NF500 / new car

The Warsaw Business Journal has a report on the launch of the new Fiat 500 in Poland. That’s right, Fiat’s new baby has finally been released in the country where it is produced.

Despite being the country to produce the 500 Fiat are placing modest expectations on the uptake of the new car in Poland, with a spokesperson quoted as expecting sales of around 3,000 vehicles a year. Considering orders had reached around 105,000 cars by the end of November 2007 following launch the same summer, you can see just how conservative that estimate is.

The new Fiat 500 will be the first of Fiat’s premium models to go on sale in Poland, but with prices starting at less than the equivalent of £7,000 (or €9,700) Fiat in Poland are hopeful of making inroads in the lower end of the luxury market.

After much scampering around in our attempts to find a New Fiat 500 to review, thanks to the great help of Motorvogue in Northampton, we finally get to grips with the new Fiat 500 1.4 litre Sport.

We had been trying to set a date with an official Fiat press fleet car, there is apparently a demonstrator in the UK on a flying visit from Italy, but when we caught word that Motorvogue had a Fiat 500 display vehicle on their premises, which just happens to be only a short drive from NF500 HQ, we couldn’t let the chance slip by. So a phone call later and we’d arranged a test drive and photo shoot for the very following morning. Excellent.

We should probably make it clear at this point that the left hand drive, Italian spec 500 that Motorvogue are showing is not for sale, and is not actually a test car either. But if you do want to go and see the new Fiat 500 in the flesh well ahead of it’s UK launch next February, then it’s there for all to see, touch, and crawl all over. Motorvogue also already have a long list of customers waiting to have their orders placed with the factory when UK allocation becomes available. So if you want to be among the first to own one of these little beasties in the UK, you’d be well advised to get in touch quickly. With overseas demand continuing to exceed all expectations, who knows what the UK allocation will be next year.

Anyway, now that the disclaimers and thanks are out of the way, lets get on with the review!

Amazingly for the so-called British Summer Time we’ve been experiencing this year, the conditions for our first hands on encounter with the new Fiat 500 could hardly have been better. Warm weather and blistering sunshine were our welcome companions as we drove along the M1 motorway in a MINI Cooper S Convertible to finally get our mitts on the new baby Fiat. Oddly enough, we passed a pristine Red Fiat 500 (original version) on the back of a trailer as we made our way North, small World.

The first impression of the new Fiat 500 as we passed it, circling for a nearby parking space, was how small the car appears. From the view in our MINI it looked very short, and with a more bulbous appearance. With the red 500 we passed fresh in our minds the styling queues of the new car were clear for all to see. This is very clever reinterpretation of a classic design.

The new 500 has been strongly promoted as an example of the quality Fiat wish their brand to stand for. They’re working hard to shrug off a less than ideal image for build quality and the 500 is intended as a little gem to show just how far they’ve come over recent years. Externally it has to be said the car looks very high quality. The silver paintwork is probably not the best to accentuate the lines and intricacies of the design, but all shut lines around the boot, bonnet and doors seems consistent and tight, nothing felt wobbly or weak, and the lines of the vehicle flow nicely from front to back. It’s a pretty car, and that could put off a lot of would-be male customers, but it really shouldn’t.

Inside the new 500 Fiat have pulled off a pretty neat trick. This example in particular, with it’s grey and black interior trim, has a lot of grey plastic on show, and we have a bit of an aversion to dull grey plastic. But here’s where the designers have been smart. Once sat in the car, most switch gear and controls you actually touch and feel are finished nicely, with shiny plastic, chrome accents and really nice chunky little steering wheel. The perception you get is of a higher quality car all around. We’ve seen a lot of the motoring press heap high praise on the quality of the Fiat 500, and while we can now understand their exuberance, we can’t quite find ourselves agreeing that the 500 is on a par with the BMW produced MINI, which really did set a new standard in small car quality when it hit the market six years ago.

