MM Review: 2012 Fiat 500
04-19-11, 07:21 PM
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MM Review: 2012 Fiat 500
A Review of the 2012 Fiat 500.
http://www.fiatusa.com/en/
IN A NUTSHELL: The famous Cinquecento "Topolino" returns to America, this time with room for Americans up front.....but will FIAT once again mean "Fix it Again, Tony"?
(What a great color choice)
(KPH speedometer)
In the aftermath of a war-devasted Europe, even well into the 1950s, gas, if available at all, was scarce and expensive. Many Europeans who had survived the war couldn't afford automobiles at all, and rode bicycles or motor scooters. As they looked on with envy, across the ocean, at the 20-foot-long, two-to-three-ton, chrome-laden monsters that were regularly coming out of American assembly plants, a number of popular sub-compact/mini-cars helped get those Europeans through the dark days of rebuilding after the war. These included the French Citroen 2CV/ Renault 4CV, the German air-cooled VW Beetle/BMW Isetta/Messerschmitt KR (the Beetle, at Hitler's insistance, had been developed before the war), the British Morris Minor and (slightly later), the revolutionary Mini-Cooper. The state-controlled auto-industries in Eastern Europe, behind the Communist Iron Curtain, had, of course, an even harder time producing vehicles for the population. Italy's main contributons, at the time, were the miniscule Vespa cars and the famous Fiat 500 "Cinquecento" or "Topolino", which means "Mouse" in Italian. The VW Beetle and small British sports cars of the period, brought back to the States from many GIs returning from Europe, managed to make significant inroads into the American auto-market...the others, including the Fiat 500, generally didn't. Most Americans, at the time, with cheap gas, big comfortable luxo-cruisers, and long-distance travel between cities, simply didn't want to ride around in cramped little buzz-boxes they couldn't even fit into, had no power, and, with the exception of the well-built Beetle, were often unreliable as well. Given the circumstances of the time, I could understand this American preference for big cars...I shared it myself.
However, while clearly rejected by most Americans of the period, the Topolino Fiat 500 went on to become a big hit in Italy and other parts of Europe, where much of the population was not the physical size of the average American, the roads were much narrower and more winding, and gas, of course, was scarce and much more expensive. But, for the few Americans who DID buy Fiats, they quickly found out that their cars were exceedingly poorly-built, prone to almost constant breakdowns, and quickly developed body-rust in American driving conditions. Fiat's poor reputation, of course, was to continuously plague it here in America until the company decided to pull out in the 1980s....Alfa Romeo, their corporate cousin, managed to hang on until 1994, when they also left.
Of course, that was then, and now is now. Today's Fiat, of course, one of the largest companies in Italy, played a large role, (along with American taxpayer money), in the recent rescue of Chrysler from bankrupcy....something that Chrysler's former owners, Mercedes and the Cerebus Company, could not prevent. So, Fiat agreed to take on Chrysler's woes....and ended up with a controlling share. In doing so, Fiat got access to the wide Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep range of vehicles, and Chrysler got access to Fiat's huge pile of corporate cash (and American tax money).
Given the fact that many Americans have now had a couple of decades to forget the unreliable vehicles that Fiat built in the past (I, of course, haven't forgotten), and the fact that a new generation of Americans are here now that didn't live through it in the first place, Sergio Marchionne, Fiat's CEO, has decided to give the new and vastly more modern Fiat 500 another chance in the American market. It will be considered a 2012 model. While some all-new Fiat dealerships will likely open up in the U.S., many others can simply be integrated into existing Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealerships, in much the same way that the new Mini was ingegrated into select BMW dealerships when BMW bought out Mini. Of course, for a time, one can expect to find the most Fiat shops (Fiat calls them "Studios") in the areas where the greatest sales potential is.....so they will likely be clustered around major urban areas, particularly in the affluent, car-rich Southern California and MD/VA/DC regions which traditionally sell so many new cars.
For now, only a regular 500 series 2-door hatchback will be on sale in the U.S., although a somewhat stretched 4-door version, along with a 2-door convertible and a more sport-oriented Abarth model, is available in other markets. Last year, at the 2010 Washington, D.C. Auto Show, Fiat displayed a regular 2-door 500 model, an Abarth, and a full plug-in electric model....this year, at the 2011 show, only regular 500s and a 1970 Topolino for comparison. When I inquired about this, they said that they were still working on the specs and equipment for the American-market Abarth and full-electric......as of now, there is little or nothing definite on Fiat's web site on them, either. The Fiat people told me, today, at the dealership, that the Abarth and full-electric models can be expected in America around the end of the year.....if Fiat marketing doesn't change its schedule in the meantime.
Though other, generally smaller engines are available overseas, Fiat, for now, in the U.S., will offer just the gas-powered 1.4L in-line 4 with 101 HP, 98 ft-lbs. of torque, and a choice of 5-speed manual or 6-speed-automatic transmissions. However, even though the U.S.-market body-style and engine choices are limited, Fiat will offer a superb 14 exterior colors and, like the Mini-Cooper it is likely to compete against, a large wide range of dealer/factory graphics/accessories (see the website for details). The 500, like some Korean-designed small vehicles, also comes with a lot of standard equipment for the base price of 15-16K. 3 trim-levels wll be offered for the 500....POP, Lounge, and Sport. A wide range of factory/dealer graphics will soon be offered, just like on the Mini Cooper. Base prices range between $15,500 for POP models and $18,000 for Sport models.
