December 15, 2014. Copyright 2014, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Fiat 500X will compete in Europe's booming small SUV sector
By Neil Winton

LONDON, December 15, Graphic News: The merger of Fiat of Italy and the U.S. Chrysler company is settling down and the first results of the marriage are being launched on markets around the world.

In March, at the Geneva Car Show, Chrysler's Jeep subsidiary launched the new little Renegade SUV, made in Italy. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is now known as FCA, and the Fiat part of the operation is now launching the 500X, made at the same factory in Italy and sharing about 40 percent of its components with the Renegade. The 500X is more of a utility family vehicle with basic off-road ability, while the Renegade offers a hard-core ability to roam the wild. The 500X looks like a muscled-up 500 city car, and a Fiat advertising campaign on YouTube makes use of a well-known legal drug to grab some attention. The ad, controversial to some, shows a Viagra pill somehow bouncing into the fuel tank of a delicate little 500 two-door city car, which then instantly bulks up into a macho, snarling four-door off-roader.

Engine options for the 500X include a 1.6 litre 110hp petrol, a 140hp 2.0 litre diesel and a 170hp turbo-charged petrol motor. Fiat is especially proud of its 9-speed automatic gearbox option, inherited from another FCA product, the Chrysler 200, and available on four-wheel drive versions. In Europe, prices start at close to 18,400 euros after taxes. Cheaper versions have front-wheel drive. More expensive ones are all-wheel drive. Prices for the top of the range models equipped with things like four-wheel drive, tinted windows, leather seats and automatic gearbox are closer to 32,500 euros.
   The 500X and Renegade will be competing in the booming small SUV market led in Europe by the Nissan Juke. Other strong competitors are the Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur, Skoda Yeti and Mini Countryman. According to the forecaster IHS Automotive, sales of these so-called sub-compact SUVs in Europe will double to one million a year in 2020 from about 500,000 this year.

Four-wheel drive 500Xs are a bit higher, with ground clearance increased to 179mm compared with 162mm for front-wheel drive models. 4x4s are also equipped with specific bumpers and protective skid plates to protect the bodywork and mechanicals from the rigours of off-road use.

All the latest active safety gizmos are available. Highlight is a new "Brake Control" assisted braking system, which can intervene between speeds of 4mph and 120mph to apply emergency braking if danger is detected. The sensitivity can be adjusted to the driver's preferences, or disengaged.

FCA's ambitious long-term plan for 2018 was announced last May and includes raising combined global vehicle sales by more than two million a year by 2018 to seven million. Fiat's storied and spluttering Alfa Romeo sports car brand is charged with accounting for 400,000 of the target. SUV subsidiary Jeep must raise its sales to 1.9 million by 2018 from around 700,000 now.

Fiat has to attract buyers in a very crowded field for its 500X to succeed. Its YouTube "Viagra" ad has been watched by almost nine million people so far, so that augurs well.
/ENDS

Fiat 500X 2.0 Cross Plus
Engine – 2.0 litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel
Power – 140hp @ 4,000
Torque – 350 Nm @ 1,750
Drive – all-wheels
Gearbox – 9-speed automatic
Acceleration – 0-62mph-100km/h – 9.8 seconds
Top Speed –118mph-190km/h
Fuel consumption – 51.4mpg-5.5-l/km
C02 – 144g/km
Emissions class – EU6   
Suspension – MacPherson/MacPherson
Length – 4,248mm
Width – 1,796mm
Height – 1,600mm
Wheelbase – 2,570mm
Weight – 1,495kg
Boot capacity – 350/1,000 litres
Competition – Jeep Renegade, Renault Captur, Nissan Juke, Suzuki SX4, Skoda Yeti, Mini Countryman 4x4, Vauxhall-Opel Mokka, Dacia Duster, Ford EcoSport, Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3