Car and driver crossover Comparison

In contrast, the Fiat’s six-speed—like any manual—allows the driver to pick the gear suited to the moment and hold it as long as desired. What a concept! To be fair, the nine-speed’s manual mode allows this, too, but most automatics tend to be driven in drive mode most of the time. In terms of function, the six-speed’s throws are a tad long, but the engagements are reasonably crisp and the clutch is sweet, if a bit light.

The manual is mated to Fiat’s 160-hp 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo four, a combo that makes for a zero-to-60-mph sprint of 7.8 seconds and a quarter-mile run of 16.0 at 87 mph. That’s certainly competitive by subcompact-crossover standards. It’s also distinctly quicker than the times we recorded for the 2.4-liter automatic (8.7 to 60, 16.8 at 82 in the quarter-mile). Surprising? Well, the MultiAir is torquey, with 184 lb-ft arriving at 2500 rpm, but mass is probably a bigger factor. Our front-drive 500X weighed in at 2954 pounds, while the all-wheel-drive Tigershark was heavier by 407 pounds.

And, of course, mass also affects fuel economy. The AWD 2.4-liter 500X is rated by the EPA at 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway; the front-drive 1.4-liter is better by 4 mpg in both measures. That said, the manual model encourages more-enthusiastic driving, so our real-world mileage was a little below expectations: 23 mpg over the course of our test, versus 24 for the Tigershark.