I've been waiting for weeks for the new local Fiat shop near my house to get finished and open for buisness, but it doesn't seem to be getting anywhere very quickly (it's still under construction/remodeling), so I finally said the heck with it and went out to the next-closest one, about 30 miles away.....one of the few already in buisness. Believe me, it was worth the drive, even with today's gas prices and in D.C.-area traffic. I was quite impressed with the place.....right next door and integrated to a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership, of course. The showroom building seemed to have been just remodeled with all-new materials. The service building was clean and impressive (let's hope that the new Fiats, unlike the old ones, won't need the service bays very much). The lot was extremely well-stocked with hundreds of new 500s in all 14 colors, all trim models, and transmissions. Both the salespeople and managers were ultra-nice, didn't try and talk a lot of bull****, and appeared to be about as honest and forthright as auto-salespeople get. They didn't try to impress you with expensive buisness-suits either, like you find in some Luxury-car dealerships......they simply wore neat, casual shirts and slacks with company/dealer logos on them.....I liked that. In fact, if I wasn't aleady retired and done with my day-to-day working life, I probably wouldn't mind working there. That, and the review/test-drive, was a pleasant experience, and I came back quite satisfied and had lunch.
I figured that, at least until the Abarth and full-electric models came out, the average American 500-buyer would probably want a lower-priced, automatic version, and would be buying it primarily as a reasonably-fun-to-drive commuter car (automatics, of course, being better-suited to dense commuter-traffic). So, I actually looked over several different 500s in static-reviews, but, for the test-drive, I chose a lower-priced automatic POP model in Bright Yellow (Giallo), with a black-cloth interior. Bright red, of course, is the classic Italian automotive color (three different reds are offered on the 500), but the car also looked sharp in Canary-Yellow. It listed for a reasonable $17,600....even the lowest-priced Mini-Cooper competitors generally cost over 20 grand now. It was also an interesting test-drive...about halfway out, some heavy showers along a stalled frontal-boundary in the area moved in, gave me a chance to try out the front/rear wipers, and also showed what kind of wet-road traction the rather small 15-inch tires had (no problems, of course, on the wet surfaces in normal driving). I also noticed, on the sticker, under the Fiat warranty, that 4 years of free maintenance comes with the deal....I wasn't expecting to see that on a low-priced car like this.
For the rest of the review, read on...................
MODEL REVIEWED: 2012 Fiat 500 POP
BASE PRICE: $15,500
OPTIONS:
Hands-Free Communications Package: $500
6-Speed Automatic Transmission: $1000
Compact Spare Tire: $100 (Apparantly no spare at all is standard)
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $500 (a real bargain.....far below-average, and the lowest auto shipping-price I have seen in quite a few years)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $17,600
DRIVETRAIN: FWD, Transverse-mounted 1.4L in-line four, 101 HP @ 6500 RPM, Torque 98 Ft-lbs. @ 4000 RPM, 5-speed manual/6-speed automatic transmission with manual Sport-Shift.
EPA MILEAGE RATING:
30 City / 38 Highway (manual)
27 City / 34 Highway (automatic)
EXTERIOR COLOR: Yellow (Giallo)
INTERIOR: Black Cloth
PLUSSES: (+)
Fit/finish and (initial) assembly quality far better then previous American-market Fiats.
4 years free-maintenance.
Adjustable steering response/transmission shifts even in low-priced POP model.
Very short turning-radius.
Agile and manuverable.
Fairly flat cornering despite a rather high center of gravity.
Easy to park almost anywhere.
Generally well-done brakes, considering the smallish wheels.
Small 15" tires will be inexpensive to replace.
Good exterior fit/finish for a car of this class.
Excellent paint job in all 14 colors.
Many of th 14 colors are eye-openers.
Fairly solid-closing doors.
Upmarket Sport/Lounge models have convex-inserts for wide-range vision on drivers'-side outside mirror.
Comfortable, supportive front seats.
Nice pull-down, Captain's-Chair-style arm-rests in front seats, even on the low-priced model.
Small/cheapish but nicely-padded sun-visors.
Handsome, comfortable, well-done sport-steering wheel.
Adequate front and rear headroom for tall persons (but the rear seat is otherwise too small for adults).
Nice, large, chrome inside-door handles.
Fairly good rear-visibility with headrests-down.
Simple, easy-to-use dash buttons/controls.
Nice Chrysler-PT-Cruiser-style plastic body-color dash-trim panel.
4/50 Bumper-to-Bumper warranty (includes drivetrain).
Extremely wide, Mini-Cooper-like range of graphics, cosmetics, and accessories.
Long list of standard equipment.
MINUSES: (-)
Plagued with a (possibly) outdated, very negative image in America.
Incomplete, limited-information website and Build-Your-Own features.
Long-term reliability of new version in the American market totally unknown.
Initially sparse dealer-network outside of major cities.
Abarth, convertible, and all electric plug-in models not available yet.
Tight underhood layout...and engine cover blocks access.
Adequate but noisy engine.
6-speed automatic transmission flexible but somewhat unrefined.
Significant road noise.
Gimmicky (IMO), hard-to-read concentric-circle gauge-cluster.
Cheap-feeling outside mirror housings.
Zig-zag automatic transmission shift lever.
Awkwardly-low center-console and cup-holders.
Flimsy-feeling plastic manual-seat controls.
OK but somewhat unimpressive stereo-sound quality.
Kiddie-Car rear seat, except for good headroom.
Tricky interior hood-release lever.
Cheap-looking/feeling, hard-plastic door panels.
Hard, unpleasant upper-dash surface.
very thin, industrial-like carpet.
Ultra-thin fabric headliner.
Compact spare tire is optional.....and mounted outside, under the rear bumper.
Tiny, hard-to-use sales-brochures/literature.
Questionable crash-protection in an impact with a larger vehicle.
EXTERIOR:
As you first walk up to the new 500, there is no mistaking it for a new, updated model, espcally for those who can remember the old versions. Like the current-generation Mini-Cooper compared to its old predecessor, the new 500 has the same general shape/body-lines as models of decades ago, but is somewhat larger. The added size of today's model, of course, is critical for many of today's tall, portly Americans....a number of whom simply could not fit into the old model. That is the case with today's Mini, too, to some degree, although the old Mini that was first designed by Sir Alec Issigonis was known fot its exceptional space efficiency.....it introduced today's widespread engineering practice of transverse-engines and FWD (which, BTW, the new 500 itself uses).
