HD 2016 Fiat 500X | CarGurus Test Drive Review

To answer the crash test question, the IIHS gave the 500X a Top Safety Pick Plus award.

This car is an absolute blast to drive and I've had no problems so far. Handling, steering are surprisingly good for a crossover, and engine performance is very good, especially in Sport mode. I was an early adopter, having bought a 500x Lounge AWD at the beginning of October. It now has 15,000 miles of highway, urban, and «rural» driving in Arizona, where the extra ground clearance of the 500x and AWD traction mode are useful surprisingly often. External lights are really good and add to the «safe» feeling of the vehicle, with outstanding side sweep from the headlights to catch animals approaching the road. As a matter of personal taste, I find the Euro styling — especially inside — far more exhilarating, without being gimmicky, than what's offered by Japanese automakers. The sunroof just adds to that feeling. The perforated leather seats keep sweat to a minimum, unlike the unbreathable solid leather offered by many other makes. Our long-term fuel efficiency is in the high 20's, and it goes above 30 when driving a straight road at 65. The Nav/technology is excellent and intuitive (the best system I've used when comparing several brands), and I like the fact that it works exactly like in my Grand Cherokee, although the screen has a smaller footprint for the smaller vehicle. The sound quality from the radio included with the nav package (not the expensive Beats upgrade) is surprisingly good, with no lack of base (as I can hear when my daughter is still a few hundred feet from home). Trunk space is indeed limited but that was obviously a tradeoff for the extra knee room in the back seats. My only complaint so far is that it would be nice for them to include 2 lengthwise running roof bars for those who would like to create a roof-rack by adding cross-members as on my Jeep. In summary: So far, so good!

I test drove the automatic and wasn't impressed, but the 1.4 turbo/ manual combination turned out to be a whole lot of fun!