Priced from £23,975 and available before the end of the year, the soft-top version of Fiat’s compact SUV promises the “best of both worlds” as it takes aim at the VW T-Roc cabriolet.
Orders are now being taken for the new open top version of Fiat’s 500X crossover. Called ‘Dolcevita’, the five-seater will be offered to buyers in a choice of three trim levels: ‘Connect’, ‘Cross’ and ‘Sport’.
The SUV’s focal point is the electronically-operated canvas soft top which can be opened and closed at the touch of a button in 15 seconds. Although that is some six seconds slower than Volkswagen’s T-Roc Convertible, this can be performed while driving at 62mph. The T-Roc can only manage 19mph.
Crucially, adding a fabric hood to the 500X does not impinge on load capacity, so the boot continues to measure 350-litres with the 60/40 split-folding back seats in place and mushrooms to a very useful 1,000-litres with these pushed down. By comparison, the boot in the T-Roc Cabriolet is only 284-litres.
There are three colours to choose from, with the canvas available in black, grey and red to match the ten body paint colours that include Ice White, Cinema Black, Sport Red, Fashion Grey and Italia Blue.
The three versions of the 500X Dolcevita align with the rest of the up-dated 500 family that consists of the cereal box-sized 500 city car, more family-orientated 500L MPV and the regular 500X crossover.
Kicking off the 500X Dolcevita range is Connect. Priced at £23,975 the car is equipped with a seven-inch Uconnect infotainment system with DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with black seats, and a faux leather-trimmed steering. Outside, 17-inch alloys and rear tinted windows feature.
Mid-range Cross starts at £25,775 and adopts a rugged appearance while table-topping Sport costs from £27,275 and adopts a more athletic profile thanks to side skirts and a roof-mounted rear spoiler.
Both come with 19-inch alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning and parking sensors, while Sport adds black sports seats with red piping, a matte titanium-finished dashboard and a 3.5-inch colour TFT display.
The engine range is an all-petrol affair and consists of turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol that develops 118bhp. Whereas power is sent to the front-wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, the 148bhp 1.3-litre four-cylinder ‘Firefly’ motor resorts to using a DCT automatic transmission instead.