So then, many of you are going to recognize the new 500 simply by its old Topolino-like (but significantly larger) shape....the slit Fiat-grille, double-round headlights, high-sweep drop-down roof, and squarish taillights. The new 500 is still a little small for my tastes (even though I can now fit into the front seat, I still prefer something larger and heavier). I like the look myself.....it may be retro, but it is a breath of fresh air compared to the same old Aero-Look, Jelly-Bean, humpback-whale styling that characterizes so many of today's cars like cookie-cutters. The exterior sheet metal is reasonably solid, and the doors close fairly solidly......more so than I expected. The quality of the paint job was quite good....I've already mentioned the availablilty of the 14 different colors (apparantly available on all versions), including the classic Italian bright red. The small 15-inch wheels/tires seem adequate for the car's size and weight, and, of course, those tires will be considerably less-expensive to replace than the 17-20" rubber prevalent on many of today's cars. Base-level cars, of course, get steel wheels....upmarket versions get honeycomb-shaped alloys. The twin-outside mirror housings snap-swivel and lock, but not with a slick, smooth feel, and the plastic used on the housing feels a little thin. Upmarket Lounge and Sport versions have chrome-trim on the front part of the housings.....POP models like my test car use body-color (which is, IMO, still a step up, as many lower-line vehicles have flat-black housings). All of the exterior trim and chrome seemed fairly well-applied. Fiat plans to offer a number of body-graphic packages in the American market for the 500 like the Mini Cooper has, but the people at the dealership said that they had not actually received any kits yet.
UNDERHOOD:
Open up the small hood, and you prop it up with a manual rod. Even on a small, inexpensive car like this, I don't see where a nice gas strut (the hood seems light enough for only one strut) would have been too much to ask. Under the hood, there is a small insulation-pad, but a significant amount of engine-noise comes through in spite of that (more on that below). The small inside hood-release lever, in the usual place under the left-dash, is a little tricky.....you have to make sure you grab and pull the red lever itself instead of the whole flat-black housing with it (at first, I almost pulled the whole housing right off trying to unlatch the hood). Under the hood, things are a little tight....the American-market 500, of course, uses the largest of the currently-available engines. The 1.4L MultiAir in-line 4, transversely-mounted, fits in definitely on the snug side....not much room is available to reach things on the side of the block, and the big, decorative plastic-engine cover blocks access to virtually everything on top. The Fiat people there said that the cover pops off fairly easily for service, though....I didn't actually remove it, so I'll take their word for it. This is unusual for this class, as most entry-level cars simply drop in the engine and don't put any covers on it. The battery, over to the right, is uncovered and easily accesable.....as are the dipsticks, filler-caps, and fluid-reservoirs.
INTERIOR:
The interior in this car is more-or-less unique, and I don't recall seeing anything else quite like it, although the big, wide, plastic matching-body-color panel that runs all across the dash seems taken from the former Chrysler PT Cruiser (or, was it the other way around, seeing that the former 500 was built for decades)? Compared to the versions of decades ago, the new interior is cavernous. There is adequate headroom for tall persons my size (6' 2") both front and rear, with or without the sunroof housing, though the housing, as is typical, robs about an inch or two. The back seat, though, despite the adequate headroom, is otherwise quite tight, and best left for children or small adults. Crawling into and out of the rear seat, with the two-door body style, is also quite a chore for someone my size. Four-door versions are sold elsewhere that would make it a little easier, but we won't get those in the U.S., at least for now.
The three-spoke, sport-style steering wheel looks smart, is comfortable to hold, and has the usual phone/stereo-volume buttons, though the volume-button is on the back of the right spoke, hidden from view. Not only is the rim leather-wrapped, but the spokes themselves as well..that's something you don't often see, even in more-expensive vehicles. The sun visors are small and cheap-looking, but have a nicely-padded surface, and, of course, unlighted vanity-mirrors. The headliner has a very cheap-feeling, thin, off-white fabric that looked and felt like the weaving used in cheap socks. The center-console is very low, almost down on the floor, and includes a cupholder/cubby-compartment....you have to reach way down to it. The front seats (cloth on lower-line models, leather on upmarket versions) were comfortable for someone my size, with decent-feeling fabric, and a nice touch I wasn't expecting was the fold-down, Captain's-Chair style arm rests, even on my low-line POP version. The fold-down arm-rests aren't as big or plush as those found on some minivans and larger SUVs, but they are nicely-padded and do the job. The stereo-sound quality was OK (acceptable), but not one of the better ones I've heard. Fortunately, the stereo controls were simple and easy-to-operate, though I generally prefer round volume/tuning ***** to the +/- buttons provided. Most of the controls/*****/buttons, however (including the wiper-stalks and adjustments, which I got a chance to try out in the rain) were simple and easy-to-use.
One thing inside, however, that I generally didn't like was the way that the designers did the primary-gauge display behind the steering wheel...I thought that it was arguably the interior's worst feature. Two large, bright-metal-glitz concentric circles (outer-speedometer, inne-tach), each with short floating-red needles, give you speed and engine-RPM, while a display-circle in the center (maybe two inches across) is jam-packed full of yellow-digital numbers, all looking more-or-less-alike, giving you all kinds of different functions/readouts at once. I found it annoying at best, and difficult at worst, to try and figure out, in an instant, what you're looking at....all of the yellow-digital figures, from gas-level to gear-readout to clock to trip-data info, were jam-packed together and looked more or less the same. I would highly recommend a gauge-display redesign for the next version of the 500. I also did not care for the ultra-cheap, hard-plastic, all-black door panels, though the nice, big chrome inside-door-handles were a nice touch. The upper-surface of the dash, above the body-color dash panel, was also hard and unpleasant to the touch. But, all in all, an interesting and rather unique interior....even in an inexpensive car like this, it just might impress your Friday-night date.