But what the 500 does inside that the MINI doesn’t do so well is offer some very clever packaging. There are storage pockets, cup holders and trays in every nook and cranny. There’s bags of head room, rear seat space is surprisingly good for a car so small, and the boot puts that of the MINI to shame. The Fiat 500 in that respect is extremely good for a car so small and stylish, Fiat have successfully combined Form and function, so maybe they have made the iPod of the motoring world after all?

Obviously from a drivers point of view the seating arrangement is key. We found the 500 a little odd in that department. The seats didn’t offer much adjustment, and even with the seat base at it’s lowest angle we felt a little higher than we’d usually like to be sat. Although, at 6′ tall we still had plenty of head room and certainly found ourselves comfortable. If we had more than a couple of hours behind the wheel we’re confident we could make it “just right”, but from our relatively short experience the seating position wasn’t fantastic. Even though this 500 was the Sport edition, the seating felt much City Car than little Sports Car. Hopefully this is something the hot Abarth versions will put right for those wanting something a little more sporty.

Another tiny annoyance we also found was that the sloping a-pillars could interfere with your line of sight quite badly when pulling out of tight country lane junctions. This isn’t something unique to the 500 though, and seems to be a side-product of modern car design and production. The feeling of space granted by the sloping windscreen and relatively large dash area do more than compensate for this minor annoyance.

As for the dash display and operation, gear change and steering wheel we could find very little at fault. The 100hp engine coped well with the lanes and the congested city traffic, if you work the snappy six speed gearbox well enough you could nip about quite effectively, and while the engine is quite peaky by nature, it can make for an engaging drive. The steering wheel is not overly big, and while the weight of the steering could maybe be a little beefier, the response from the power steering was nice and positive, and you felt confident in the twisties. With Sport mode engaged, things are improved a little more, but the change isn’t as obvious as we had previously experience with the Sport button in the second generation MINI Cooper.

Road noise in the cabin was surprisingly subdued, it was more than possible to carry on a civil discussion at 60mph on the not-so-smooth lanes of Northamptonshire. The suspension was firm, but not jarring and body roll was at a more than acceptable level. The car feels surprisingly mature for a fun little thing, and we felt we could quite easily drive for reasonably long distances without cause for complaint.

Public reaction to the 500 was also interesting, we’ve driven a few cars before release on public roads and the look on the faces of people walking by is a good gauge to how public reaction at large could be. A sort of “silent vox pop” situation. The 500 certainly drew attention and glances on the road, and when we stopped for photographs people of all ages showed an interest. A group of young boaters unanimously declared it “cool”.

Our lasting impression of the Fiat 500 was that of a job well done. While clearly produced to a budget, and there are cracks in the make-up in terms of materials and some of the less obvious detailing, you walk away feeling that Fiat have achieved their aims and produced a seriously amusing little car that looks fantastic and leaves you smiling. And if you can’t have fun behind the wheel, then what’s the point?

We cant wait to spend some more quality time behind the wheel of the new Fiat 500, when we hope to be able to offer some more in depth opinion, thanks again to Motorvogue for the opportunity and hospitality.  For more photographs, check out Flickr.

Ever since the ‘3+1’ concept, from which the new Fiat 500 was developed, was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2004, the enthusiasm and interest of the public have shown that the shape created in the mid Fifties by Dante Giacosa has not exhausted its extraordinary appeal over the years: even today, the empathy, familiarity and distinction it communicates is unchanged, and iconic. And the Fiat Style Centre has shown an equally extraordinary ability to recreate the same shapes in an updated, ultramodern form without detracting in any way from the original content.

To develop such a special car, Fiat decided to adopt a revolutionary approach, which placed the concept of ‘involvement’ at the centre of the development process. For the first time in automotive history, the many fans all over the world were involved directly, through the ‘500 wants you’ website, and invited to express their wishes for the new car. These suggestions were then collected by Fiat Automobiles designers and engineers and converted into targets to be reached, with solutions and equipment that were as close as possible to the expectations of potential customers. So the Fiat 500 really is ‘a car created for the people, with the people’s ideas’.

