Fiat 600 long-term test: report 2
Fiat hasn't traditionally focused on building SUVs, but the 600 is its latest small SUV offering. We're living with one to find out how it stacks up with everyday life...
The car Fiat 600 1.2 Hybrid 48V La Prima Run by George Hill, Used Car Writer
Why we’re running it To find out whether this small SUV can be a successful urban commuter car
Needs to Be easy to drive, comfortable and cheap to run, but also practical on trips out of town
Mileage 1195 List price £27,350 Target Price £24,742 Price as tested £28,000 Official economy 57.6mpg Test economy 42.1mpg
6 March 2025 – Mr Blue Sky
In the UK, we love grey cars. It was the most popular new car colour in 2024, with almost 30% of models being painted as such. Perhaps our gloomy weather is having more of an influence on us than we might think.
In a bid to try and change our taste, Fiat is swimming against the grey tide. In 2023 it announced it was no longer offering grey as a colour choice because it wanted to be a brand of “joy, colour and optimism”. It seems my Fiat 600 is leading the charge with this, as you’ll notice on the Fiat configurator. It’s available in “Sunset Orange”, “Ocean Green” and “Sand”, while my car is specified in a lovely shade of “Sky Blue”, which is an optional extra.
Just this week, I was reminded of my car and its colour in a slightly odd way. When I was leaving the house to go to work, I was greeted by a gleaming sun and a clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day and it immediately put me in a good mood. I thought, finally, the grey days of Winter were behind us.
It’s this positive feeling that made me appreciate my bright coloured small SUV and its anti-grey agenda. I’ve noticed several cars on my street are painted grey or black (the second most popular colour choice), so it’s great to see my car stand out. I also like the metallic fleck in its paintwork, as well as some of the other details inside the car.
The seat pattern, for example, is made up of the word Fiat spelt out over and over again. The start-up sequence on the digital driver’s display features a bright coloured Fiat logo that dances onto the screen. The indicator tick-tock is funky too, and I like the magnetic storage cubby cover that could easily be found on an iPad.
It’s different and I like that, but there is one detail that’s starting to affect my positive mood. The white faux-leather seats are already starting to show signs of wear. It’s a bit of a shame because they do look good. Perhaps a more practical (and dare I say it, darker) colour would have been better in this instance.
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