Electric or hybrid for new Fiat 600? Both versions offer plenty – but the choice is yours

I think there are two ways of looking at this week’s review car, the new Fiat 600.

That’s because there are currently two sorts of the 600 model around. One with a full electric powertrain, the other with a souped-up mild hybrid system.

The question is which should you go for. Obviously different circumstances will dictate which option you take – or don’t take – and buy something else altogether.

For the purpose of this review, let’s assume you are thinking of the 600 in the context that you are looking at ­several models that share its mega-motor conglomerate Stellantis’s underpinnings and rivalries.

It is more closely aligned with the Jeep Avenger (mechanicals especially) than anything, but the Peugeot 2008 and Opel Mokka are also among the stablemates. However, the one that most people buy is the more expensive Toyota Yaris Cross.

There is no doubt the Fiat certainly looks different. It’s not a supermini and it’s not an SUV. In this individualistic age of car ownership (despite lots of technological similarities underneath, people like their car to stand out from the crowd. So not being able to pigeonhole this could be a scoring point. We could call it a Suva Mini, I suppose).

To look at, it is more sturdy than cute (the 500 was so, so cute) but the mix works, especially the flared front.

Adding a further touch of macho are wheels that range to 18 inches. It’s not a mega head-turner but it’s got a nice look to it. I think the design would grow on you.

You will be pleased to learn if you are looking for more space that it is bigger than the 500 but remains quite compact, at just 4.17metres in length.

Despite that, Fiat claims it will "comfortably" take five people. It will but the middle slot is only for small bodies (who must also yield foot space to the slightly raised transmission tunnel). Two front and two to the rear is an attainable target.

That’s not a major blemish because you’d expect smaller frames to occupy the rear seats anyway.

The centre seat is too narrow for a third child seat in the back, I reckon.

It is deceptively tall and had just the right height for me getting in and out while the high roof gave the cabin a roomy feel.

Fiat has also managed to add 15 litres of interior storage slots around the cabin, especially at the front (below the push-button drive selectors on the lower dash lies a particularly voluminous one).

My cabin was bright and the 10.25in customisable central touchscreen, as is nearly always the case nowadays, dominated the dash. Most of its elements worked all right and, thankfully, they have judiciously retained buttons for key functions such as volume control but some on-screen functions had menus that I found hard to follow. A bit annoying but I’ve learned to keep my cool by getting someone else to find their way around it and then showing me.

Interior space leaves the square-ish boot to garner a moderate capacity of 385 litres. But, that expands to accommodate 1,256 litres with the rear seats down – that’s some room in a small car.

And so to the "engines". This mild hybrid is powered by a three-cylinder turbo-petrol with 100bhp and transmission is a six-speed automatic gearbox (e-DCT). Added to that is a 48-volt system and a 28hp electric motor.

It’s not a full hybrid or a simple mild hybrid; it is a mix of both, in that it can run extremely briefly in electric-only mode. You also start and end in EV mode.

Around town it was nice and quick though, susceptible to feeding back the harsher juts.

On one lovely drive to Wexford, it was thoroughly enjoyable with that little three-cylinder holding a nice, sharp note.

I reckon you’d get 500km+ on a good mix of rural, urban and motorway driving from the 44-litre tank. I was most pleasantly surprised at how easy it went on the juice on the longer run.

So here’s the rub. The electric ­version (I’ll review it soon) has a claimed range between charges of more than 400km. You have to knock 50km off that for real-world driving – at least.

So let’s say 350km for the electric and 500km for the hybrid. I’m being hard on the hybrid and easy on the electric, so the difference could be 200km.

Maybe that poses the biggest decision you have to make about the car. It does without doubt put broad perspective on what many people are facing: go for "hybrid" for now and hold for electric when things settle down.

There is also the price factor. Prices start from 28,995ドル for hybrid version and 32,995ドル for electric – a full 4,000ドル of a difference.

To be fair to both, the pricing is keen for the Irish market.

The car is well put together and was comfortable. It’s a good package. The choice is yours.

Factfile

FIAT 600 hybrid Small 1.2-litre mild-hybrid supermini/SUV. From 28,995ドル for 600 hybrid version. 32,995ドル for electric 600e. Specs can include: 18-inch alloys, hands-free electric tailgate, auto air con, six-speaker sound system, 10.25in touchscreen with Navi, CarPlay and Android Auto wireless, 7in digital cluster, adaptive cruise control (ACC), six-speed automatic gearbox (e-DCT), USB type A & type C + type C on second row, wireless charger for smartphone, keyless entry.