A car created for the people, with the people’s ideas

In order to involve the public in the design of the new 500, Fiat Automobiles launched a communications project known as ‘500 wants you’, an interactive multimedia platform which, in advance of the official launch, touched all sectors of communication: from advertising to viral marketing, fashion and photography. But it was on the web, thanks to the www.fiat500.com site that the ‘500 wants you’ project really came into its own. And the figures confirm that it has been a huge success: since it went online on May 3, 2006, the site has been visited by over 3,700,000 users, with over 51,700,000 pages seen, and it boasts a community of 76,000 fans.

‘500 wants you’ was a huge online laboratory, where users were able to discover the stylistic concept of the new car for themselves, expressing their preferences, proposing ideas and contributing to its creation, in a combined, active manner, for the first time ever. The www.fiat500.com site collected the suggestions and expectations of the public, who thus contributed directly to the development of the product. And through the Concept-Lab, the virtual laboratory where visitors could model the Fiat concept car, over 275,000 configurations, suggestions for accessories and means of customising the new model were submitted.

But, as so often happens on the Internet, the ‘www.fiat500.com’ site was a constantly evolving project, which continued to incorporate new contents, activities and initiatives. They have included the DesignBoom international competition, divided into the ‘accessories’, ‘everywhere’ and ‘lifestyle’ categories, which involved over 5,400 users, and received about 1,060 projects. 38 videos were also submitted for the ‘500 take you’ competition, 1,263 proposals for the ‘500 wants a mascot’ competition and about 600 ‘Faces for the 500’, a game that invited people to associate a facial expression with a chosen part of the 500. And people showed the same enthusiasm and participation for the ‘500ology’, the largest online encyclopaedia of stories and pictures dedicated to the 500, written jointly with the users, ‘Speak 500’ (a multimedia archive containing over 50 audio files of how the word ‘500’ is pronounced in languages and regional dialects around the world) and ‘Jingle Box’, a music player that collected almost 8,600 soundtracks composed by users, which they could save as MP3 files and then use on their mobile phones or MP3 players.

And finally, to celebrate the first anniversary of ‘500 wants you’, on May 8, the ‘500×500 online booking’ operation was launched on the site. This original initiative gave people a chance to book one of the 500 examples of the ‘500 wants you edition’, an exclusive version of the Fiat 500 dedicated to the site Community, the people who have collaborated, invented and participated in the birth of the first car ‘created by the people, for the people’. Although neither the price nor details of the car have been communicated, bookings have reached the ceiling at a rate of one every 40 seconds: a sign of the trust that the people registered with the site have in Fiat’s capacity to translate their suggestions into reality.

An ‘appealing’ line that respects tradition

The Fiat 500 immediately conveys the idea of compactness, thanks to a lateral section made up of several superimposed layers and its ‘shell-like’ roof, whose measurements are decidedly smaller than those of the sides in the plane view. The proportions and a number of aesthetic features give it an ‘appealing’ air, but also convey solidity and robustness.

In a total length of just 3.5 metres, the designers have extended the passenger compartment to obtain a pleasant form that is extremely luminous in the side view, with a short bonnet and minimal overhangs. The bonnet folds down over the sides while the front combines the family resemblance of the latest Fiat models with the distinctive elements of the first Fiat 500 with great stylistic harmony. For example, the strongest reference to the historical car is the combination of the circular upper headlights together with full beam lower lights and the ‘whiskers and logo’ unit.

From the side, the waistline slopes slightly at the front to highlight the robustness and dynamism of the design. The lateral section proposes a modern interpretation of the look of the historic 500, but with more essential, modern surfaces, interrupted by the generous shape of the wheelarches. It is also possible to see the front and rear light clusters, because of the way the rounded side links up to the nose and tail. And finally, the roof pillar forms an arc which simplifies the design of the glazing which is continuous and hides the upper edge of the doors with black profiling.

