Category Archives: Vehicle type

City cars, Electric/hybrid, Fiat

Living La Dolce Vita

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Fiat 500 Hybrid

By Bill McCarthy

The Italian phrase Dolce Vita can be translated as ‘the sweet life’ or ‘the good life’ and the mission of the tiny Fiat seems to be to deliver that. Even if it seems at times, the slick retro Italian puts style above substance.

But the remarkable success story of the Fiat 500 goes on with the latest chapter embracing the electric age.

Fiat says it will remove all non-electrified vehicles from sale in the UK in 2022, after 2021 saw the biggest annual increase in electric vehicle registrations in the UK

It has the same retro look of its diminutive predecessor of which was sol popular from 1957 through to 1975. But the latest version is very much a city car of the 21st century – cheapish to buy and cheap to tax and insure. There are four trim levels, Pop, Connect, of course the Dolcevita version and this range topping Sport. 

Its range now features a petrol version, a mild hybrid and the all-electric 500.

Mild is the operative word really when compared to full hybrids or plug-in versions. 

The set-up increases economy by allowing an auxiliary battery and electric motor to recuperate braking energy provide a boost to the engine when required, by assisting stop/start function, improving mpg and reducing CO2 emissions.

The attraction of the 500 for many is that it can be enhanced and customised without breaking the bank and even if not, still has that funky look much favoured by young drivers.

Styling cues include body-coloured bumpers, smart alloy wheels, a fixed panoramic glass roof, hybrid badging, tinted rear windows, rear spoiler and satin graphite door mirrors 

The interior is certainly not filled with soft touch plastic finish, more painted dash and cheaper trim, but that does not detract from the car’s character.

The dashboard is dominated by the seven-inch touchscreen which controls smartphone connectivity and infotainment. Bluetooth, DAB, satnav with TomTom’s Live connected traffic services and smartphone integration. The binnacle is dominated by a single large dial.

This version also features sports seats and steering wheel.

Electric windows are standard as is air con, central locking and power steering.

Boot space is, well, limited, to say the least. with just 185 litres available. Fold the seats for more space. But don’t expect to get the golf clubs in there.

But that’s not what this car is about and you can still get your overnight bag or a couple of bags of shopping in the space..

On the road, the one-litre, three-cylinder engine is lively enough from a standing start, but then has been worked pretty hard for any kind of decent acceleration. It takes around 13 seconds to hit the 60mph mark.

Mated to a five-speed gearbox, plenty of shifting up and down is needed, particularly around town to maximise performance. It is very economical however with a claimed 60.1mpg and emissions of 107g/km.

Safety kit is comprehensive with seven airbags, driver and passenger airbags, side airbags, window airbags and driver’s knee airbags, stability control and ABS and parking sensors.

Fun, funky, economical and safe. The tried and tested recipe is still a success.

Factfile

Fiat 500 Hybrid Sport 

Price: £16,935

Mechanical: 70bhp, 999cc three cylinder engine driving front wheels via five speed manual gearbox

Max Speed: 114mph

0-62mph: 13.8sec

Combined MPG: 60.1

Insurance Group: 13

C02 emissions: 107g/km

Bik rating:  26%

Warranty:  3yrs/60,000 miles

Electric/hybrid, First drive, SUV/4X4, Suzuki

SUV joins race to electrification

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Suzuki S-Cross Hybrid

By Bill McCarthy

Suzuki’s race to electrification is gathering pace with the introduction of full hybrid technology to the popular and stylish S-Cross.

The 1.5-litre petrol engine  has as been mated with an electric motor to deliver low emissions of 118g/km for its two wheel drive model and a combined mpg of  54.3.

The  S-Cross is a compact and stylish SUV that had a major makeover in 2021, looking a different vehicle to its predecessor, with higher level of safety equipment and the latest technology.

Suzuki are not keen to talk about entry level, so it comes in two versions, the front wheel drive Motion at £26,749 and the Ultra which includes Suzuki’s Allgrip from wheel drive and priced at at £31,549.

This full hybrid has gone on sale, along with the 48V mild hybrid version with the 1.4 Booster jet petrol engine, which although smaller, offers more rapid acceleration than the full hybrid.

That price tag might seem a lot at first glance, but for a mid-sized SUV with four-wheel drive, hybrid technology and a plethora of standard kit, it then seems pretty attractive.

Both models feature smartphone connectivity, rear parking camera, front & rear parking sensors, keyless entry & start, climate control fitted as standard on both model grades.

The Ultra driven here features  ALLGRIP Select four-wheel drive, 17-inch polished alloy wheels, leather seat upholstery, integrated on-board navigation with nine-inch screen, panoramic sliding sunroof and a 360 view camera. 

In addition, all S-Cross Hybrid models come with Suzuki’s AGS automated manual transmission as standard with steering mounted paddles for a manual experience.

The slight downside is that shifts can be a bit sluggish with consequent hesitation acceleration.

It is a smart looking vehicle compact and with all the creases and bulges in the right place. It features smart alloys and huge amounts of kit for a price that puts others to shame and is one of the few in its segment to offer all wheel drive.

The muscular design includes angular wheel arches, piano black front grille and three LED position headlamps.

The rear features combination lamps that integrate horizontally to emphasise a sense of width, in addition to roof rails and integrated rear spoiler.

It is also pretty capable off-road, where the range topping all wheel drive Ultra was put through its paces.

Not a full fat off-roader, more of a soft roader’, it can cope pretty well with muddy and otherwise treacherous conditions. Having said that it did struggle a little on an off-road course that was made particlarly treacherious by heavy rain and using ordinary road tyres.

But the ALLGRIP Select system has already proved itself more than capable and designed to anticipate slippage based on road surface, throttle opening position, steering angle and other factors.

There are four settings: auto, sport, snow and lock for the more demanding areas.

Performance all around is adequate other than inspiring. The car with a combined output of 115bhp, hits 60mph in a pretty pedestrian time of around 13 seconds. Two selectable Full Hybrid drive modes are available, Standard and Eco, which are pretty self-explanatory.

Economy ranges between 48mpg and 52 mpg depending on the model.

High level of safety specification fitted as standard to both S-Cross models include Dual Sensor Brake Support, Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning and Prevention, Adaptive Cruise Control and seven airbags including Driver’s Knee Airbag.

The S-Cross as plenty to offer and Suzuki customers are a loyal bunch and with the brand being named top vehicle manufacturer in the Institute of Customer Service bi-annual UK satisfaction index, you can see why.