Fleet preview
Fiat Topolino
Fiat has confirmed its cutesy Topolino EV will be coming to the UK early next year says Pete Tullin.
Interior:
Sadly, when the Fiat’s Topolino pitches up on these shores it will only be available in left-hand drive but at least because it is so slim this shouldn’t be as much of an issue as it is with full-sized vehicles. There will be two versions of the Topolino, the All Season, which comes with luxury features such as doors - one is front-hinged while the other is rear- hinged and windows, which are split and simply
hinge upwards to open. Conversely, the open-sided Dolce Vita variant features a full-length roll- back fabric sunroof and VIP area style ropes in place of doors.
Equipment:
If you think that the lack of doors sounds a bit sketchy, then you’ll probably also be a wee bit dubious about the lack of safety kit as the Topolino has absolutely zilch in the way of airbags or electronic driver aids and doesn’t even have the reassurance of anti-lock brakes.
Options will be minimal but there will be a USB-powered dashboard fan and an audio speaker, which will allow you to sync your smartphone to play music.
There’ll also be a collection of fashionably styled luggage that can be strapped onto a boot- mounted rack and there’s even a shower attachment.
Costs:
Regardless of body style, there will be one price, which is currently 7500 euros in mainland Europe. While Verde Vita is currently the only available body colour, Fiat hasn’t ruled out future special addition hues.
The plan is to order your Toploino online with just three clicks of the mouse required to confirm your purchase. There will be a single service plans and although lease rates are yet to be confirmed we don’t expect these to be more than £100 per month.
www.businesscar.co.uk | August 2023 | 33
Exterior:
If the Topolino does have an ace up its sleeve, then it is undoubtedly its city-friendly dimensions. Little longer than most
cars are wide, urbane urbanites will no doubt be thrilled at the prospect of parking nose into the kerb and slotting into spaces previously the preserve of motorcycle dispatch riders.
Underneath the Topolino is identical to Citroen’s Ami but Fiat reckons its motor will steal a march on its Gallic cousin thanks to its more appealing exterior design; something that’s difficult to disagree given the utilitarian boxyiness of the Ami.
Powertrain:
With a top speed of just 28 mph and a maximum range of around 46 miles, thanks to a 5.5kWh battery, a full charge should take around four hours to complete using a domestic plug socket as the battery has a maximum charging speed of just 2.3kW. The charging cable itself stores away in a hollow section of the door pillar and it comes with plug adaptors to fit both an EV charger and a three-pin household socket.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
