The 2020 Fiat 500X is an Italian American crossover SUV styled after the discontinued Fiat 500 minicar but built in Italy with the Jeep Renegade subcompact crossover. We give it 5.6 out of 10 overall for its character and relative rarity, but other qualities are just average. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
The cute, rounded styling of the 500 city car handles the rugged treatment well on the 500X, nicely balancing bubbly and burly. A black roof option is available on all 2020 models. The interior is pleasing to look at with its body-color dashboard and pop-out design features, and material quality is better than average in the segment.
For 2020, the 500X carries its options and three trims over following a heart transplant last year that introduced a new 1.3-liter turbo-4. It represents the only engine option and makes a healthy 177 horsepower through a 9-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive. We’ve not been enamored with this gearbox, but the comfortable suspension and playful driving dynamics nearly make up for its shortcomings.
Review continues below
We’ve yet to spend time with the updated power plant, so this review is based mostly on previous experience with the 500X and will be updated once we get some time behind the wheel.
Passenger space is average for the segment with 35 inches of rear leg room, but cargo space suffers from a sloping roofline, managing only 14 cubic feet with the second row in place and nearly 40 cubic feet with it folded flat.
While the federal government has not given the 500X a crash test since its launch in 2016, it gave the similar Jeep Renegade a four-star rating. The IIHS gives the 500X “Good” scores all around, and active safety features are available as an option, though Fiat would benefit from making these features standard to increase the value proposition.
With standard alloy wheels, all-wheel drive, turbo power, and a 7.0-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the 500X is well-equipped as standard, especially compared to the relatively spartan Jeep Renegade’s base trim.
Fuel economy is firmly average at 26 mpg combined, lacking the benefit of a more efficient front-wheel-drive version or one with a thriftier manual transmission.
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