Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Official 2012 Fiat 500 fuel economy numbers fall short of 40 mpg

2011 marks the official return of Fiat here in the United States, with the adorable little 500 hitting dealerships in the coming weeks. With Fiat's MultiAir 1.4-liter engine under the hood, you'd be right to expect top-notch fuel economy numbers. And while the 500's EPA ratings of 30 miles per gallon in the city and 38 mpg on the highway aren't bad, it's not exactly what we were hoping for.

For comparison, consider the fact that much larger C-segment entries like the Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze are all capable of achieving 40 mpg or higher (granted, you have to spec certain transmissions and option packages on the latter two in order to achieve it). What's more, the 30/38 mpg rating on the Fiat 500 is only with the five-speed manual transmission. Cars equipped with the six-speed self-shifter will only achieve 27/34 mpg. Ouch.

Still, with prices starting at $15,995 for the entry-level Pop model, we don't think Fiat will have too much trouble moving 500s out of showrooms. Besides, the majority of people purchasing the Fiat 500 will be doing so because of its style rather than its frugality.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/28/o...ort-of-40-mpg/

LexFather

So a car the size of my foot is
$16 grand to start
30 MPG city or 27 MPG
38 MPG highway or 34 MPG

I simply cannot accept that this and the mini and IQ get **** poor MPG as far as I am concerned.

bagwell

****ty MPG and it looks like a damn VW Beetle

spwolf

it just says that car was not built around EPA tests... at on highway, aero favors larger cars and larger engines... still it gets decent mpg, better than fiesta.

caddyowner

A guy in our neighborhood must work for Chrysler because he's been driving M-plated Fiat 500s for the past year. I think I had Matchbox cars bigger than that when I was a kid. Highway MPG in the 30s is embarrassing.

Jewcano

iTrader: (4)

What makes little sense to me is that cars were built in the 70's and 80's (eco-boxes) which got 50+MPG. How in the world today can they not get modern 'eco-boxes' to get the same mpg? You would imagine newer tech, newer engines, newer everything would let them reach 60-70mpg in these cars easily. What's the problem?

And I mean besides cars like the prius and such.

knihc2008

iTrader: (1)

An incredibly large amount of added weight is the problem

TRDFantasy

Not just weight, EPA ratings have changed. People need to realize. 50 mpg "back then" would be the equivalent of about 38-40 mpg under current EPA testing standards. Back then the EPA tested cars at slower speeds, without the air conditioning or other accessories turned on. In other words, the tests were not practical at all. Current EPA tests are improved, but still not completely realistic. Also cars being lighter back then had a lot to do with it as well. Keep in mind the cars from back also have less safety than modern cars.

With that said, I am not surprised. Despite all the hype about Fiat's MultiAir, this is not good fuel economy at all for a car of this size.

spwolf

you have to figure out that for highway speeds, they need larger engine inside, which defeats the purpose of small car then.

Just like prius going 1.8l to get better highway mileage

500 will get quite decent real world mileage so dont knock it on that... it is nice, stylish little car from the brand with one of the worst reliability records on Europe (currently)... Good luck Fiat!

<VENOM>

Don't most of these small cars exceed the rating they are listed with

mmarshall

For any of you interested in a 500, here's Fiat's American website:

http://www.fiatusa.com/en/

Their Dealor Locator site isn't finished yet, though.....they're still working on it.

http://www.fiatusa.com/en/find_a_dealer.html

TRDFantasy

I'm sure real-world mileage will be better, but how will it compare to the competition?

mmarshall

You can blame two things for that. First, the desire of customers for more and more equipment/convienence items on their cars. Just try and find a car today, for example, without power windows, door locks, mirrors, etc........you might find a Kia Rio or base-model Hyundai Accent without them, but you've really got to hunt for one. The Mazda Miata (and possibly the Smart-for-Two) are the only cars I know of in the American market that come without standard power steering. A/C has also pretty much become standard across the board. And, Second, the government keeps requiring more and more safety equipment installed on all new cars.....that, of course also adds weight.

Automakers, in their attempt to counter this consumer and government-added weight, seem to be using thinner, lighter-weight sheet metal/doors and interior trim parts. Many new vehicles have noticeably tinnier-sounding doors than just a few years ago.

spwolf

what is the competition?

IS-SV

In short a safe/strong car weighs more than the less safe small cars of the past.

I have no desire to own this 500, but I will admit to liking the car somewhat after looking it over at show.