FIAT’S crusade to squeeze all that it can from the 500 brand continues with this new incarnation – the 500X.

Following models like the 500L and the awkward-looking 500MPW, the first thing that the X has going for it is that it looks much more like the baby 500 than any of the other models that have used the name.

That’s a good thing and what we have here actually does look like a jacked-up 500.

So we have a crossover, essentially, and it comes in two distinctive versions – ‘city look’ and ‘off-road look’. Again, this is Fiat trying to give something for everyone at every opportunity.

Making its debut is Fiat’s nine-speed automatic gearbox, which can be had on four-wheel-drive versions – there are two-wheel-drive options as well – featuring the 2.0-litre Multijet engine.

I tried the traditional manual, coupled with the 140hp petrol engine previously found in the fast Abarth versions of the 500.

It’s not quite as lively is it is in the original souped-up version of the 500, although it’s not bad, but you need to be in Sport mode to get the benefit of its power. The downside to that is that everything firms up, most notably the steering, to the point that you wouldn’t want to be in that mode for too long.

Sport mode is one of several ‘Drive Moods’ available.

On the ‘city’ version you get Sport, Auto and All-Weather, while on the ‘off-road’ version there’s a Traction option instead.

There’s a wide variety of engines, which marry up to certain drive trains. The 2.0-litre Multijet is likely to give you the most exciting drive, while the 1.6 Multijet is the one that will be lightest on your pocket, with CO2 down to 109g/km and economy knocking 70 to the gallon.

There’s a good amount of safety kit, including lane assist and blind spot detection, available, as well as the usual tech like a rear parking camera and parking sensors.

The cabin is bright and funky and Fiat has upped its game as far as dashboard look, feel and quality is concerned, while the Uconnect touchscreen system is much better than previous efforts as well.

There are two versions – a diddy 5in screen and a larger widescreen 6.5in one. It’s a smart, simple system that has the option for digital radio and sat nav too.

There’s also a Beats Audio Hi-Fi system available, boasting nine speakers and more than 500 watts of power.

And, as is the thing with the 500, there is a multitude of options for colours and interiors.

In all, the 500X is an impressive crossover and probably the best ‘500 spin-off’ so far – it offers a decent impression of the 500’s looks with more space and capabilities for those that need them.

Prices range from a little under £15,000 to a little under £26,000.

Find out more at westovergroup.co.uk/fiat