General Hello 500X

[RichardH13]

Picked up my new 500X 1.3 DDCT Sport this morning.
Done 37 miles so far and very impressed, getting used to the auto and the sharper steering compared to the Tipo we had before.
Its quiet, some tyre noise, you expect that with 19" wheels, but not crashy over the bumps
So far 10/10
Well worth the five month wait!
The dealer said that they are only taking orders for each model with none of the extra packs, so its any model and trim, pick your colour. Ours is black, the free colour, maybe that's why it came through fairly quickly. The only extra was the space saver spare.
I noticed that the headlights are not full LED, but that's the only difference.

 

[s130]

Personally I've found that the basic Fiat models (e.g. City, Dynamic, Sport, ?) tend to have everything that is important to me. In addition when you look at options and prices there is a big £ +plus factor involved.

Enjoy you new ride, buddy, motoring pal

 

[Ralf S.]

Nice one! I have the 1.0 ltr Sport.. I liked the idea of a triple and it has a manual box... but I drove a 1.3 and it eas a fair bit more grunty.

Mine was a 4 - 5 month wait.. chips problems and i wanted leather seats which made it a factory order.

I went for Sporty red, which is a dead ringer for the Tiziano red on my old Stilo. Sporty is code 176 vs Tiziano 199/A so there must be a difference apart from Tiziano was free and Sporty was a cost option..

I went full sized spare which turned out to be a 19" alloy .. and the car has loads of gizmos i didnt need but I'm starting to like.


Ralf S.

 

[RichardH13]

Nice one! I have the 1.0 ltr Sport.. I liked the idea of a triple and it has a manual box... but I drove a 1.3 and it eas a fair bit more grunty.

Mine was a 4 - 5 month wait.. chips problems and i wanted leather seats which made it a factory order.

I went for Sporty red, which is a dead ringer for the Tiziano red on my old Stilo. Sporty is code 176 vs Tiziano 199/A so there must be a difference apart from Tiziano was free and Sporty was a cost option..

I went full sized spare which turned out to be a 19" alloy .. and the car has loads of gizmos i didnt need but I'm starting to like.


Ralf S.

Its unusual to get a full size alloy. Nice one!

Not sure how much boot space you loose with a full size spare, we lose a bit with the skinny spare, not sure if they are run flats, but to me its worth it.

I think the ride is really good, even with the 19"s, enough going on to feel it, but good on our bumpy roads.

Getting used to it more, being the auto, its taking a while to perfect slow speed manoeuvring, its a bit stop start because of the way autos "creep" forward or back. I'll get used to it

Parking is easy, feels so much smaller than the Tipo, its a few millimetres wider and about 10cm shorter, in the showroom they seem big, because of the height (especially against a 500 or E500) but on the road it shrinks around you.

The 'box is smooth and when I'm more used to it, I'm sure |'ll get more out of it

 

[Ralf S.]

I also fancied the jack and a wheel even if only to hold the car up during maintenance etc. I thought the full-sized wheel option would be a steel one... but went for it, since any puncture that I didn't notice on my driveway would likely be out in the desolate, wet and wind-swept wastelands... on rutted roads and un-made tracks, far from any civilisation or facilities... (who said "Newport"? ) where a "skinny" would maybe struggle.

The full-sized wheel raises the boot floor about 3-4" from where it looks like it might otherwise go. My car has shelf supports moulded in at both heights, so you might see the same in yours... but the boot floor is flat, not bulged etc. so it looks properly integrated. The boot is still more or less as deep as the one on my Stilo, and is probably the same size overall.. but it's more accessible and seems marginally bigger, so I don't mind the lost volume under the floor.

My car also came with the 225/45 (?) tyres which in the manual, are shown as the size for run-flats (mine are Dunlop) but I haven't seen any indication of that on the tyres (having not really looked, to be fair). They have a rim protector.. but any kerb still makes me come out in PTSD..

I hired a 1.3 aboot 15 months ago, to try out a 500X on a short holiday and it was pretty splendid. I started trying to change the gears manually.. but in the end the auto was doing such a good job I just left it to its own devices.

The auto' is actually a DCT and I don't think they "creep" .. but you'll know better than me. From memory the beast had a hill-holder, so if you hold the foot-brake while you release the handbrake on a slope, and move your foot to the accelerator, the car shouldn't move for a couple of seconds while you take up the drive. If you don't put the gas on, you may be able to feel the hill-holder release and then the car will obviously start to roll. I remember getting the hang of it quite quickly .. after a couple of hill starts.. then didn't have to think about it again.


Ralf S.

 

[RichardH13]

I'm not sure if they're run flats either!

Maybe creep is the wrong word, just getting used to the auto for getting it on and off the drive, which has a slope, getting the hang of it now!