2018 Fiat 500X 1.4L Manual Review

2018 Fiat 500X 1.4L Manual Review - Base models with an affordable price factor have existed virtually considering that the dawn of the auto age, with the specific objective of tempting buyers into showrooms, where grinning salespeople then tempt them right into more-expensive designs. But one reasonably recent growth is that in some vehicle households, if you desire a manual transmission your only option is the base model. Case in point is Fiat's 500X tiny crossover.


In the 500X, this likewise implies foregoing four-wheel drive, the more-powerful 180-hp 2.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder, and several optional interior functions. Nonetheless, this turns out to be not an entirely bad point. In two tests of the 2018 Fiat 500X 1.4L Manual with the Tigershark/nine-speed-automatic combination, we emerged with warm feelings toward the transmission, whose constant searching and also penchant for getting involved in higher equipments ASAP become wearisome.

2018 Fiat 500X 1.4L Manual Review

Choose 6
On the other hand, the Fiat's six-speed-- like any sort of handbook-- allows the driver to choose the gear suited to the minute and also hold it as long as intended. Just what a principle! To be reasonable, the nine-speed's manual mode enables this, too, but a lot of automatics often be driven in drive mode the majority of the moment. In terms of function, the six-speed's tosses are a little long, however the engagements are reasonably crisp and the clutch is pleasant, if a little bit light.

The manual is mated to Fiat's 160-hp 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo four, a combo that produces a zero-to-60-mph sprint of 7.8 seconds and a quarter-mile run of 16.0 at 87 mph. That's certainly competitive by subcompact-crossover standards. It's additionally distinctly quicker than the times we tape-recorded for the 2.4-liter automatic (8.7 to 60, 16.8 at 82 in the quarter-mile). Surprising? Well, the MultiAir is torquey, with 184 lb-ft getting to 2500 rpm, but mass is possibly a bigger aspect. Our front-drive 500X weighed in at 2954 pounds, while the all-wheel-drive Tigershark was larger by 407 extra pounds.

As well as, of course, mass additionally influences fuel economic situation. The AWD 2.4-liter 500X is ranked by the EPA at 21 mpg city as well as 30 mpg motorway; the front-drive 1.4-liter is better by 4 mpg in both measures. That said, the manual design encourages more-enthusiastic driving, so our real-world mileage was a little listed below expectations: 23 mpg over the course of our examination, versus 24 for the Tigershark.

2018 Fiat 500X 1.4L Manual Review

Fun-to-drive Element
But enthusiastic driving is the point. The 2018 Fiat 500X 1.4L Manual is just one of the more sports competitors in this rapidly increasing course, with a strong framework, well-controlled physical body movements, as well as surprisingly precise electric power guiding. Furthermore, the hands-on transmission appears to maximize the Fiat's responses along with the driver's sense of participation.


Our only dissatisfaction was braking performance. While the brakes themselves are very easy to modulate, offer good pedal feeling, and are fade cost-free, the 70-to-zero-mph stopping distance is prolonged: 177 feet. Compare that to 163 for the Tigershark examination auto, which was the best in our subcompact-crossover comparison. Tires likely contributed to this difference. The Tigershark rolled on 215/60 -17 Nexen Classe Premieres, while this test instance had Continental ProContact TX tires, dimension 215/60 -16.

As noted, opting for a 2018 Fiat 500X 1.4L Manual with a hands-on gearbox takes a number of various other options off the table. On the other hand, the base version (Pop, in Fiat trim-level parlance) of this little crossover isn't really exactly bare. It's likewise enjoyable to drive as well as it looks slick-- a cost of merely under $21K makes it look even a lot better.

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