TOP Gear’s former Stig has urged motorists browsing for cars to pick up an iconic hatchback that he says is “faster than a Porsche”.
Ben Collins, who starred as the anonymous stunt driver on the BBC programme from 2003 to 2010, compared the car to Doctor Who’s Tardis.
On his YouTube channel, Ben put a number of popular small cars to the test and was particularly taken by the humble Fiat 500.
He was impressed by the little car’s surprisingly spacious interior and commented on the excellent level of visibility.
“Now, this little car is a bit of a Tardis. From the outside, it looks quite small, cheeky, cute, and people are quite warmed by it,” he told fans on YouTube.
“Getting inside, it’s got really good visibility because you sit quite high up and, with the level of visibility, you can see really well out of the rear window, which is good for reversing.
“What else can I tell you? There’s lots of chunky plastics, so you can crash in and out of this thing and you’re not going to rip the place up.
“Quite nice leather seats or faux-leather. They’re a little bit tight on the derriere – that might be because I’ve had too many pork pies, though,” he added.
The revised Fiat 500 first came on the scene in 2007 and stuck around until 2024 – and soared in popularity for it’s retro style and affordability.
It was a throwback to the Nuova 500 of the 1950s and 60s, which helped to make car ownership attainable across Europe.
The Fiat 500 scooped several awards, including European Car of the Year award in 2008 as well as being named the World’s Most Beautiful Automobile.
Ben also compared the car to a Porsche, commenting on the oomph that the engine gives.
He added: “It’s got a 1.2-litre engine in this bad boy, pumping out 69bhp – now, that could rip the skin off a rice pudding! 0-60mph in 12.7 seconds.
“That’s faster than a Porsche, though admittedly a Porsche from 1959, but it’s not bad.”
Ben hasn’t always been enthusiastic about the little Italian motor.
He slated the car for Watchdog in 2014 after Fiat drivers complained about the software.
He said: “Now when I reviewed this car in 2014 for Watchdog, it was because there were loads of complaints about the software update to the ECU because of EU emissions regulations – they completely choked the power.
“But, I can tell straight away by driving this one that they have improved the tuning of the ECU, the software is better, and I’d say that Fiat have pretty much overcome that problem.”
A used Fiat 500 will set buyers back around £1,000 for a high-mileage, older model or, £3,000 for a newer car with lower mileage.
The racing driver said the little car was faster than a Porsche[/caption]
The cars soared in popularity for their stylish exterior[/caption]