The rear end of the Fiat 500 features a large shaped, chrome-plated handle which reiterates the motif of the registration plate light holder of its forebear that resembled a bicycle saddle. The rear lights are set between the edges of the tailgate and they are divided chromatically by function so that they appear more vertical and farther apart. The side view of superimposed volumes continues right to the tailgate, creating a striking wraparound shape. The rear window ‘cuts’ the tailgate at the sides, creating a simple modern look for the glazing while a small spoiler at the top of the tailgate enhances the contemporary look and improves the aerodynamic efficiency.

And finally, although there are plenty of references to the past, all the elements are only reiterated on the new Fiat 500 after their place on a modern car has been analysed in depth, reviewing their functions and materials, or even finding new uses for them. For example, the famous canvas roof of the past has now been replaced by a Sky Dome glass roof. This large roof continues the line of the windscreen, with a linear, luminous interpretation of the roof, highlighting the two arcs of the pillars (it is available in a fixed version, or with an electric opening mechanism).

Another example of a stylistic re-interpretation is found in the retro design of the front and rear light clusters which is now combined with the most sophisticated exterior lighting technology. Produced by Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting, they are precious design elements, and the front light clusters offer DRL (Day Running Light) daytime lighting as standard: this function is activated automatically when the engine is started, with a beam stronger than that of the side lights but lower than that of the dipped headlights. The DRL system meets current legislation in some countries that requires motorists to drive with their headlights on, but makes it possible not to turn the rear side lights on, thus saving on consumption. The DRL daytime light is another innovative feature that the Fiat 500 introduces in this segment for the first time.

The styling of the new car is completed by the broad choice of metallic and non-metallic colours which creates a large number of possible combinations, some of which are inspired by the ‘vintage’ appeal of the original shades of the first 500, while others have a decidedly contemporary look, and the bodywork can always be chosen to match the fabric or leather of the upholstery, with a facia the same colour as the exterior.

And finally, the Fiat 500 is the first Fiat model to use its own name as a logo, positioning it on the wheel hubs and rims.

Elegance and innovation in a passenger compartment that will not age

The designers paid the utmost attention to detail, while focusing on simplicity, which is the leitmotif of the new model. Simple does not mean ‘bare’, but embraces a particular stylistic and constructive interpretation that strives for ‘simplified enjoyment’. The passenger compartment is airy and roomy, an environment where you can enjoy the time you spend in the car comfortably and at ease. It is also an embracing, protective environment thanks to the large ring that circles the entire space inside.

The structure of the Fiat 500 cabin sums up the comprehensiveness of the modern, ergonomic outfit, in a design inspired by the historical 500. Starting with the steering column, which is made up of steering wheel and instruments, grouped in a single panel which contains the speedometer, rev counter and trip computer, all concentric and perceptible immediately and simultaneously. These elements, together with the central console and the radio-air vent unit, can be ordered in ivory or black, a choice that influences the character of the car, making it more ‘vintage’ or sporty. The instrument panel on the Fiat 500 is an ideal blend of retro styling and modern technology which adapts perfectly to the interior of the car. Built by Magneti Marelli, it comes in two versions: ‘Comfort’ and ‘Matrix’, and the latter features a dot matrix monitor at the centre of the panel which displays the pictograms for the satellite navigation system incorporated in the Blue&Me™ Nav device.

If the upper part of the facia is designed to convey a sense of refinement and elegance, the lower part conveys functionality with capacious, open storage shelves, and small and medium sized drawers for more valuable items that you want to conceal. The gear lever, which is positioned on the facia, looks like a refined mechanical component, with chromed parts and a simple but efficient black knob that is shiny or chrome-plated depending on the version. The set of most frequently used buttons was inspired by the telltales and small levers of the old 500, and is very quick and easy to use.

The seats deserve a separate mention; the various versions copy those of the 500 F of the 1960s with the same ‘split’ effect: solid tone fabric at the bottom and the upper lunette and a head-restraint that match the colour of the steering wheel. The most lavish version of the new 500 also offers elegant Cordura fabric upholstery, finished with a tubular border over the stitching, while the seats and facia on the sporty outfit show the influence of the racing world, with leather coloured or black elements, a chrome-plated gear lever knob and a more encircling shape for the front seats. Fiat 500 customers can also order prestigious Frau leather upholstery, choosing from a traditional Black, a Hide colour that recalls the earlier 500 and an ultra-sporty Red.