CARGO AREA/TRUNK:
Lift the hatch-lid with the standard touch-release panel, and the car's short size and droop-down rear end, of course, compromise the cargo-space somewhat, but, considering all that, it's not bad. There is a very short cargo-cover behind the rear seat to hide valuables in the trunk (but even without it, it would be rather hard to see through the small opening anyway). I didn't list the rather small cargo area as a specific MINUS, because it is actually not bad for the car's size. The level of fit/finish inside the trunk isn't bad either, for the price. But one cost-cutting measure did show up. Not only is there a compact/dount-spare tire instead of a real one, but even THAT is a $100 option. And, because of the cargo area's relatively small size, it is not stored underneath the trunk floor, but, like on some pickups and off-road SUVs, outside the car, under the rear bumper.
ON THE ROAD:
Start up the 1.4L MultiAir four with a VW-style flip-out metal key and a conventional side-column-mounted ignition switch. The engine comes to life with a noticeable muted-growl at idle....it is not quiet and refined like a Toyota or Honda four. And the engine-noise/exhaust level gets noticeably louder as you accelerate, particularly in the lower gears. Power level, with only 98 ft-lbs. of torque at 4000 RPM, is adequate for the car's small size and light weight during normal driving, but don't expect to run with a Mustang GT or Camaro SS at stoplights. The high-performance Abarth model, of course, will have more spunk under the hood, but it is still some months off yet.
The 6-speed Sport-Shift automatic was not particularly smooth or quiet, and, even when fully warmed-up, still changed gears a little firmly. The shift-lever had an annoying zig-zag in the auto mode, but a nice snick-snick fore-aft for the manual-shift gate. Like with Mazdas and BMWs, you pushed the lever forward for downshift (-) and pulled it back for upshifts (+)......the reverse of most other cars. In the manual-mode, RPM and speed, at least for me, were not particularly easy to coordinate with the manual-shift lever because of the way the aforementoned concentric-gauges on the dash were designed and the way the needles floated. The transmission's lower gears, from 1-4, seemed to be rather short ratios for acceleration, then what seemed like a rather wide jump to tall 5-6 ratios for higher-speed cruising.
The chassis and steering systems seem pretty well-done. A SPORT push-button on the dash (yes, even in the low-priced POP model) varies the steering response and transmission shift-points (the salespeople didn't say anything about shock/suspension damping). In the non-sport mode, steering response was very smooth but felt rather slow and unresponsive....almost like an older Buick. With the button pushed, response quicked up quite a bit.....certainly enough to be noticed. There wasn't much body roll either with or without the SPORT feature on, even with the car's narrowness and relatively high center-of-gravity. The ride was a little jittery, as you would expect from the short wheelbase and light weight, but not uncomfortable....generally a little smoother than I expected, and the SPORT mode did not seem to change it any. Road and wind noise, even with the relatively small-footprint tires, was rather pronounced, but not to tiring-levels. The brakes have painted-red calipers which make them look like high-performance Brembos, but they, of course, are not Brembos (it is unclear whether the Abarth model will have them). They are adequate, however, have a decent pedal-feel to them, and do the job. The brake-pedal is not in an ideal location for my big size-15 clown-shoe moving from the gas to brake pedal.....it had a slight hang-up on the edge of the brake pedal, but it wasn't serious.
THE VERDICT:
Well, welcome back, Cinquecento (500). It's been a nice 25-year vacation. It seems ready for real American-sized people now, at least in the front seats. Whether FIAT, once again, means Fix it Again, Tony, like it did decades ago, remains to be seen. But this new version has a full 4/50 Fiat warranty (bumper-to-bumper and drivetrain) and 4-year free maintenance, so some of the former service/repair/maintenance headaches that Americans remember will hopefully be a thing of the past. Its closest competition, of course, will be the base-level Mini Cooper sold at select BMW dealership, but the 500 significantly undercuts even the base the Mini on price. The Mini does have the higher-performance S and John Works models, but the Abarth 500 will be here by the end of the year to challenge them, too. The 500, like the Mini, also has a rather unique interior. It generally handles well, especially in the Sport Mode, and has a tolerable level of ride comfort. The initial sparse network of dealerships, however, especially outside of major metropolitan areas, could be a problem...as it is now for Suzuki, and, increasingly, Mitsubishi. To make that worse, some of the planned dealerships (oops....Studios), don't seem to be finishing up their construction/remodeling, hiring people, and getting ready for buisness at a very fast pace (see the fiat/usa website for sheduled opening-dates). But the one I was at today was not only open, but well-staffed, clean/neat, had plenty of cars in stock, nice people, and was a real pleasure to visit. I definitely didn't waste a trip today.
And, as always, Happy Car Shopping.
MM
http://www.fiatusa.com/en/
IN A NUTSHELL: The famous Cinquecento "Topolino" returns to America, this time with room for Americans up front.....but will FIAT once again mean "Fix it Again, Tony"?
(What a great color choice)
(KPH speedometer)
In the aftermath of a war-devasted Europe, even well into the 1950s, gas, if available at all, was scarce and expensive. Many Europeans who had survived the war couldn't afford automobiles at all, and rode bicycles or motor scooters. As they looked on with envy, across the ocean, at the 20-foot-long, two-to-three-ton, chrome-laden monsters that were regularly coming out of American assembly plants, a number of popular sub-compact/mini-cars helped get those Europeans through the dark days of rebuilding after the war. These included the French Citroen 2CV/ Renault 4CV, the German air-cooled VW Beetle/BMW Isetta/Messerschmitt KR (the Beetle, at Hitler's insistance, had been developed before the war), the British Morris Minor and (slightly later), the revolutionary Mini-Cooper. The state-controlled auto-industries in Eastern Europe, behind the Communist Iron Curtain, had, of course, an even harder time producing vehicles for the population. Italy's main contributons, at the time, were the miniscule Vespa cars and the famous Fiat 500 "Cinquecento" or "Topolino", which means "Mouse" in Italian. The VW Beetle and small British sports cars of the period, brought back to the States from many GIs returning from Europe, managed to make significant inroads into the American auto-market...the others, including the Fiat 500, generally didn't. Most Americans, at the time, with cheap gas, big comfortable luxo-cruisers, and long-distance travel between cities, simply didn't want to ride around in cramped little buzz-boxes they couldn't even fit into, had no power, and, with the exception of the well-built Beetle, were often unreliable as well. Given the circumstances of the time, I could understand this American preference for big cars...I shared it myself.
