There has been much hype about the arrival of the new Fiat 500 and now that it's here in Ireland we can assess the offer. Prices for the nine-strong range start from just €13,995 before delivery charges.

Fiat's new 500 model has arrived in Ireland and the retro look small car comes with an entry price of €13,995 before delivery charges.

Since its launch in Italy last July, the 500 has attracted enormous interest from both the media and car buyers, all keen to know if such a stylish small car that took its inspiration from the 1950s could really cope with 21st century roads, to say nothing of our safety and environmental legislation.

An indication of how well the new 500 deals with these problems can be seen in the fact that just months after launch, the 500 was awarded the motoring title, Europe's 'Car of the Year 2008', voted for by 58 journalists in 22 countries.

The original Fiat 500 of the 1950s put Italy and many other European countries on the road after World War II. The brief from Fiat's management for the 500 was simple: a car to carry four people with shopping. It was to be inexpensive to buy and to run, and it had to be easy to drive.

When Fiat decided to bring the 500 concept back to life, they were faced with many challenges. This was not to be a 'retro' toy; this was to be a real car, suited to the tough driving environment of the 21st century.

The laws concerning safety and environmental impact, which didn't exist back in the 1950s, meant that much more technology and engineering had to be packed in. The design had to be just as distinctive, just as appealing and just as welcoming as the original. Most importantly, this car had to offer owners a unique and very special driving experience that no other car could match.

The 500 offers three modern engines and all will produce sparkling performance. There are two petrol units (1.2 litre 8v 69bhp and 1.4 litre16v 100bhp) and one MultiJet Turbo-diesel (1.3 litre16v 75bhp). Each offers different features, all of which are exploited fully by combining them with mechanical five or six-speed gearboxes (a Dualogic sequential robotised 5-speed gearbox will also be available at a later date for the petrol engines).

Fiat claims that the new 500 offers great reliability and respect for the environment. All of the engines are Euro 4-compliant and are designed to meet the even stricter limitations of future European standards (Euro 5), already meeting the emissions limits that will presumably be enforced in 2009.

A point of major significance for Irish drivers is the fact that two of the three engines fall within 'Category A' for CO2 emissions under the new road-tax regulations that come into effect here on 1 July 2008, thus qualifying for the lowest rates of annual road tax. The fuel consumption and CO2 emission figures for the three engines are as follows:

• 1.2 8v: Fuel consumption: in town: 6.4 litres/100 km, out of town: 4.3 litres/100 km, combined: 5.1 litres/100 km. CO2: 119 g/km
• 1.4 16v: Fuel consumption: in town: 8.2 litres/100 km, out of town: 5.2 litres/100 km, combined: 6.3 litres/100 km. CO2: 149 g/km
• 1.3 MultiJet 16v: Fuel consumption: in town: 5.3 litres/100 km, out of town: 3.6 litres/100 km, combined: 4.2 litres/100 km. CO2: 111 g/km

The new 500 is the first car in its class to offer seven airbags fitted as standard throughout the range, while front seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters, three-point rear seat belts, anti-submarining seats, ISOFIX child seat attachments in the rear seats and an FPS Fire Prevention System are all fitted as standard.

The seven airbags in the 500 are: driver and passenger front and side airbags, a driver's knee airbag, and two side curtain airbags to provide head protection in the case of side impacts. Their operation is controlled by an electronic monitor that evaluates crash severity via a number of sensors located throughout the car.

The front passenger airbag may be deactivated via the menu of the vehicle's on-board computer; a dashboard warning light indicates this 'off' condition. The seatbelt pretensioner remains so a rear facing baby seat can be safely fitted.

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