The door panels feature a contrast between the part upholstered to match the seats and the plastic structure that incorporates a large oddment pocket and the speakers. The door handle has a chromed ‘hook’ shape that recalls one of the best remembered features on the door of the historical 500.

What is more, in spite of its small size, the new model is amazingly roomy, thanks to careful analysis of the distribution of the storage units, such as the two compartments on the facia for the driver and passenger, the hidden compartment on the passenger side, those in the door panels, another in the gearbox support and one above the passenger seat. And the luggage compartment is also quite capacious (185 litres, or a maximum of 550 litres right up to the ceiling), and the loading threshold is low to make loading easier; the rear seat squab can also be folded down.

The rear seat is very comfortable for 2 people, and on all versions it reiterates the same attention to detail that is evident in the front seats. To highlight the fact that the car really is roomy, the upper outline of the squabs is raised to support and clasp passengers’ backs better. And finally, a console positioned between the seats near the tunnel acts as a ‘docking station’, it can hold the usual small items (glasses and cans), and houses the 12V socket and USB port to connect a range of functional accessories, and telematic devices such as an iPod or PDA, or even a fragrance dispenser which offers the customer a choice of fragrances.

Engineering and Styling combined for record time to market

To create the heir to a veritable icon of our times: this was the goal shared by the engineers and designers who worked on the new 500. And with this goal in mind, the Fiat Style Centre and Engineering & Design worked closely together, applying the most sophisticated methodologies, and putting into their work all the passion that a similar project demanded.

Like the Bravo before it, for the new 500, Fiat Automobiles achieved a level of integration between the set-up, planning and virtual verification methods during the product development process that is the state of the art in the motor industry, comparable only with the aeronautical sector.

Intensive use of virtual checks made it possible to assess a virtually unlimited number of design solutions rapidly and early on in the process, guaranteeing the best trade-off of performance, and strengthening the entire project. As a result, as with the Bravo, this kept development time for the new 500 to just 18 months, from the specification “freeze” to market launch. This record is perfectly in line with the goals that Fiat Automobiles has already achieved, borne out, for example, by the fact that European customers have voted the Panda the best performer in terms of quality and reliability, thanks to the soundness of the project and processes. And with the Fiat 500 the reliability and perceived quality will be even better, due to the care that has gone into the choice of materials and design solutions.

As a result of the lessons learned from the Bravo project, the Fiat Group has drafted a plan to implement new methodologies, which synergetically embraces all the automotive sectors and revolves around further development of virtual analysis methods; in parallel, the use of standardised components was increased, and new design references were adopted to optimise costs and to curb weights.

One of the first important stages in the development process that also brings in the competent Engineering & Design centres, is the co-called ‘feasibility’ stage, during which the preliminary Styling work is analysed by Engineering, to assess any technical problems that may be presented by the ‘dress’ covering the mechanical parts, some of which already existed, and which aspects of performance may be affected by the styling. In practice, the first CAS (Computer Aided Styling) mathematical calculations, even without details such as cuts and mobile parts, seals, etc., are combined with already finalised platform calculations, so that the set-up and layout specialists can then ‘slice them up’ into specific sections zone by zone, to highlight the important dimensional parameters and decide how lines have to be adapted to house the components and to define the necessary operating spaces.

In the meantime, the aerodynamics team assesses the first Cd and air flow values for the engine cooling, deriving them from the fluid dynamic calculation, while the manufacturing team simulates component pressing in sheet steel, to highlight any problems related to the shapes. All the data from these calculations are filtered by the Performance Engineering team, which defines the trade off necessary if all the objectives set previously are to be respected.

