Fiats fun 500 won't give you as much rope as a Mini but its still well hung.

Those Italians they'll race anything. The other day on Eurosport I saw the Cinquecento Trofeo, a rally championship for Fiat's diddycar. The motors were Abarth tuned and appropriately, for a car which 'loves the city', the race was on some tiny, narrow cobbled street circuit.
Its a good job I'd just handed back this bright red Cinquecento Sporting or I'd have been off, hand braking my way round Camden and probably into the local nick.
As it was I had a hoot with the tricked-up Fiat anyway. Its 1,100cc Punto engine gives it a useful 54hp, which makes it nearly 4 seconds faster to 60mph than the standard car. Its still no ball of fire, taking 13.8 seconds to get there, but in such a smallster it feels fast enough.
The Punto-sourced five-speed 'box is a vast improvement over the last Cinquecento I drove and its big leather knob feels fine and goes well with the equally leathery steering wheel. Other niceties include front sports seats and red MG-Metro style seatbelts. There are electric front windows and an acceptable stereo too.
The driving position is upright but comfy enough for town work and the view from your seat is superb. You can see all corners of this mini-motor, which makes parking pure joy. The steering is a bit of a handful at go-slow but quicken the pace and the load lightens.
The brakes seemed a bit iffy and unpredictable, but it was probably just some air in the system as previous Cinquecento's don't seem to have suffered the same trouble.
The tiny alloy wheels look good and with slightly bigger tyres than standard, grip acceptably. The stiffer suspension tries hard but can't stop the tall body from rolling through the corners, although the worst you can expect if you corner too quickly is an armful of understeer. Unlike that other tiny tear-away the Mini Cooper, the Sporting won't entertain its driver with any throttle steer tricks. Boo.
But unlike the Cooper, the Sporting is a practical proposition. The high-roof design gives stacks of interior space - more than enough for four adults - and its hatchback design means you might enen manage the odd bit of luggage. It'll hold its own on motor ways and stay quiet enough to permit a conversation. Try that in any Mini...
It may not be quite as involving to hustle about in but at £6,274, the Sporting is over a grand cheaper. And if you need more excitement, you could always use the extra money to get tuned into the Cinquecento Trofeo. NikB

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