2020 Fiat 500X Sport expands lineup and color palette

Fiat trotted out the new and improved 500X at the 2018 LA Auto Show. This year the Italian carmaker follows up at Automobility LA with the new 500X Sport trim intended to bestow a "youthful, sporty appearance" on the 500X lineup. That starts with the Rovente Red hue added to the color palette, "rovente" being Italian for "scorching." The Sport gets a new front fascia that omits the rugged-looking moldings on the Trekking trims, puts fog lights in discrete housings at the lower corners, and paints the lower lip in body color. Along the sides, the normally dark wheel arch liners and side moldings are swapped for body color as well, while the mirrors and door handles get dark-finish accents to go with a Sport badge on the front fender. In back, dark-finish trim across the tailgate and twin, chrome-finish tailpipes let the Fiat clan know this one is the feisty one.

Standard fit is a set of 18-inch wheels in a new design. For the first time on the 500X model, 19-inch wheels are an option, wrapped here in Michelin CrossClimate all-season tires. Up top, buyers can take advantage of another new option, a black roof.

The interior goes dark top and bottom. Instead of the light-colored upper space, the headliner and pillars have been finished in deep gray materials while the new Sport seats wear black fabric with vinyl inserts and a gray "500" logo. Bright flashes come in the aluminum pedal trim covers and instrument panel bezel finish. The steering wheel invites grip with "techno-leather" and Alcantara, plus proper paddle shifters. Alcantara also adorns the brow over the gauge cluster, the gauges themselves done up with tweaked graphics.

Motivation comes from the same 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder found in the rest of the 500X lineup in the U.S., putting out 177 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque through a nine-speed automatic to all four wheels with on-demand all-wheel drive. 

When the 500X Sport goes on sale in early 2020, dealers will ask $26,895 plus a $1,495 destination charge, for a total of $29,390. Pricing puts the Sport above the $27,740 Trekking while the top trim remains the $30,990 Trekking Plus.