program that will limit maximum speed to 50mph and restrict acceleration. The 'Range' mode maximises brake regeneration, meaning that you'll normally only have to drive with one pedal, so great will be the deceleration when you lift off the throttle. But most of the time, you'll be leaving in this car in its 'Normal' setting, in which form it won't require too much acclimatisation over a conventionally-engined supermini.

Design and Build

Lots of subtle effort has been put in to distinguish this Collector's Edition, which comes only in fixed top form. The front 'moustache' and logos are in body colour, as is the side moulding. And there's a new dedicated plate with the Giorgio Armani signature. That signature also features on the door sill plates and there are 17-inch alloy wheels with the GA logo. Inside, there's a wrapped dashboard fascia with integrated Giorgio Armani signature. And a dedicated GA start-up screen for the 10.25-inch U connect 5 central touchscreen infotainment system, which comes complete with navigation and as usual has a Wi-Fi hotspot and 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto'. The eco-leather seats have a premium body colour finish and a GA logo on the headrest. As usual with a 500e, there's not much space in the back. Even kids will probably only be in any way comfortable if front seat occupants sacrifice a bit of legroom. Adults meanwhile, have plenty to grouse about apart from legroom; the headrests that dig uncomfortably into your neck until you raise them; and more significantly, the fact that your head is likely to be brushing the ceiling, due to the fact that the roof arches down towards your forehead, just when you don't need it to. There is at least the low centre transmission tunnel that you'd want from an EV. As for the boot, well raising the surprisingly heavy tailgate reveals an unsurprisingly tiny boot area, topped off by an equally tiny little parcel shelf. There's only 185-litres of space here.

Market and Model

Fiat wants £30,000 for this 500 Giorgio Armani. That's £3,000 more than is needed for top-spec 'La Prima' trim in the standard line-up - and the same as a 'La Prima' Convertible (a body shape not available customers of this Collector's Edition). Two unique exclusive colours are available, 'Dark Green and 'Ceramic Greige'. Apart from the Giorgio Armani touches, the main reason you might want one of these is probably its inclusion of a premium JBL audio system. Otherwise, the equipment levels are similar to the top spec 500e. Which means you get 360-degree parking sensors, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, LED headlamps, LED rear lamps, automatic air-conditioning, keyless go keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers and a fixed panoramic sunroof. There's also front heated seats, and auto high/low beam, an electrochromic rearview mirror and plenty of camera safety equipment, including autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, Lane keeping assist, attention assist and blindspot warning.

Cost of Ownership

The all-electric 500 features an 85kW DC rapid charging system that can recharge the 42kWh battery from empty to 80% capacity in just 35 minutes and can provide the car with 31 miles of driving range in just 5 minutes. Buyers can also get a Fiat-branded wall charging box that offers 3kW charging and apparently doesn't need to be professionally installed. This wallbox can be upgraded to allow for 7.4kW charging at home. That 7.4kW wall box allows you to fully charge this electric 500 in just over 6 hours. The car also comes with a mode 3 cable for charging at up to 11kW from a public charging point. It can be charged via AC or DC power points. The important driving range figure is quoted at 186-199 miles on the WLTP cycle (though that can rise to between 299-320 miles in urban driving). As usual with a Fiat, this car is covered by a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty and there's 36 months of breakdown cover included as well. Should you have a problem on a journey, you can use the 'Uconnect' infotainment system to contact roadside assistance. What else might you need to know? Well, servicing intervals are every year or every 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. Owners can keep up to date with their car's maintenance schedule via the 'My Car' section of that 'My E-Charge' Fiat app, which briefs you on the time of your next service and various maintenance issues.

Summary

There's not normally a lot to get excited about when buying a small electric city runabout. So the fact that this more style-orientated Fiat 500e exists will be welcome to the few private customers minded to consider it. It won't look much different from the other 500e models in the gym car park, but the exclusive colours, the special interior and the premium audio system are just enough to remind you that you've got a version of this Latin city EV that's a bit special. Whether that's enough to justify the asking price is another question.