New Fiat 500S: more show but NO extra go – costs from £12,950

The 2016 Fiat 500S – the new sporty-looking 500 is now on sale in the UK

The Fiat 500S goes on sale in the UK from £12,950 offering a sporty-looking take on the 500 City Car with a wide range of engine choices.

The Fiat 500 got itself a facelift last year, and is still selling strongly in the UK, with over a quarter of a million sales racked up in the UK for Fiat’s little retro-chic city runaround helped, no doubt, by Fiat’s ever-growing range of 500 models to cater to all needs.

But this Fiat, the Fiat 500S, is a real Fiat 500 rather than a badge-engineered one like the 500X and 500L, although its ‘S’ badge is denoting looks, not pace; Fiat has Abarth for that sort of thing.

So the Fiat 500S adds a cosmetic veneer of sportiness without actually making your little runaround any quicker, but it does it in a perfectly appealing way which doesn’t destroy the chic of the car in the process.

Fiat has given the 500S sporty bumpers and side skirts, a rear spoiler and a ‘Satin Graphite’ finish for stuff like the 15″ alloys, mirrors and door handles, and there’s a couple of extra colour choices on offer too – Electronica Blue metallic and Marching Green matte.

Inside the 500S gets a bit of titivation too, with black sports seats contrasting with door panels and seat edges in blue, white or yellow, the Satin Graphite look on the dash front, sports steering wheel and 7″ infotainment. Options include leather interior, 16″ alloys, 3D Sat Nav and BeatsAudio.

Four engine options are available for the 500S, from the 1.2 litre 69bhp (from £12,950) and 84bhp 0.9 litre TwinAir (from £14,250) both with a five-speed manual gearbox or dualogic automated manual, the 104bhp version of the TwinAir (from £14,730) and the 94bhp 1.3 litre MultiJet from £15,350.

The new Fiat 500S is now on sale at Fiat’s UK dealers.