Fiat 500S: So pleasingly sporty we didn't want to give it back

Nice little runner - and it only sips at the juice

Start and stop works better on manual cars than automatic because the engine starts as soon as you press the clutch, so there is power by the time you bring it up. The 500S has a good six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with an auto box available on the 85hp model.

Vroom vroom: 105 horses reside within this minimalist engine bay

The new 0.9 TwinAir engine delivers 105hp at 5,500rpm and 107lb ft (145Nm) of torque at 2,000rpm in Sport mode, which Fiat claims translates into 0 to 62mph time of 10 seconds and a top speed of 117mph. The other numbers are good too: 67.3 mpg on the official combined fuel economy cycle and CO2 emissions of 99g/km.

The roof rolls back in two stages, either sun-roof or almost-convertible. It sits high and pram-like when folded all the way back which means it ironically much harder to reverse with the roof down than up. The boot is pathetically small. I needed to transport a small 3D printer and had to fiddle the box over the lock.

Fiat 500S roof retraction - and your reviewer

Despite the S moniker and the “up for it” engine, there is a bit of body roll, a 500 trait, but steering is good and precise. When I reviewed the Fiesta Black I spent the whole time with a nagging doubt that it was the car you bought if you couldn’t afford the ST. The 500S could have the same stinging sibling relationship with the 500 Abarth – but it doesn’t.

The little Twin-Air is magnificent. And well it should be; this is a very expensive small car. The 500S convertible has a list price of £16,510. That’s pre-haggle, but also without any options, which is a lot of money for something with a small car's eco-attitude. But it is also a lot of fun.

So surprisingly sporty we didn't want to return it: The Fiat 500S

One of the many clichés in motoring journalism is “I didn’t want to give it back”. Of course, when someone has given you a free car for a week, you want to hang on to it – the exception being when you have something much more exciting pending. While I had the Fiat 500S I knew the next car was something which was three times the price and a lot more glamorous. But still I loved the Fiat 500S and I didn’t want to give it back.

More details from Fiat. ®