Review – Fiat 500X Hybrid Yacht Club Capri
Beautiful Yacht Club Capri
Before we talk about the new powertrain and the car’s handling, let’s take a moment to look at the car’s looks. Fiat brings the 500X Hybrid as an extremely chic Yacht Club Capri version. The execution comes from a close collaboration with the eponymous and exclusive sailing club in Italy. That led to a 500X Hybrid with a nautical theme, for both the exterior and interior. Characteristic of the version is the white leather upholstery, wooden elements in the interior, special badges all around, pin striping and the particularly beautiful color blue. The ‘Blue Venezia’ color is also reflected in the 18-inch alloy wheels and the piping and logo in the upholstery. It all looks excellent on the car, making it perhaps the nicest looking car in its class? Fiat opts for a luxury feel and, in doing so, at least takes a different path than its competitors with SUVs in the B-segment, who mainly go for a tough and/or sporty look.
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500X Convertible
Yet unique to this 500X is the soft-top that covers almost the entire surface of the roof. The passengers in the back can also enjoy the sun, as the roll-up roof opens up nice and far. Whether the term “convertible” that Fiat gives this car also applies is something we will leave aside for the moment.
Nevertheless, it is very nice to drive with the roof open. You do really experience the feeling of open driving. At higher speeds, such as on the highway, it is more comfortable to drive with the roof closed, though. That point is at 100 km/h, which is also the maximum speed for opening and closing the roof while driving. With the roof closed, driving and wind noises are filtered out just fine, but it never gets really quiet.
Under the hood of the 500X Capri Convertible
After the – very nice – electric Fiat 500e, things remained a bit quiet around Fiat. Then finally, in the 500X Hybrid’s undercarriage we find a new power source, namely the 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with 130 hp and 240 Nm of torque and a 48V electric motor processed in the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The electric motor supports the gasoline engine in situations such as city acceleration, parking or traffic jam driving. Full electric driving is possible up to 20 km/h for about 3 kilometers. According to Fiat, the use of hybrid technology should save about 10% in the car’s consumption and CO2 emissions.
Driving the Fiat 500X Hybrid
Time to get behind the wheel of the 500X Hybrid Capri. The elegant version immediately gives a sense of luxury through the white seats and wooden dashboard. The playful interior is user-friendly with large physical dials for the climate control. The ergonomics are good, but we already knew that from the older Fiats 500X.
The first few meters are completely electric, but it doesn’t take long for the gasoline engine to kick in. The transition is not incredibly smooth and you can clearly feel when the four-cylinder kicks in.
The chassis is firm, but not overly hard. It makes for fine handling, but it’s not like it makes the car particularly dynamic. That’s not a problem, by the way, because the drive doesn’t invite you to step on the gas for a while either. Driving slowly is the motto. Still, at times the automatic will seem a bit jerky, especially at moments of low speed, when in doubt between giving gas or not, such as in the busy city and in traffic jams.
Multimedia System
In the center of the dashboard we find a 7-inch display from the old generation 500X. Here should have been an updated 10-inch display, but due to worldwide delivery problems, the old screen is still installed. The system works fine, tad slow perhaps at times. A nice touch is that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are present for smartphone integration. More technology we find in the form of the safety systems. For example, the 500X recognizes traffic signs, has Lane Assist, adaptive cruise control, Attention Assist and parking assistance.
What does the Fiat 500X Hybrid Yacht Club Capri cost?
The Fiat 500X Hybrid comes from 32,190 euros. The convertible roof has an additional cost of 3,000 euros. The Fiat 500X Hybrid Yacht Club Capri is the top version of the 500X and is listed in the brochure for 39,900 euros. This certainly does not make it the cheapest in its class, where alternatives include the Renault Captur (31,800 euros), Nissan Juke (33,040 euros) and Ford Puma (31,165 euros).
Conclusion
The Fiat 500X Hybrid Yacht Club Capri, should you buy it? The answer to that question is not so easy. Yes, at almost 40,000 euros it is anything but cheap, but on the other hand you get something completely different from what is currently available in the segment. Particularly beautiful is this Capri version in any case. Fiat is once again playing the trump card of special editions with this one. And that’s not a bad thing, especially when they then look like this. The powertrain and chassis are a great combination and make for a comfortable ride. The fabric roll-up roof is a nice addition and adds charm to the version. As far as we are concerned, this 500X is an excellent boulevard cruiser!