However, while clearly rejected by most Americans of the period, the Topolino Fiat 500 went on to become a big hit in Italy and other parts of Europe, where much of the population was not the physical size of the average American, the roads were much narrower and more winding, and gas, of course, was scarce and much more expensive. But, for the few Americans who DID buy Fiats, they quickly found out that their cars were exceedingly poorly-built, prone to almost constant breakdowns, and quickly developed body-rust in American driving conditions. Fiat's poor reputation, of course, was to continuously plague it here in America until the company decided to pull out in the 1980s....Alfa Romeo, their corporate cousin, managed to hang on until 1994, when they also left.
Of course, that was then, and now is now. Today's Fiat, of course, one of the largest companies in Italy, played a large role, (along with American taxpayer money), in the recent rescue of Chrysler from bankrupcy....something that Chrysler's former owners, Mercedes and the Cerebus Company, could not prevent. So, Fiat agreed to take on Chrysler's woes....and ended up with a controlling share. In doing so, Fiat got access to the wide Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep range of vehicles, and Chrysler got access to Fiat's huge pile of corporate cash (and American tax money).
Given the fact that many Americans have now had a couple of decades to forget the unreliable vehicles that Fiat built in the past (I, of course, haven't forgotten), and the fact that a new generation of Americans are here now that didn't live through it in the first place, Sergio Marchionne, Fiat's CEO, has decided to give the new and vastly more modern Fiat 500 another chance in the American market. It will be considered a 2012 model. While some all-new Fiat dealerships will likely open up in the U.S., many others can simply be integrated into existing Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealerships, in much the same way that the new Mini was ingegrated into select BMW dealerships when BMW bought out Mini. Of course, for a time, one can expect to find the most Fiat shops (Fiat calls them "Studios") in the areas where the greatest sales potential is.....so they will likely be clustered around major urban areas, particularly in the affluent, car-rich Southern California and MD/VA/DC regions which traditionally sell so many new cars.
For now, only a regular 500 series 2-door hatchback will be on sale in the U.S., although a somewhat stretched 4-door version, along with a 2-door convertible and a more sport-oriented Abarth model, is available in other markets. Last year, at the 2010 Washington, D.C. Auto Show, Fiat displayed a regular 2-door 500 model, an Abarth, and a full plug-in electric model....this year, at the 2011 show, only regular 500s and a 1970 Topolino for comparison. When I inquired about this, they said that they were still working on the specs and equipment for the American-market Abarth and full-electric......as of now, there is little or nothing definite on Fiat's web site on them, either. The Fiat people told me, today, at the dealership, that the Abarth and full-electric models can be expected in America around the end of the year.....if Fiat marketing doesn't change its schedule in the meantime.
Though other, generally smaller engines are available overseas, Fiat, for now, in the U.S., will offer just the gas-powered 1.4L in-line 4 with 101 HP, 98 ft-lbs. of torque, and a choice of 5-speed manual or 6-speed-automatic transmissions. However, even though the U.S.-market body-style and engine choices are limited, Fiat will offer a superb 14 exterior colors and, like the Mini-Cooper it is likely to compete against, a large wide range of dealer/factory graphics/accessories (see the website for details). The 500, like some Korean-designed small vehicles, also comes with a lot of standard equipment for the base price of 15-16K. 3 trim-levels wll be offered for the 500....POP, Lounge, and Sport. A wide range of factory/dealer graphics will soon be offered, just like on the Mini Cooper. Base prices range between $15,500 for POP models and $18,000 for Sport models.
I've been waiting for weeks for the new local Fiat shop near my house to get finished and open for buisness, but it doesn't seem to be getting anywhere very quickly (it's still under construction/remodeling), so I finally said the heck with it and went out to the next-closest one, about 30 miles away.....one of the few already in buisness. Believe me, it was worth the drive, even with today's gas prices and in D.C.-area traffic. I was quite impressed with the place.....right next door and integrated to a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership, of course. The showroom building seemed to have been just remodeled with all-new materials. The service building was clean and impressive (let's hope that the new Fiats, unlike the old ones, won't need the service bays very much). The lot was extremely well-stocked with hundreds of new 500s in all 14 colors, all trim models, and transmissions. Both the salespeople and managers were ultra-nice, didn't try and talk a lot of bull****, and appeared to be about as honest and forthright as auto-salespeople get. They didn't try to impress you with expensive buisness-suits either, like you find in some Luxury-car dealerships......they simply wore neat, casual shirts and slacks with company/dealer logos on them.....I liked that. In fact, if I wasn't aleady retired and done with my day-to-day working life, I probably wouldn't mind working there. That, and the review/test-drive, was a pleasant experience, and I came back quite satisfied and had lunch.
I figured that, at least until the Abarth and full-electric models came out, the average American 500-buyer would probably want a lower-priced, automatic version, and would be buying it primarily as a reasonably-fun-to-drive commuter car (automatics, of course, being better-suited to dense commuter-traffic). So, I actually looked over several different 500s in static-reviews, but, for the test-drive, I chose a lower-priced automatic POP model in Bright Yellow (Giallo), with a black-cloth interior. Bright red, of course, is the classic Italian automotive color (three different reds are offered on the 500), but the car also looked sharp in Canary-Yellow. It listed for a reasonable $17,600....even the lowest-priced Mini-Cooper competitors generally cost over 20 grand now. It was also an interesting test-drive...about halfway out, some heavy showers along a stalled frontal-boundary in the area moved in, gave me a chance to try out the front/rear wipers, and also showed what kind of wet-road traction the rather small 15-inch tires had (no problems, of course, on the wet surfaces in normal driving). I also noticed, on the sticker, under the Fiat warranty, that 4 years of free maintenance comes with the deal....I wasn't expecting to see that on a low-priced car like this.
