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Fiat has added a diesel unit to its 500 range. The brand was already the only carmaker to offer a diesel in the city car sector with the Panda.
Dealers have opened order books for the 1.3-litre turbodiesel Multijet II 500 costing from £14,165.
Fiat said it has bucked the trend in order to offer a car “ideally suited to long journeys between congested destinations”. The new version of the 500 will also suit business users seeking low tax liabilities and minimal running costs.
The Multijet engine offers 95hp and 200Nm of torque, the latter on tap from 1,500rpm. Efficiency technologies built into the unit include a smart alternator, rapid engine warm-up, variable oil pump displacement and Start & Stop.
The diesel 500 will reach 62mph from rest in 10.7 seconds and go on to 112mph, while returning combined cycle fuel consumption of 83mpg and CO2 emissions of 89g/km.
Diesel variants of the 500 will be available in the familiar Pop Star and Lounge trim levels, and in both hard top and convertible versions – the drop-top model costing from £16,815.
According to figures released by the SMMT Fiat’s UK registrations were up almost 6% in December but overall in 2015 the Italian manufacturer saw a slide of 4.3%, registering a total of 64,257 cars.
