We review the Fiat 500 from price to economy and all its features

DID you see the story about the woman who covered her original Fiat 500 in 120kg of HUMAN HAIR?

Italian (obviously) Maria Lucia Mugno grabbed her first Guinness world record in 2010 after she covered her Fiat in 100 kilos of hair, according to Guinness.

Apparently that wasn’t enough because she recently set a new milestone by increasing the car’s tresses to 120kg. It reportedly took 150 hours to create — and it is now officially the world’s hairiest car.

I’ve driven some hairy cars — as in out of control — but I don’t want to take on her highly-follicled Fiat.

Back to normality, Fiat have actually given their current 500 a slight facelift — thankfully it’s not a new hair-do. This new model is just to try and boost sales until the all-new 500 arrives next year. We’ve had a first drive and prices start at £10,320 — although the 500S Twin Air 0.9litre I drove costs a whopping £15,015.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Spot the difference.

Still the same 500 chic that looks like it must run on Espresso not petrol. Fiat has added a new equipment grade — Cult. It sits at the top of the range and adds extra specification, including leather upholstery, chrome or gloss black exterior details and larger, 16in alloy wheels. But this costs a further £1,000 to spec up.

DRIVE TIME

Joining the engine range is a 105bhp two-cylinder TwinAir. The capacity stays at 0.9-litres, but peak power has been increased 20bhp. Acceleration from 0-62mph takes 10 seconds and the top speed is 117mph yet emissions are 99g/km with official economy of 67mpg.

The drive feels like a time warp back to the 60s or 70s. The burbly rasp of the two-cylinder has an endearing charm and you feel like you are an extra in Herbie Goes Bananas or The Italian Job.

Unfortunately, the ride also feels like it was from four decades ago. It’s choppy but slightly more comfortable than the previous model.

INSIDE JOB

The other big changes are inside.

The TFT instrument cluster is the most notable new feature — it contains the rev counter and speedometer as before, with a high resolution display and a much neater, clearer layout than the analogue instrument binnacle.

Information about media and telephone is displayed and the screen will also show navigation information if a sat nav is specified.

It’s just a bit chic hotter.