AT a certain age impressions and performance don't come as easily as they once did, so is it Viagra or Botox you need and you may wonder which is better
Fiat faced the same dilemma with the continuing rejuvenation of the immensely popular 500, which can trace its origins over 58 years and at least two incarnations spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
The cute original 500 from 1957 is the iconic small car which to most has personified Fiat, and to which the Italian company turned when it wanted to get over its mid-life financial crisis 50 years later.
That brought in exceptional sales and Fiat decided to build on that success with the bigger 500L.
To me that was the Botox injection in the Fiat 500 which dramatically changed its looks. But not necessarily for the better.
Now we have moved on again and to recapture its youth there is now the Fiat 500X with a lot more going on underneath and inside while it stays outwardly more faithful to the Fiat 500 of 2007. It's the Viagra vehicle for the very fun loving.
And if you want to play around there are 22 different versions of the Fiat 500X to entertain you based on six petrol or diesel engines and three transmission possibilities with three traction variants. Not all are immediately available but will gradually be added to the range. You'll need to lie down after the salesman explains them all.
In size, the newcomer falls neatly between the Fiat 500 and the 500L while the popular Panda 4x4 will continue in the Italian range to meet demand for its particularly owners. That is an impressive line up for any manufacturer.
We tried the 120hp 1.6 diesel and 140hp 1.4 petrol 2WD+ models on road and had a few minutes off-road in the 140 2.0 diesel 4WD as well.
They are all roomy with a good boot behind, comfortable seats and offer excellent visibility.
The sophisticated traction control system, modified for its full-4WD version, is simple and highly effective and takes the wondering out of wandering off-road and coping with deteriorating on-road conditions.
The diesel delivered 50mpg but worked harder and noisier than the petrol model and we only saw that return under 36mpg, but it was possibly the better drive over a mixture of A and B class roads and some dual carriageway on our route.
I liked the pick up of both, the brakes and gearchange but the steering on the 500X diesel was less communicative in the hands than in the petrol model.
Being the latest in the sporting SUV sector will give the Fiat 500X a big advantage and convert more drivers to the brand and this class of car, helped by a very attractive personal contract plan and price for the majority of retail buyers.
The range runs from under £17,000 to about £28,000 without options.