New arrivals: Fiat 600 rolled out in hybrid and EV guises and Irish buyers snap up the Polestar 4

For a compact car (just 4.17 metres long), Fiat claims this five-door will “comfortably” take five people. Much larger than the 500, it is partly supermini and partly SUV, but really is neither in real terms. That might be a good thing. So let’s just call it a compact car with a lot of interior room.

Prices start from €28,995 for the 600 Hybrid and €32,995 for the fully electric 600e.

Fiat estimates there is 15 litres of interior storage, “exceptional” front storage with the EV and a boot capacity of up to 385 litres.

Predictably, the new car, often called the little 500’s bigger sister, takes its name from the original 600.

Adding a touch of macho are wheels that range to 18 inches with black matte skirts and wheel arches.

Spec includes adaptive cruise control (ACC), electric parking brake, autonomous emergency braking and drowsy driver detection.

You can get hands-free power liftgate, all electric windows, automatic aircon, dusk and rain sensors too.

There’s a six-speaker sound system, 10.25-inch customisable radio with Navi, CarPlay and Android Auto wireless, a seven-inch digital cluster and connected services.

The electric car battery has a capacity of 54kWh and a claimed range of more than 400km in the WLTP combined cycle.

Equipped with a 100kW fast-charger system, it comes with an 11kW on-board charger and a Mode 3 cable for charging at home or in public. That means a full charge in under six hours.

The powertrain has an output of 115kW and there are three driving modes – eco, normal and sport.

The hybrid system has a new six-speed automatic gearbox (e-DCT). The electric motor is located within the gearbox, so you don’t notice detachment of the engine from the transmission.

Polestar EV

It says something about a brand when initial allocations of a new car are sold out and half the second tranche, which doesn’t get here until September, has been snapped up.

Well that’s what’s happening with the new Polestar 4 electric coupe SUV. Just gone on sale here, with orders being taken, prices start from €68,600.

It fits between Polestar 2 and Polestar 3 in terms of size and price and is expected to be the brand’s volume seller.

Rivals include the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes GLC, Range Rover Velar and Jaguar E and F-Pace.

This is a “slippery” customer, with low nose, retractable door handles, flush glazing with frameless windows, and rear aero blades making it keenly aerodynamic.

It has a 2,999mm wheelbase, with overall length at 4,840 mm, a width of 2,139mm and height of 1,544 mm. That makes a lot of space for rear-seat passengers in particular – they also get electrically reclining seats.

Due to the elimination of the rear window, the standard full-length glass roof stretches beyond the rear passengers’ heads.

This is the fastest production car the brand has developed (0-100kmh in just 3.8 seconds and 544hp max power).

Wheels range from 20inches to 22inches.

A 100kWh battery is fitted to both long-range versions, with dual motor getting a preliminary range of 580km.

The long-range single motor version puts out 272hp and a range target of up to 610km. Both versions have up to 200kW DC and 22kW AC charging.

The infotainment system has a 15.4-inch landscape screen with Google built-in. There is a 10.2-inch driver display ahead of the steering column that includes speed, battery and range information. There is also a head-up display with a 14.7-inch projection area in front of the driver.

As well as high-entry level spec, there are additional packages such as Plus Pack (comfort, technology upgrades), with Pro Pack adding 21ins wheels.

The Performance Pack is for dual motors only.