Fiat 500X Cross Plus 1.0 2018 UK first drive

Fiat’s response to a significant 66% drop in sales of its Fiat 500X in 2017, owing to a bunch of new B-segment SUVs arriving on the scene and pilfering its market share. The Italian crossover has been given a mild makeover in the hope of restoring its competitive edge against fresher alternatives.

Suffering in the hands of the competition it may be, but the 500X is still a big deal for Fiat in the UK as it’s the brand’s second biggest seller after (yep, you guessed it) the seemingly immortal Fiat 500 city car. Given the demise of the Punto, a continued downward trajectory of the 500X’s sales is cause for concern.

Styling upgrades require pointing out, as they did to us - but then it’s still one of the more distinctive crossovers around. New LED daytime running lights (combined with full-LED headlights as standard on top trims), LED rear lights with a tweaked design and refreshed bumpers combine with three new colours to make the 500X fractionally more bold than before. 

Changes to the engine range are far more significant. Gone is the old diesel option, deemed unnecessary in light of changing consumer trends, and there’s no four-wheel-drive option either. Fiat has a couple of all-new ‘Firefly’ turbocharged petrol engines in the form of a 118bhp 1.0-litre three-pot and a 148bhp 1.3-litre four-pot, the latter available only with a six-speed automatic ’box. It’s the former that we’re trying here.

Elsewhere, there are two different bodystyles in the form of the more rugged Cross Look and the subtler Urban Look, while the interior has benefited from a few new materials and a load more safety equipment, including standard-fit lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and a speed advisor. Even base models also get a new 7.0in touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

We’d forgive you for taking one look at the ‘new’ 500X, deciding it’s basically the same as before and buying something else. But there is more to like about Fiat’s crossover than you’d imagine, and much of that is thanks to the mechanical changes.

The new 1.0-litre three-cylinder is a really good fit for the 500X, and an engine that Fiat has been crying out for to hopefully replace the characterful but gruff (and surprisingly inefficient) TwinAir two-cylinder found in smaller models. 

Its 140lb ft of torque provides much of the low- to mid-range response owners of the outgoing diesel will be used to, which was Fiat’s target. But, other than a bit of a shaky idle, it has refinement those diesel drivers could only dream of, with markedly low NVH levels throughout the rev range and a distant, characterful thrum when extended. 

It’s by no means fast, as the 10.9sec 0-62mph time reflects, but it feels perkier than that figure suggests, so there’s sufficient performance here to satisfy the target market. Keeping it on the boil is made easier by a six-speed manual gearbox that’s much less recalcitrant than it used to be. 

It’s a pity, then, that the 500X’s chassis feels like it’s been set up for about-town pottering rather than anything more taxing. The primary ride is relatively soft and forgiving, batting away large bumps and potholes at low speeds better than a few more firmly sprung rivals. But its composure unravels outside city limits, where the series of surface imperfections found on a typical British B-road cause it to fidget and bounce more than is desired. Road noise isn’t too intrusive, but there’s a substantial amount of wind rustle revealing that the 500X isn’t perhaps the most aerodynamic shape.