Yahoo Autos The 2019 Fiat 500X Packs New Engine and Standard All-Wheel Drive beneath the Same Old Body
It doesn't take much to give a car a new look these days-fiddle with the headlamps and taillamps, reskin the front and rear bumpers, maybe swap in some new wheels, and presto! The car can take on a whole new countenance. Well, three years after its debut, Fiat's most SUV-like vehicle, the 500X crossover, is entering the 2019 model year having undergone all of the aforementioned mid-cycle styling procedures, and-huh? Did anything change?
After close-very close-inspection, we saw that indeed, the headlamps look slightly different, as do the turn signals, although their roundish shapes remain the same. The previously rectangular fog lamps have become circular, too, while the squarish taillamps get new-look innards of their own, now rendered in high relief. As for those "redesigned" fascias? All we've seen so far is the new-for-'19 Trekking Plus trim level, and compared to the 2018 500X Trekking model, only the lowest edge of each fascia has changed, with the front losing its silly suggestion of a skid plate and the rear banishing the tailpipe to a dark place somewhere behind it. New 17- and 18-inch wheels have supplanted last year's array of 16-to-19-inch wheels, but beyond that, it's the same old 500X. With changes so minor as to be unnoticeable even to experts, why did Fiat even bother?
Watch Out, Impreza
Perhaps Fiat went light on the redesign so it could reallocate resources to the engineering team. Clearly some resources were expended in the development of Fiat's new turbocharged 1.3-liter inline-four, which is found under the hood of all U.S.-bound 2019 500X models, replacing both last year's 160-hp 1.4-liter turbocharged Multi-Air base engine and the 175-hp naturally aspirated 2.4-liter Tigershark inline-four that has been offered as an upgrade. The all-new 1.3-liter engine is among the smallest-displacement engines we've seen in the U.S. market since the industry-wide engine downsizing trend began, but with its Multi-Air III variable-valve-timing technology and low-inertia turbocharger with an electronically actuated wastegate, the new mill nonetheless outmuscles last year's offerings with its 177 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 210 lb-ft of torque at 2200 rpm.
Last year's base engine was paired to a six-speed manual transmission and thus equipped, the 500X was reasonably fun, but for 2019, the only available transmission is a nine-speed automatic with manual shift control, three driving modes, and four overdrive gears. Just as significant-even more so from a marketing standpoint-is that all 500Xs will get the formerly optional on-demand all-wheel-drive system standard. Said system won't make the 500X as off-road worthy as the available systems found in its mechanical sibling, the Jeep Renegade, but should be enough to help it get around in the wet stuff that much better.
It's hard for us to get excited about small engines being replaced by even smaller ones, but as we've seen with the 2019 Volkswagen Golf, certain smaller engines can serve not only to improve a car's fuel economy but also, because the engine is lighter, its acceleration and handling. The thing is, the 500X was no Golf to begin with, and Fiat's preliminary specifications show the curb weight as exactly the same as last year's 500X with the 2.4-liter and all-wheel drive. Fuel economy is projected to rise as much as two miles per gallon, however, with an estimated 23 mpg city, 29 highway, and 26 combined, according to Fiat.
We shall see how the newly motivated 500X drives in due time, but we already know how much Fiat will charge for its three trim levels when they arrive in spring 2019. The cloth-upholstered Pop trim still serves as the base version of the 500X, but now comes with the more powerful engine, standard autobox, and all-wheel drive; its price climbs by some $4500 to $25,785. The more rugged-looking Trekking model starts at $27,290 and includes dark-tinted windows, quilted upholstery, a cargo shelf, and a driver-information display in the gauge cluster, plus a one-year satellite radio subscription. The previous Lounge model is gone, replaced by the $30,490 Trekking Plus model, which gets matte-black wheels, all-LED headlamps, heated power leather-covered front seats, richer dashboard and door panel materials, ambient lighting, navigation, automatic climate control, a heated windshield, and more.
At those prices, the 500X will face some well-regarded and roomy competition, including the Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, and the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. Unfortunately, the 500X can't be made any more spacious inside without a full redesign, and it looks like we'll have to wait until then for the 500X to be made much fresher-looking, too. But with its new engine, at least it promises to be more enjoyable behind the wheel.
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