Fiat 600 Hybrid is Fiat 600 on petrol, also in the Netherlands

There is only one photo of the petrol-fired 600, but in terms of appearance there are hardly any differences with the electric Fiat 600e. The Fiat 600 cannot be called a huge surprise, because it is, after all, a platform mate of the Jeep Avenger. That car also appeared shortly after its electric introduction with a 1.2 PureTech on board, just like its older platform mates Peugeot 2008 and Opel Mokka.

Yet the Fiat 600 Hybrid still has a surprise and that is the ‘Hybrid’ part. Where the Jeep Avenger combines the 1.2 with a manual gearbox and the Peugeot 2008 optionally receives the eight-speed EAT8 automatic transmission, Fiat provides the Fiat 600 Hybrid with the electrified six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that was launched in the facelifted Peugeot 208. . Technically speaking, it is a mild hybrid, where the 100 hp petrol engine receives some electrical support to eliminate turbo lag and reduce fuel consumption. According to the provisional statement, CO2 emissions amount to 110 to 114 grams, which would equate to a consumption of around 1 in 20.

A version with a manual gearbox or a slightly more powerful version of the 1.2 cannot of course be ruled out, but for the time being it concerns this one version. The petrol version of the Fiat 600 has an advantage over the electric one in one area: luggage space. While the 600e has a luggage compartment of 360 liters, the Fiat 600 Hybrid can store 385 liters behind the rear seat.

Next to 500X for now

The petrol Fiat 600 also raises questions, because it stands next to the virtually identical 500X in terms of external dimensions and positioning. The very first version of this article stated that the 600 replaces the 500X, but the importer corrected himself and now states that this is not the case. The 500X would still offer sufficient added value, including through the ‘Cabrio’ version introduced last year. We also cannot rule out that the 600 will ultimately turn out to be the replacement for the 500X, but that is not the case for the time being. The Fiat 500X was presented in 2014, so it has been around for a while.

To illustrate, the external dimensions of the 500X are next to those of the 600. The new model is smaller on all sides, but it doesn’t make much difference. A 500X also offers ‘only’ 350 liters of luggage space, so even the electric 600e surpasses it in that area.

With the smaller 500, the electric 500e and the non-electric 500 Hybrid will apparently continue to coexist as separate models. The 500e is still a real FCA product, developed before the merger of FCA and PSA into Stellantis. The 600(e) is from after that time and shares its platform with models from Opel, Peugeot and Jeep, which are available in both petrol and electricity versions.

Prices and Dutch versions of the petrol Fiat 600 are not yet known, but this will undoubtedly change soon.