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In the Fiat 500X, the little things leave big impressions

When it comes to evaluating cars, we at Autoblog strive to tell you about the important things like how well they handle, how fast they are, and how comfortably they ride. These are all key pieces in the good car puzzle. The thing is, some cars also have small, but endearing details that are glossed over because they won't make or break our opinions of the vehicles. But they're features that make us smile anyway, and our long-term 2016 Fiat 500X happens to have a couple of them. The other week I had the Italian crossover for a day, and when I took off for lunch, I found the first surprise between the front seats. Unlike some other automatic transmissions with manual shift gates, this one actually uses the proper, racing-style sequential layout: pull back to shift up, and push forward to shift down. Some car companies flip that pattern, which I can only assume makes more sense to people that don't think about shifting. The 500X's other little surprise came that night as I drove home, but to properly explain why I loved it, I have to first talk about a different car. I own a 1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata, and one of my favorite things about it is that I can cruise around with one hand on the steering wheel and my elbow resting on the window sill. It's the most chill driving position imaginable. Unfortunately, as beltlines have crept higher and higher, and doors have migrated farther from the edges of the seats, the opportunity to drive this way has effectively vanished. To my delight as I drove home in the 500X, I discovered the little crossover bucked the trend. I'm not sure how, but it has window sills that are prime elbow perches. Neither of these features change my overall opinion of the vehicle, but they're worth noting because Fiat didn't have to include either of them. It's just a mass-market crossover, so a racing-style shifter and a comfy window sill would probably go unnoticed by most buyers. Yet, despite those facts, some designers decided the car would be better with these details. For that reason, I'm happy to draw attention to these designers' extra effort, and I will appreciate it every time I'm behind the wheel of our 500X. Related Video:

Fiat shareholders green-light Chrysler merger, end of an Italian era

Fiat has just taken a major step away from its Italian heritage, as shareholders officially approved the company's merger with Chrysler. That move will lead to the formation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, a Dutch company based in Great Britain and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, according to Automotive News Europe.
The company captured the two-thirds majority at a special shareholders meeting, although there are still a few situations that could defeat the movement. According to ANE, roughly eight percent of shareholders opposed the merger, which is a group large enough to defeat the plan, should they all exercise their exit rights outlined in the merger conditions.
Meanwhile, Fiat Chairman John Elkann (pictured above, right, with CEO Sergio Marchionne and Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo), the great-great-grandson of Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli, reaffirmed his family's commitment to the company beyond the merger. Exor, the Agnelli family's holding company, still maintains a 30-percent stake in Fiat.

2023 Fiat 500e Abarth revealed, quicker than the gas model

The much-loved Fiat 500 Abarth finally has a successor, and now it's electric. The 500e Abarth takes the regular model and adds a much more powerful electric motor, plus sportier styling. And while outright power is less than the top gas model, Fiat says that the new Abarth is faster on track. On the outside, the Abarth features the brand's name plastered across the nose in place of the regular "500" logo and chrome bar. The scorpion badge now sits on top of the hood. The front bumper is unique with more aggressive air vents and a deeper air dam. The side skirts are new, too, and the rear bumper diffuser gets white inserts to match the front air dam. The Abarth scorpion badges on the sides have been tweaked to fit the electric theme, and the car gets new 18-inch wheels and some of the coolest side stripes we've seen in some time. Inside, the Abarth in the launch Scorpionissima trim gets a three-spoke steering wheel, Alcantara upholstery and stainless steel pedals and door sills. The major performance upgrade for the 500e Abarth is the motor. It makes 153 horsepower and 173 pound-feet, compared to the next most-powerful 500e at 118 horsepower. It will get the little hatchback from 0 to 62 mph in 7 seconds. Fiat didn't say much about suspension and brake upgrades, but we assume they've been improved to match the sporty pretensions of the Abarth. Especially as Fiat says the electric Abarth will lap the company's Balocco test track more than a second faster than the current gas-powered 500 Abarth 695, which packs 180 horsepower. Certainly the lower center of gravity, wider track and longer wheelbase play some role, but there are likely other upgrades at work. The Abarth won't be going farther than the regular 500e, though. It uses the same 42-kWh battery, which returns 199 miles of range on the WLTP cycle in the 500e. In the Abarth, with its more powerful motor, range is likely to decrease somewhat. Owners worried about the lack of sound from an electric car won't have to worry about that with the Abarth. Available is an external sound generator. It can produce an emulated exhaust note based on the gas-powered Abarth models audible to the driver and to passersby. Fortunately, it can be switched off, too, if you don't like the idea of fake exhaust sounds. We sort of wish they opted for a more creative and less "realistic" sound like Dodge did with the Charger Daytona concept and its Fratzonic exhaust sound generator.