For the rest of the review, read on...................
MODEL REVIEWED: 2012 Fiat 500 POP
BASE PRICE: $15,500
OPTIONS:
Hands-Free Communications Package: $500
6-Speed Automatic Transmission: $1000
Compact Spare Tire: $100 (Apparantly no spare at all is standard)
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $500 (a real bargain.....far below-average, and the lowest auto shipping-price I have seen in quite a few years)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $17,600
DRIVETRAIN: FWD, Transverse-mounted 1.4L in-line four, 101 HP @ 6500 RPM, Torque 98 Ft-lbs. @ 4000 RPM, 5-speed manual/6-speed automatic transmission with manual Sport-Shift.
EPA MILEAGE RATING:
30 City / 38 Highway (manual)
27 City / 34 Highway (automatic)
EXTERIOR COLOR: Yellow (Giallo)
INTERIOR: Black Cloth
PLUSSES: (+)
Fit/finish and (initial) assembly quality far better then previous American-market Fiats.
4 years free-maintenance.
Adjustable steering response/transmission shifts even in low-priced POP model.
Very short turning-radius.
Agile and manuverable.
Fairly flat cornering despite a rather high center of gravity.
Easy to park almost anywhere.
Generally well-done brakes, considering the smallish wheels.
Small 15" tires will be inexpensive to replace.
Good exterior fit/finish for a car of this class.
Excellent paint job in all 14 colors.
Many of th 14 colors are eye-openers.
Fairly solid-closing doors.
Upmarket Sport/Lounge models have convex-inserts for wide-range vision on drivers'-side outside mirror.
Comfortable, supportive front seats.
Nice pull-down, Captain's-Chair-style arm-rests in front seats, even on the low-priced model.
Small/cheapish but nicely-padded sun-visors.
Handsome, comfortable, well-done sport-steering wheel.
Adequate front and rear headroom for tall persons (but the rear seat is otherwise too small for adults).
Nice, large, chrome inside-door handles.
Fairly good rear-visibility with headrests-down.
Simple, easy-to-use dash buttons/controls.
Nice Chrysler-PT-Cruiser-style plastic body-color dash-trim panel.
4/50 Bumper-to-Bumper warranty (includes drivetrain).
Extremely wide, Mini-Cooper-like range of graphics, cosmetics, and accessories.
Long list of standard equipment.
MINUSES: (-)
Plagued with a (possibly) outdated, very negative image in America.
Incomplete, limited-information website and Build-Your-Own features.
Long-term reliability of new version in the American market totally unknown.
Initially sparse dealer-network outside of major cities.
Abarth, convertible, and all electric plug-in models not available yet.
Tight underhood layout...and engine cover blocks access.
Adequate but noisy engine.
6-speed automatic transmission flexible but somewhat unrefined.
Significant road noise.
Gimmicky (IMO), hard-to-read concentric-circle gauge-cluster.
Cheap-feeling outside mirror housings.
Zig-zag automatic transmission shift lever.
Awkwardly-low center-console and cup-holders.
Flimsy-feeling plastic manual-seat controls.
OK but somewhat unimpressive stereo-sound quality.
Kiddie-Car rear seat, except for good headroom.
Tricky interior hood-release lever.
Cheap-looking/feeling, hard-plastic door panels.
Hard, unpleasant upper-dash surface.
very thin, industrial-like carpet.
Ultra-thin fabric headliner.
Compact spare tire is optional.....and mounted outside, under the rear bumper.
Tiny, hard-to-use sales-brochures/literature.
Questionable crash-protection in an impact with a larger vehicle.
EXTERIOR:
As you first walk up to the new 500, there is no mistaking it for a new, updated model, espcally for those who can remember the old versions. Like the current-generation Mini-Cooper compared to its old predecessor, the new 500 has the same general shape/body-lines as models of decades ago, but is somewhat larger. The added size of today's model, of course, is critical for many of today's tall, portly Americans....a number of whom simply could not fit into the old model. That is the case with today's Mini, too, to some degree, although the old Mini that was first designed by Sir Alec Issigonis was known fot its exceptional space efficiency.....it introduced today's widespread engineering practice of transverse-engines and FWD (which, BTW, the new 500 itself uses).
So then, many of you are going to recognize the new 500 simply by its old Topolino-like (but significantly larger) shape....the slit Fiat-grille, double-round headlights, high-sweep drop-down roof, and squarish taillights. The new 500 is still a little small for my tastes (even though I can now fit into the front seat, I still prefer something larger and heavier). I like the look myself.....it may be retro, but it is a breath of fresh air compared to the same old Aero-Look, Jelly-Bean, humpback-whale styling that characterizes so many of today's cars like cookie-cutters. The exterior sheet metal is reasonably solid, and the doors close fairly solidly......more so than I expected. The quality of the paint job was quite good....I've already mentioned the availablilty of the 14 different colors (apparantly available on all versions), including the classic Italian bright red. The small 15-inch wheels/tires seem adequate for the car's size and weight, and, of course, those tires will be considerably less-expensive to replace than the 17-20" rubber prevalent on many of today's cars. Base-level cars, of course, get steel wheels....upmarket versions get honeycomb-shaped alloys. The twin-outside mirror housings snap-swivel and lock, but not with a slick, smooth feel, and the plastic used on the housing feels a little thin. Upmarket Lounge and Sport versions have chrome-trim on the front part of the housings.....POP models like my test car use body-color (which is, IMO, still a step up, as many lower-line vehicles have flat-black housings). All of the exterior trim and chrome seemed fairly well-applied. Fiat plans to offer a number of body-graphic packages in the American market for the 500 like the Mini Cooper has, but the people at the dealership said that they had not actually received any kits yet.
