The first refreshed-for-2019 Fiat 500X crossovers just rolled off the boat in the U.S.—but should you consider one?

By Bill Hayward

2019 Fiat 500X
Photo: FCA media website.

FCA dropped the news last Friday that the first shipments of the 2019 Fiat 500X—the crossover version, newly refreshed for the 2019 model year, of the venerable Fiat 500 nameplate—have rolled off the ship in Baltimore.

“Our first batch of new Italian-designed, fun-to-drive 2019 Fiat 500X small crossovers are just starting to arrive,” said Steve Beahm, Head of Passenger Car Brands—Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and Fiat—North America. “Customers will soon be able to experience and enjoy the all-new turbocharged 1.3-liter engine with class-leading torque, standard all-wheel-drive capability, and a host of new safety and technology features.”

So do these little Italian treats represent an interesting option for someone who likes the idea of a small SUV or crossover but wants something that stands out within a vehicle category that is overwhelmingly vanilla, unless you’re working with a Porsche- or Mercedes-size budget?

Let’s take a look at the considerations.

First, if you’re not familiar with the version that has an X on the end, don’t make the mistake of summarily writing it off based on what you do know about the Fiat 500. There’s a big difference—and I literally mean BIG—between the Fiat 500 vs. the Fiat 500X.

If you take a look at a Fiat 500, especially a coupe, it’s hard to get beyond the smallness, even if you’re someone like me who can appreciate the virtues of small sports cars from the Mazda MX-5 Miata to the Lotus Elise. 

With a curb weight of 2,366 to 2,512  pounds depending on trim level and options, the Fiat 500 is heavier than it looks—heavier than both of the aforementioned sports cars, for example.

But somehow, my eye just processes car sizes differently on the basis of intended use. And notwithstanding the enthusiast’s car cred that the Fiat 500 Abarth has legitimately earned, it’s hard to make a case that the intended use of a Fiat 500 is as anything other than a passenger car.

So when I look at a Fiat 500—especially in the 4-door configuration—it’s outside my size comfort zone for a passenger car, even though there are smaller cars that I would be comfortable driving for different purposes.

Now, the Fiat 500X, the all-wheel drive, small-SUV-cum-crossover version of the Fiat 500, is a very different story. At a glance, it just looks bigger and more substantial. The appearance, to my eye, is sturdy enough to pass muster as a true—but small—utility vehicle, rather than the 80s-hatchback-on-big-wheels look of many of today’s cheap small “crossovers” like the Ford EcoSport.

I can actually imagine myself, in certain lifestyle scenarios, being comfortable owning a Fiat 500X. But I can’t say the same about a Fiat 500, with the possible exception of an Abarth. The Abarth has an entirely different vibe. In fact, it’s different enough to really be in an entirely different category. And I could see owning one for the same reasons that I could imagine myself behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta ST but not a base Ford Fiesta.

While visual cues such as larger wheels and wheel wells may be the primary factor behind the overall impression, there is also an objective size difference between the 2019 Fiat 500 and the 500X, with an extra 300-400 pounds of curb weight on both the high and low ends of the weight range.

The Fiat 500X also boasts a wheelbase nearly 10 inches longer, and an overall length greater by a whopping margin of 24-27 inches. No wonder the Fiat 500X looks more substantial than its two-wheel-drive passenger-car little-sister version: it is substantially larger.

Now, since the Fiat 500X nameplate has been around since 2014, the next important question is: what’s new for 2019?

Glad you asked, because there is some news about that too. The most important feature is an all-new 1.3-liter turbocharged engine that produces a respectable 177 horsepower and 210 lb.-ft. of torque. FCA claims that “Fiat is now the only lineup in the market that offers consumers turbocharged engines standard.”

Among the other new or refreshed features are safety and security enhancements, including adaptive cruise control and front park assist, as well as new front and rear fascia designs.

The Fiat 500X is now available in three trim levels: the Fiat 500X Pop (starting at $25,985), the Fiat 500X Trekking, (starting $27,490), and the Trekking Plus (starting at $30,690). Features that distinguish these trim-level step-ups are primarily cosmetic, like deep-tinted glass and metallic door handles, as well as more aggressive-looking wheels and fascia designs.

Some more substantial upgrades, like heated seats and LED projector headlamps, come with the Trekking Plus.

If the small crossover/SUV is a category that generally makes sense for you because it checks off enough of the boxes on your practical lifestyle-needs list, the Fiat 500X is worth considering if a choice that offers a little beyond-the-ordinary flair appeals to you.

The one caveat, however, is that the wide-scale reintroduction of the Fiat marque to the U.S. is still relatively new, having begun after Chrysler’s divorce from Daimler-Benz and absorption into FCA. So compared to long-established options in the category like the Toyota Rav4, the reliability expectation is still a bit of an unknown.

The same goes for other offerings in the FCA family like the Alfa-Romeo Giulia—awesome Italian cars in many respects, with designs that stand out refreshingly. But they also arguably come with at least some question marks in terms of the outlook for their long-term impact on your wallet.

But, then again—that’s where the benefits of a new-car warranty and/or a lease come in. If these turn out to be trouble-prone, if you get ‘em while they’re new you still have the option of holding onto them for only as long as the coverable failures will be on the manufacturer’s dime instead of yours.

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