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THE BULLETIN   February 2011

R

emakes o classics are usuallyrubbish, aren’t they? Te minute

we hear there’s one in the ong,we’re already sharpening our critical ac-ulties and preparing or disappointment.Te Italian Job, Te Tomas CrowneAair , Psycho, even KitKats: updates andremakes usually squander the magic o the original and replace it with some-thing soulless and hollow. It’s usuallythe same with cars. Te new VW Beetlelooks like an overgrown child’s toy; the

new Mini is clunky and plastic. Worsto all is the recent remake o the gor-

geous Citroën DS, squandering a mythicheritage to create a cookie cutter amilysaloon. Sacrilege.

Te Fiat 500 isn’t one o those remakesthough, I promise. It’s a great car. You’llhave seen plenty o them: rst releasedin 2007, the 500 was an instant hit,with over 500,000 sold in Europe inthree years. Tere are two on my streetalone, both o which I mistakenly tried

to get into during my test drive o thenew 2011 win Air model. Te origi-nal Cinquecento – so small I once sawour men in Florence pick one up anddeposit it on the pavement so they couldtake its parking space – truly deservedto be called ‘a design classic’. Teremake, although it doesn’t quite have

The mo to ringcolumn

In a new motoring column for The Bulletin, Emma Beddington 

takes the new Fiat 500 Twin Air for a spin and discovers old-school

style with eco credentials

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the diminutive chutzpah o the 1960sBambino, is a stylish, practical homageto the original that thoughtully accom-

modates people who are more than veeet tall. It beats the ersatz Beetle andMini hands down on looks and sensitiveadaption: it’s curvy without looking likeit’s escaped rom a children’s televisionprogramme and the dash is gorgeouslyretro without alling into parody. It’s anice drive, it’s conveniently small (butnot so small that you eel vulnerable) andabove all, it’s a dream to park.

OK, so it wasn’t the smoothest rideo my lie. Te short wheelbase makes

or some hair-raising, theme park ridebounces over speed bumps and cobbles.Ten there’s the engine: it roars exhila-ratingly like a ride-on lawnmower gonewild, but it’s all talk and not much accel-eration. I don’t care though: I love it.

Pros?Look and eel, above all. Tisis a very accomplished update – howoen do you love a remake as muchas the original? Tere are no bells andwhistles, no clunky modernisation, just

a cute, easy to drive city runaround.Te steering and turning radius makeit a joy to park, and i you’d told mebeore I tested this car that I’d ever eeljoy parking any vehicle in Brussels, I’dhave laughed in your ace. As it is, I wascruising the streets looking or smallerand smaller spaces to squeeze into andimpress my children. It’s also packedwith saety eatures and has impeccablylow emission rates.

Cons? Despite all Fiat’s assurancesand the new two cylinder engine, the500 eels a little underpowered. Tewin Air technology might be lean andgreen, but I’d like something a littlemore responsive. Te acceleration isfabby and the gears are weirdly long ora little car. It’s ne on the motorway,once it gets into its stride, but it strug-gled to get me out o trouble with thehills, the cheeky overtaking and lane

changes that characterise Brussels driv-ing. It’s my only real criticism, but it’s abig one.

Who’s this car for? Citydwellers, parking-phobes, design lovers.But I must also say this: when I let my

ex-husband have a drive, or balance,he revved the engine, showed me howto make the windscreen wipers stop,admired the interior, then gave hisverdict.

“Girl’s car”.So also, possibly, girls.

The Colruyt test? I waspleasantly surprised by the seeminglytiny boot, which managed to accommo-

date a ull shop at Belgium’s best loveddiscount store – a 12 pack o kitchenroll, a mop, two 5-litre bottles o bleachand a case o cheap wine included.

Kerb appeal?Te 500 isalready everywhere in Brussels and the2011 model has no particular distin-guishing eatures, so my borrowed babydidn’t get much kerbside love. Tat said,the 500 seems to inspire kindly interac-tion with other road users: I got surpris-

ingly compassionate treatment on trickyjunctions.

What do the kids think?  (aged 8): “It’s good, I like it, but the badpoint is the speed. It’s slow. But maybeyou’re slow, maman. And it should havedoors in the back.”Me: “But then it wouldn’t be so small!Do you think it’s a girl ’s car?”: “No. It’s not pink.”

The verdict: Retro style in acompact package. Not ast or urious,but heaps o un.

Te Fiat 500 win Air (900 cl) is aailable fom September 2011,priced fom €13,170 to €17,110 or the top o the range diesel model.Eery car in the range is eligible or 

the government 15 percent eco-rebate,thanks to the 95 g/km CO2 win Air engine technology.

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