One of the most critical areas of the 500 project, which demanded a great deal of creativity as well as patient refinement, was the nose of the car, which had to accommodate the mechanicals and the engine as well as meeting pedestrian safety standards (a problem that did not exist on the 500 of 1957 because the engine was mounted at the rear). So with the help of virtual reality, the specialists tried various combinations for the front components, until they obtained a new layout that was compatible with a smaller overhang, after having redesigned the radiator, widened the front air intake, and repositioned the foglights, verifying everything with the impact deformation calculations which confirmed the ‘feasibility’ of the compact nose (very similar to the one on the previous 500).

Another stylistic feature of the old 500 that caused problems for the feasibility of the new model was the characteristic curve of the roof at the rear. The interesting fact was that in the 1950s this line was established deliberately by the technicians to limit the roominess in the rear of the car so that it would not prove too competitive for its more expensive elder sister, the Fiat 600. The exact opposite to the new 500 of the 21st century, which was designed to accommodate 4 adults comfortably, without losing its famous rounded shape. The ergonomic experts got to work using simulations, and succeeded in lowering the rear H point, i.e. the reference point of a human body sitting on the rear seat, so as to improve headroom. But it was not enough, and there was also the risk that the foam of the seat cushion would be too thin, and that the passenger would be uncomfortably aware of the metal structure of the floor on every bump. Two types of calculation demonstrated that a solution to the problem did exist. On one hand, an increase in the ‘bearing capacity’ of the cushion foam was assessed, so as to absorb the vertical acceleration in less space, and on the other, a calculation of the structural rigidity of the bodyshell showed that the size of the rear crossbeam could be reduced, together with a ‘millimetric refinement’ of the tailgate hinges and the space necessary for the tailgate to open, and still guarantee a reasonable amount of headroom.

Still on the subject of the car’s rounded shape, the Fiat 500 has an excellent Cd, without the addition of a spoiler which would have ruined the car’s attractive line; so by infinite trial and error, experimenting with the shape of the tailgate (because in the meantime the first physical model had been prepared), a final sliver was removed that made it possible to obtain a Cd reading of 0.325 in the wind tunnel, an excellent result for a car that is just 3.5 metres long with a rounded shape.

Despite it’s diminutive size, Fiat are claiming “Class Beating Safety” for the new 500. In their official press release to accompany the official unveiling of the new 500 in Turin, Fiat state they have taken a holistic approach to vehicle safety, rather than focusing on each safety component individually, they have considered how the Fiat 500 and it’s tiny shell and chassis work together in the event of any motoring mishaps.

To being, the new model is the first car in this category to offer up to 7 airbags (front, side, curtain- and knee-bags are all standard throughout the range, except for the Naked version). The new 500 also proposes a number of sophisticated technical solutions to control the car’s dynamic behaviour. They include ABS complete with EBD, the sophisticated ESP (Electronic Stability Program), ASR (Anti Slip Regulation), HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assistance) and a Hill Holder device to aid hill starts.

To further ensure the safety of the occupants, the bodyshell of the new model is designed to respect all the latest impact resistance criteria, being the first super-mini with a front structure designed specifically to improve compatibility between vehicles in a head-on impact. While at the same time, the car is rigid around the passenger compartment to protect occupants with high-absorption areas on the outside.

Seat-belts with double pretensioners and load limiters are standard on the front seats, with three-point belts at the rear. The front and rear seats are fitted with antisubmarining devices that prevent the occupant from sliding forward, under the seat-belt. For those with little ones to care for Isofix attachments for child seats are standard throughout the range.

The Fiat 500 is fitted with all the dynamic and comfort features that ensure occupants can tackle any type of road comfortably and safely. Credit also goes to the suspension: an independent MacPherson system at the front, and semi-independent interconnected wheels with a torsion axle at the rear. The two layouts have evolved from a Magneti Marelli design and have been used on other Fiat models in the past; they have now been revised and modified for the new car, to guarantee outstanding handling and the highest possible level of comfort.

