2018 Fiat 500 is costlier but comes with extra power

The 2018 Fiat 500 has arrived. The latest model will be getting a slight price hike. Of course, this comes with an updated look, some added tech, and a new turbocharged engine. The petite hatchback first made an appearance at the Chicago Auto Show, and this will go on sale later in the year. It will come with a new price tag of $16,245, which is $1,250 more than its price the year before.

The $16,245 MSRP is for the most affordable Pop trim, which comes with a manual (the automatic option with an extra $995). For the sake of comparison, the 2017 Fiat 500 Pop started at just $14,995. The Fiat 500 not only gets an increased range, but the entry level pricing has gone up as well. Also, there is a more expensive destination charge, now at $1,245.

Up next is the 500 Lounge. Buyers will need to be willing to spend $20,990, a whole $1,500 more than the previous year. Even the 500 Abarth gets an increase of $750, with a starting MSRP of $21,740. The base Fiat 500’s new asking price represents a 9.4 percent increase yearly, according to CarsDirect.

But as mentioned earlier, the added costs have a direct correlation with the car’s power as well. The Fiat 500 is now turbocharged throughout the range. In fact, even the entry level Pop trim has been given a 1.4 liter turbocharged engine. The new powertrain is then mated to a five speed manual or an optional six speed automatic transmission.

Overall, the new engine brings out 135 horsepower (100 kilowatts) and 150 pound feet (203 Newton metres) of torque in the Pop and Lounge trims. This makes the 2018 Fiat 500 more powerful by 34 horsepower (25 kilowatts) when being compared to the previous model. The outgoing 1.4 liter then gets a naturally aspirated engine produced just 101 horsepower (75 kilowatts) and 97 pound feet (131 Newton metres) of torque. Meanwhile, the Abarth still has the same engine that produces 160 horsepower (119 kilowatts) and 183 pound feet (284 Newton metres) of torque.

Back in 2017, Fiat had quite a tough year in terms of sales in the United States. The Italian brand struggled to sell the subcompact 500, and its variant, the 500L. This is because the crossover market is already pretty saturated. With the 2018 Fiat 500 now out, offering more power and more features in the iconic, yet slow selling 500. Despite the price hike, the automaker still hopes to sell more of the 2018 model year Fiat 500. Again, this will be available in several trims such as the entry-level Pop trim, the mid range Lounge model, and the high-performance Abarth.