If you're the kind of person who battles to make your mind up, make sure you never buy yourself a new Fiat 500. According to Fiat, there are some 500 000 configurations for this car, perhaps going right down to the tyre cap options.

We won't bother trying to count, instead we'll take Fiat's word for it.

Fiat actually saved us the trouble of optioning our long-termer, instead delivering a black 1.4 16V Sport with a styling scheme that we quite like. That said, three months into the test we did feel a bit of an itch to get in on some of the customizing action that 500 customers enjoy, and so at our request, the 15-inch alloys that our car came with have been replaced by a 10-spoke, 16-inch set.

The design of these new rims suit the black paintwork and cheeky countenance of our 500 and give it a slightly more aggressive look. However, they do carry quite a hefty price tag for those ordering them out the options book, adding R6070 to the sticker.

The Sport's price tag does make a little more sense than it did when the car was launched last year. At the time we felt that asking R180 000 for a car this size was really excessive; and now that price has been raised to R188 500.

That's still hardly affordable, but in a market where a range-topping Mazda2 with a similar power output retails at a notch under R200 000, suddenly the little Fiat's tag doesn't stick out anymore.

It might not be wise to compare it to a B-segment hatchback as the Fiat is smaller, but it offers retro-styling appeal you won't find anywhere South of the Mini.

The 500 is also available with a 1.2-litre engine and the price of this well-equipped model remains at R150 000 – undercutting even the cheapest Ford Fiesta. If performance is not a huge priority, then perhaps this one offers the best value in the range.

One thing we would miss in that case would be the surprising pace that this '100hp' 16-valve engine offers. It's not surprising considering the car's mere 930kg kerb weight. It surprised us by managing to do the 0-100km/h sprint in just 10.7 seconds earlier this year.

We're also impressed with the six-speed transmission. Not only is the shifting action smooth, but its sixth cog comes in very handy when economical highway cruising is on the agenda.

Page two ... The niggly bits

A big fat zero It's not often you hear of a company that wants a zero score - but Renault's plans depend on it.

Ronaldo makes it slick Tired of dumbed-down ads for car products? Try this one by footballer Ronaldo for size.

Old tricks, new name A new craze among US drivers to employ fanatical fuel-saving methods is coming to a road near you.