Five-Point Inspection: 2013 Fiat 500e

As fuel prices continue to test the limits of infinity, small cars are becoming more appealing to more new car shoppers; this downward spiral is evident. Many people that used to drive full-size SUVs a decade ago have opted for more efficient crossovers. Large-sedan buyers have traded in their tugboats for midsize models and compact-car owners are thinking even smaller, or outside the box all together. Schwinn is a great way to save money, both on gas and gym memberships.

But for all of their potential savings electrics tend to be pretty dreary, not to mention expensive. Adding a big dash of excitement to this perpetually overcast vehicle segment is the Fiat 500e, an amped-up A-Segment car with design flair only an Italian could deliver.

The standard Cinquecento already has more character than any vehicle with a 91-inch wheelbase should be allowed, but in a number of ways the electrified version adds even more chipotle to the guacamole. Right out of the gate this car’s signature color grabs you by the eyeballs and doesn’t let go. It’s called Arancio Elettrico and it’s got to be one of the brightest hues on the road today. White accents in the front and rear bumpers make the car pop even more, as does the dot-matrix pattern used in the rocker panels.

These changes aren’t simply cosmetic, they’re functional as well. The car endured more than 140 hours of wind-tunnel testing, resulting in a coefficient of drag of just 0.322. That’s a 13 percent improvement compared to the standard 500, something that actually increased its overall range by five miles.

So, if designers and engineers were able to increase the 500e’s range by several miles from simply tweaking its bodywork, how far can the car actually travel on a single charge? The company estimates it can go around 80 miles on a full battery, but in urban conditions it ought to be able to travel 100 miles before needing a recharge. This is likely because city driving provides more opportunities for energy-saving regenerative braking.

When it comes to “fuel” economy the federal gub-mint rates the Fiat 500e at a whopping 122 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) on the urban test cycle and 108 on the highway. This works out to a combined score of 116 MPGe.

The car is juiced by a 24 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that’s mounted under the floor so it essentially takes up no interior space. This arrangement also helps keep the 500e’s center of gravity low, resulting in surprising on-road manners. Now that’s clever packaging.

Drawing from that reserve and turning it into useful work is a permanent-magnet electric motor that drives the front wheels. It puts out a rather puny 111 horsepower, but that’s 10 more than the malnourished internal-combustion Cinquecento can muster (excluding the spunky Turbo and Abarth models, of course). What’s more impressive is the electric’s 147 lb-ft of instant-action torque. Nail the accelerator and the car pulls ahead strongly from a standstill. Overall the vehicle isn’t that quick but it feels a lot fleeter than it actually is.

Thanks to its husky battery pack that’s mounted lower than the basement of an underground elevator shaft the 500e feels frisky on the road in spite of its top-heavy design. The car is quite tall and you sit upright, like in an airplane seat, something that probably makes it feel a little bit bigger than it actually is. Still, toss this EV into a corner and it stays remarkably flat.

Almost all stopping is accomplished via the car’s regenerative braking system. This maximizes the amount of electricity that can be put back into the battery. It’s like recycling every time you stop! Interestingly the friction brakes are almost never used, so the pads should last for damn near the life of the vehicle.

SEE ALSO: Chrysler Will Lose $10K on EVery Fiat 500e

The Fiat 500e makes a compelling argument for electric cars because it’s extremely polished and refined. Overall it’s a shockingly well-engineered piece of technology. There’s no jerkiness or vibration from the drivetrain and everything performs as it should. If you live in an urban area and can get by with its range limitations and small interior it could be a good option. But, and this is a big caveat, the car is only sold in California where the hippies are thick as thieves on Wall Street! That’s a shame, because it is really good.

Base price for the Fiat 500e is around $32,000, though the company’s consumer site claims there are something like $14,000 in incentives and/or tax credits available, which drops the price to a more reasonable 18 grand.