UNDERHOOD:
Open up the small hood, and you prop it up with a manual rod. Even on a small, inexpensive car like this, I don't see where a nice gas strut (the hood seems light enough for only one strut) would have been too much to ask. Under the hood, there is a small insulation-pad, but a significant amount of engine-noise comes through in spite of that (more on that below). The small inside hood-release lever, in the usual place under the left-dash, is a little tricky.....you have to make sure you grab and pull the red lever itself instead of the whole flat-black housing with it (at first, I almost pulled the whole housing right off trying to unlatch the hood). Under the hood, things are a little tight....the American-market 500, of course, uses the largest of the currently-available engines. The 1.4L MultiAir in-line 4, transversely-mounted, fits in definitely on the snug side....not much room is available to reach things on the side of the block, and the big, decorative plastic-engine cover blocks access to virtually everything on top. The Fiat people there said that the cover pops off fairly easily for service, though....I didn't actually remove it, so I'll take their word for it. This is unusual for this class, as most entry-level cars simply drop in the engine and don't put any covers on it. The battery, over to the right, is uncovered and easily accesable.....as are the dipsticks, filler-caps, and fluid-reservoirs.
INTERIOR:
The interior in this car is more-or-less unique, and I don't recall seeing anything else quite like it, although the big, wide, plastic matching-body-color panel that runs all across the dash seems taken from the former Chrysler PT Cruiser (or, was it the other way around, seeing that the former 500 was built for decades)? Compared to the versions of decades ago, the new interior is cavernous. There is adequate headroom for tall persons my size (6' 2") both front and rear, with or without the sunroof housing, though the housing, as is typical, robs about an inch or two. The back seat, though, despite the adequate headroom, is otherwise quite tight, and best left for children or small adults. Crawling into and out of the rear seat, with the two-door body style, is also quite a chore for someone my size. Four-door versions are sold elsewhere that would make it a little easier, but we won't get those in the U.S., at least for now.
The three-spoke, sport-style steering wheel looks smart, is comfortable to hold, and has the usual phone/stereo-volume buttons, though the volume-button is on the back of the right spoke, hidden from view. Not only is the rim leather-wrapped, but the spokes themselves as well..that's something you don't often see, even in more-expensive vehicles. The sun visors are small and cheap-looking, but have a nicely-padded surface, and, of course, unlighted vanity-mirrors. The headliner has a very cheap-feeling, thin, off-white fabric that looked and felt like the weaving used in cheap socks. The center-console is very low, almost down on the floor, and includes a cupholder/cubby-compartment....you have to reach way down to it. The front seats (cloth on lower-line models, leather on upmarket versions) were comfortable for someone my size, with decent-feeling fabric, and a nice touch I wasn't expecting was the fold-down, Captain's-Chair style arm rests, even on my low-line POP version. The fold-down arm-rests aren't as big or plush as those found on some minivans and larger SUVs, but they are nicely-padded and do the job. The stereo-sound quality was OK (acceptable), but not one of the better ones I've heard. Fortunately, the stereo controls were simple and easy-to-operate, though I generally prefer round volume/tuning ***** to the +/- buttons provided. Most of the controls/*****/buttons, however (including the wiper-stalks and adjustments, which I got a chance to try out in the rain) were simple and easy-to-use.
One thing inside, however, that I generally didn't like was the way that the designers did the primary-gauge display behind the steering wheel...I thought that it was arguably the interior's worst feature. Two large, bright-metal-glitz concentric circles (outer-speedometer, inne-tach), each with short floating-red needles, give you speed and engine-RPM, while a display-circle in the center (maybe two inches across) is jam-packed full of yellow-digital numbers, all looking more-or-less-alike, giving you all kinds of different functions/readouts at once. I found it annoying at best, and difficult at worst, to try and figure out, in an instant, what you're looking at....all of the yellow-digital figures, from gas-level to gear-readout to clock to trip-data info, were jam-packed together and looked more or less the same. I would highly recommend a gauge-display redesign for the next version of the 500. I also did not care for the ultra-cheap, hard-plastic, all-black door panels, though the nice, big chrome inside-door-handles were a nice touch. The upper-surface of the dash, above the body-color dash panel, was also hard and unpleasant to the touch. But, all in all, an interesting and rather unique interior....even in an inexpensive car like this, it just might impress your Friday-night date.
CARGO AREA/TRUNK:
Lift the hatch-lid with the standard touch-release panel, and the car's short size and droop-down rear end, of course, compromise the cargo-space somewhat, but, considering all that, it's not bad. There is a very short cargo-cover behind the rear seat to hide valuables in the trunk (but even without it, it would be rather hard to see through the small opening anyway). I didn't list the rather small cargo area as a specific MINUS, because it is actually not bad for the car's size. The level of fit/finish inside the trunk isn't bad either, for the price. But one cost-cutting measure did show up. Not only is there a compact/dount-spare tire instead of a real one, but even THAT is a $100 option. And, because of the cargo area's relatively small size, it is not stored underneath the trunk floor, but, like on some pickups and off-road SUVs, outside the car, under the rear bumper.
ON THE ROAD:
Start up the 1.4L MultiAir four with a VW-style flip-out metal key and a conventional side-column-mounted ignition switch. The engine comes to life with a noticeable muted-growl at idle....it is not quiet and refined like a Toyota or Honda four. And the engine-noise/exhaust level gets noticeably louder as you accelerate, particularly in the lower gears. Power level, with only 98 ft-lbs. of torque at 4000 RPM, is adequate for the car's small size and light weight during normal driving, but don't expect to run with a Mustang GT or Camaro SS at stoplights. The high-performance Abarth model, of course, will have more spunk under the hood, but it is still some months off yet.
The 6-speed Sport-Shift automatic was not particularly smooth or quiet, and, even when fully warmed-up, still changed gears a little firmly. The shift-lever had an annoying zig-zag in the auto mode, but a nice snick-snick fore-aft for the manual-shift gate. Like with Mazdas and BMWs, you pushed the lever forward for downshift (-) and pulled it back for upshifts (+)......the reverse of most other cars. In the manual-mode, RPM and speed, at least for me, were not particularly easy to coordinate with the manual-shift lever because of the way the aforementoned concentric-gauges on the dash were designed and the way the needles floated. The transmission's lower gears, from 1-4, seemed to be rather short ratios for acceleration, then what seemed like a rather wide jump to tall 5-6 ratios for higher-speed cruising.
