Fiat has taken the covers off of its 500X – a Fiat 500-based crossover which will go on sale globally.

The 2015 Fiat 500x is built in the SATA factory in Melfi (Potenza), Italy and more than 100 countries, including the United States, will receive the 2015 Fiat 500X.

Details

There’s a range of efficient diesel and petrol engines and there’ll be three gearboxes to choose from too, with either a manual, 9-speed automatic or twin-clutch six-speed transmission doing duty. There’ll be front-wheel drive, four-wheel drive as well as front-wheel drive with Traction Plus to choose from. That’s a lot of variety and personally I’m glad you have the options to choose.

There are two versions available. The first is for the fashionbrigade and the car offers distinctive, elegant detailing and the second is for the outdoor/offroad enthusiasts as the car has more of a 4×4 look to it. In terms of size, it’s 4.25 metres long (2 cm more for the version suited for leisure), 1.8 metres wide and 1.60 metres in height (with roof bars or 4-wheel drive the figures are 161 and 162 cm respectively). Wheel sizes range from16-, 17- and 18-inch alloys.

The interior can be configured in no less than seven different ways, with various types of fabric, leather and colours coming together. The luggage compartment sits at 350 litres, and thanks to the multiple seat adjustment possibilities, this can be expanded.

2015 Fiat 500X engines

Powering the 2015 Fiat 500X are a range of engines from the Fiat family. From the launch there’ll be a 1.4 Turbo MultiAir II with 105 kW (with front-wheel drive and 6-speed manual gearbox), the 90 kW 1.6 MultiJet II (also with front-wheel drive and 6-speed manual gearbox) and the 105 kW 2.0 MultiJet II (with 9-speed automatic transmission and 4-wheel drive). These engines will be joined by the 82 kW1.6 “E-torQ” (5-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive), the 126 kW 1.4 Turbo MultiAir II (9-speed automatic transmission and 4-wheel drive) and the potent137 kW Tigershark 2.4 (9-speed automatic transmission and 4-wheel drive).

For the diesel fans, there will be a 70 kW1.3 MultiJet II (with 5-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive) and the 104 kW2.0 MultiJet II (with 6-speed manual and 4-wheel drive).

Offroad ability

With four-wheel drive, the 2015 Fiat 500X can venture offroad. The car features a clever rear axle disconnection system that allowsa reduction in energy wasted through drag when four-wheel drive operation is not required, thus ensuring greater efficiency in terms of consumption. It shares the technology with its sibling from the America, the Jeep Renegade.

The Drive Mood Selector gives you three car behaviours. Auto is claimed to be the best for comfort and consumption, Sport favours performance, while All-weather gives you maximum stability in bad conditions. If you’re driving the four-wheel drive version, then All-weather is replaced by traction, which speeds up the transmission of torque to the rear axle.

Uconnect infotainment

The 2015 Fiat 500X comes with new technology in terms of comfort and infortainment. The new UconnectTM system has either a 5″ or 6.5″ touchscreen and both come complete with Bluetooth, Aux-in, USB port, SD port and voice commands. The Uconnect 5” Radio Nav device offers TomTom navigation, while the Uconnect 6.5″ Radio Nav features satellite navigation with 3D maps, progressive route guidance and ‘One Shot Voice Destination Entry’ to enter addresses with voice commands.