In detail, the Fiat 500s safety system can be broken down into the following components:

Active safety

The braking system on the new car has two independent cross-over circuits to guarantee prompt, smooth braking and shorter stopping distances. The pedal has a short stroke, so that the characteristics of the servo assist are exploited in full.
The front discs have a diameter of 240 mm; they are solid for versions with the 1.2 8v engine and ventilated for the 1.3 Multijet, with a diameter of 257 mm for versions with the 100 bhp 1.4 16v. The rear brakes mount drums (180 mm) on the 1.2 8v and 1.3 Multijet, and discs (240 mm) on the 1.4 16v. The 9” brake servo makes braking easier and more effective, decreasing the effort needed on the pedal.

ABS system

The ABS on the Fiat 500 has four active sensors, four channels, a hydraulic control unit with eight solenoids and comes complete with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution). The system can guarantee the best possible braking effort even with each wheel close to locking, which means it is possible to control the direction of the car fully in emergency situations using the steering wheel.
The strong points of the system are the active sensors, which process the wheel speed data themselves (without having to send them to the control unit); they can read values very close to nought (passive sensors do not register speeds below 2.5 km/h) and are less sensitive to disturbance caused by electromagnetic fields.
This advanced ABS system is supplemented by electronic brake force distribution, EBD, which distributes the braking force between the front and rear wheels to prevent the rear wheels from locking, guaranteeing a balanced response from the car in all conditions. The system also adapts to the grip conditions of the wheels and the efficiency of the brake pads, and it reduces the temperature of the front brakes and the effort demanded from the brake servo.

ESP (Electronic Stability Program)

The new Fiat 500 offers the sophisticated Electronic Stability Program to guarantee complete control over the car; this program cuts in when conditions are close to the limit, and the car’s stability is at risk, to help the driver to control the vehicle (the device is standard with the 1.4 engine and an option with the other two).
To do so, ESP constantly verifies how the tyres grip the ground, longitudinally and laterally, and if the car does skid, it cuts in to recover the trajectory and trim stability. It incorporates sensors that measure the wheel speed, the vehicle’s rotation around its vertical axis (yaw speed), the lateral acceleration and the steering angle set by the driver (which indicates his chosen direction). It then compares these data with the parameters processed by a computer and uses a complex mathematical model to establish whether the car is taking a bend within the grip limits, or whether the front or rear is about to veer (understeer or oversteer).
To bring it back to the correct trajectory, the system generates a yaw moment opposite to the one that caused the instability, singly braking the appropriate wheel (nearside or offside), and reducing the engine power by adjusting the throttle valve. This is where the device developed for the Fiat 500 differs from other systems. Its intervention on the brakes is modulated to be as gentle as possible (therefore without disturbing the driving), and the reduction in engine power is limited, to guarantee excellent performance and enjoyable driving at all times. ESP is always engaged.

ASR (Anti Slip Regulation) and MSR (Motor Schleppmoment Regelung)

To limit any slipping of the driving wheels when grip on the road is poor, the new Fiat 500 is equipped with a sophisticated device that controls traction automatically. It is known as ASR (Anti Slip Regulation), and is standard equipment on all versions that mount the ESP system. ASR functions at all speeds and adjusts torque on the basis of the grip detected.
Based on the number of wheel revs calculated by the ABS sensors, the device calculates the degree of slipping and activates two different control systems to recover grip:
• when an excessive demand for power causes both drive wheels to slip (for example when aquaplaning or accelerating on an uneven, snow-covered or icy road surface), the system reduces engine torque by decreasing the throttle valve aperture and thus the air flow;
• if only one wheel slips (for example the wheel inside a bend following acceleration or dynamic changes to the load), this is automatically braked without the driver having to press the brake pedal. The effect obtained is similar to that of a self-locking differential.
ASR helps to maintain vehicle stability, and it is particularly useful when there is a loss of grip (just think of the ramps in a garage in Winter) and when the paving does not guarantee homogeneous friction.
Another advantage of ASR that should not be overlooked is the reduction of stress on mechanical organs such as the differential and gearbox, which is achieved by controlling take-off and traction at low speeds.
ASR is engaged automatically every time the engine is started, but can be excluded by a switch on the centre console. When ASR is activated a telltale on the instrument panel flashes. If the telltake in the control panel comes on, but the LED on the switch is off, this indicates a malfunction or irregularity in the system. ASR must be de-activated when snow chains are mounted, because in order to transmit torque to the ground, the wheel has to be able to ‘pile up’ snow with small slips that the ASR system tends to avoid.
If the driver changes down suddenly and grip is poor, the MSR device (Motor Schleppmoment Regelung) takes over, returning torque to the engine and preventing slipping due to wheel lock.

HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assistance)

The Fiat 500 adopts a device that assists in emergency braking. On cars fitted with ESP this function is performed electronically by the ABS control unit and it is called HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assistance).
During ‘panic’ braking, most drivers recognise an emergency situation and put their feet down very rapidly on the brake pedal, but not with the necessary additional effort. Because, unless he is a professional driver, the motorist is accustomed to braking by applying a certain ‘load’ to the pedal, and like all automatic gestures repeated over and over again, he tends to use the same effort in all circumstances.
On the new model, at this point the Brake Assist devices are triggered, and although the pressure on the pedal remains the same, they ensure the same deceleration that you would achieve by braking with every possible force.
The panic braking assist is also useful for more expert drivers who do brake rapidly, and with the right amount of energy when necessary. Because in any case the system reduces braking implementation time, i.e. the time between the moment he applies the force on the pedal and the moment that the circuit reaches maximum pressure and can give its best performance.

Hill Holder

The Hill Holder is a system that helps the driver on hill starts. It cuts in when the ESP control unit perceives a difference in the inclination of the car through a longitudinal acceleration sensor on the floor under the front passenger seat. During a hill start, the control unit prepares to intervene when first speed is engaged and the brake and clutch pedals are depressed. The pressure on the front brake callipers is maintained for about 2 seconds after the driver releases the brake pedal, allowing him to set off without difficulty. The Hill Holder is not activated when the car is started downhill with first speed engaged. Similarly, when reverse is engaged, the system is activated for downhill starts, and it is not activated for uphill starts.

All in all that should stand Fiat in good stead to be up with the best of them in terms of safety and security in the new 500. It will certainly be interesting to see how the little car performs in the Euro NCAP crash tests, where larger relatives the Punto and Bravo have both set a fine example, scoring a maximum five stars for adult occupant protection.

This press release from Fiat dates back to March 2007. We’re repeating it Today, ahead of the 500 Live event taking place this evening, to provide a reminder of Fiat’s goals and ambitions for their new Bambina. The press release was accompanied by the first official photographs of the new Fiat 500, which you can view in the NF500 Flickr Group.

On July 4, 1957, in Turin, Fiat presented the Nuova Fiat 500, a real icon of our times, with which Fiat concluded a revival that had begun straight after the Second World War. On July 4, 2007, exactly 50 years later, again in Turin, Fiat will present the new Fiat 500 which will be marketed immediately after the launch. And the new car will conclude an equally important cycle of revival for Fiat Automobiles SpA.

Developed by the Fiat Style Centre and manufactured in the plant in Tychy (Poland), the new 500 is a 3-door model with very compact measurements: it is 355 cm long, 165 cm wide, 149 cm tall and has a wheelbase of 230 cm. The car is extremely entertaining to drive, due to its three engines: a 75 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet turbodiesel unit and two petrol engines, the 69 bhp 1.2 8v and the 100 bhp 1.4 16v, all of which are available with five or six speed mechanical gearboxes.

The model confirms Fiat Automobiles SpA’s undisputed leadership in this category - a result of its extraordinary heritage of technical, design and human experience accumulated in over a century - and it takes a quality leap forward in terms of comfort and safety, technology and equipment for this segment. The new 500 is the most up-to-date solution for the motorist who ‘enjoys’ his car in complete freedom, appreciates it for day-to-day use, but also wishes to drive a car that is entertaining and practical, environmentally-friendly and accessible, but also appealing and full of fun.