The chassis and steering systems seem pretty well-done. A SPORT push-button on the dash (yes, even in the low-priced POP model) varies the steering response and transmission shift-points (the salespeople didn't say anything about shock/suspension damping). In the non-sport mode, steering response was very smooth but felt rather slow and unresponsive....almost like an older Buick. With the button pushed, response quicked up quite a bit.....certainly enough to be noticed. There wasn't much body roll either with or without the SPORT feature on, even with the car's narrowness and relatively high center-of-gravity. The ride was a little jittery, as you would expect from the short wheelbase and light weight, but not uncomfortable....generally a little smoother than I expected, and the SPORT mode did not seem to change it any. Road and wind noise, even with the relatively small-footprint tires, was rather pronounced, but not to tiring-levels. The brakes have painted-red calipers which make them look like high-performance Brembos, but they, of course, are not Brembos (it is unclear whether the Abarth model will have them). They are adequate, however, have a decent pedal-feel to them, and do the job. The brake-pedal is not in an ideal location for my big size-15 clown-shoe moving from the gas to brake pedal.....it had a slight hang-up on the edge of the brake pedal, but it wasn't serious.
THE VERDICT:
Well, welcome back, Cinquecento (500). It's been a nice 25-year vacation. It seems ready for real American-sized people now, at least in the front seats. Whether FIAT, once again, means Fix it Again, Tony, like it did decades ago, remains to be seen. But this new version has a full 4/50 Fiat warranty (bumper-to-bumper and drivetrain) and 4-year free maintenance, so some of the former service/repair/maintenance headaches that Americans remember will hopefully be a thing of the past. Its closest competition, of course, will be the base-level Mini Cooper sold at select BMW dealership, but the 500 significantly undercuts even the base the Mini on price. The Mini does have the higher-performance S and John Works models, but the Abarth 500 will be here by the end of the year to challenge them, too. The 500, like the Mini, also has a rather unique interior. It generally handles well, especially in the Sport Mode, and has a tolerable level of ride comfort. The initial sparse network of dealerships, however, especially outside of major metropolitan areas, could be a problem...as it is now for Suzuki, and, increasingly, Mitsubishi. To make that worse, some of the planned dealerships (oops....Studios), don't seem to be finishing up their construction/remodeling, hiring people, and getting ready for buisness at a very fast pace (see the fiat/usa website for sheduled opening-dates). But the one I was at today was not only open, but well-staffed, clean/neat, had plenty of cars in stock, nice people, and was a real pleasure to visit. I definitely didn't waste a trip today.
And, as always, Happy Car Shopping.
MM
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-06-12 at 08:57 AM.
04-19-11, 08:58 PM
#2
I love italian cars, specially older fiats, and strangely enough, the beta coupe, a really great looking car to me....even though they rusted the second they saw water (almost not an exaggeration). I just want Alfa Romeo to come back, i think that they would actually have a chance being somewhat competitive in todays market, being somewhat of a niche market like mistubishi or mazda.....or are those not considered niche vehicles? Maybe like volvo or saab
04-19-11, 09:17 PM
#3
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I just want Alfa Romeo to come back, i think that they would actually have a chance being somewhat competitive in todays market, being somewhat of a niche market like mistubishi or mazda.....or are those not considered niche vehicles? Maybe like volvo or saab
Last edited by mmarshall; 04-19-11 at 09:25 PM.
04-19-11, 09:24 PM
#4
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Great review. Kind of sad you didn't review the 5-speed though, but its good to read about the auto as well.
Can't wait to see some in person
BTW: What did you think of the interior differences on the other models, and the interior color options of the ones you saw?
Can't wait to see some in person
BTW: What did you think of the interior differences on the other models, and the interior color options of the ones you saw?
04-19-11, 09:46 PM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Thanks.
I felt that most of today's American 500-buyers would probably want a low-priced, automatic version as a basic commuter-car, so that's the version I picked. Sticks are just not well-suited to dense commuter-traffic. When the Abarth model comes out, I may (?) sample a version of that with the 6MT.
Many of today's cars have automatics that are just as, if not more efficient, than traditional 3-pedal manuals. The 500 is an exception.....the 6MT, in EPA tests, is good for 4 more MPG on the highway, and 3 more in town. But, again, a lot of people just don't want the hassles (and wear-and-tear on their left knee) of pumping the clutch up and down in stop-and-go traffic.
Car & Driver, BTW, drove a 6MT version and generally liked the transmission and clutch, except for some long shift-throws. Here's the site:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t_drive_review
Here's a list of proposed dealerships and opening dates. Don't hold your breath, though....some of them are running behind schedule.
http://www.fiatusa.com/en/find_a_dealer.html
There are a number of interesting color/seat/trim patterns on the available 500 models. The brightest-color seats, as one would expect, are on the sport-packages. One of my favorites, though was the Expresso package.....the brownish Mocha-Latte paint color on the exterior, chocolate-brown interior seats, and a contrasting ivory-cream color trim on the dash (meant, of course, to simulate coffee and creamer). Fiat had an Expresso version displayed at the D.C. Auto Show in January.....unlocked, so we could get in and sample the interior.
Kind of sad you didn't review the 5-speed though, but its good to read about the auto as well.
Many of today's cars have automatics that are just as, if not more efficient, than traditional 3-pedal manuals. The 500 is an exception.....the 6MT, in EPA tests, is good for 4 more MPG on the highway, and 3 more in town. But, again, a lot of people just don't want the hassles (and wear-and-tear on their left knee) of pumping the clutch up and down in stop-and-go traffic.
Car & Driver, BTW, drove a 6MT version and generally liked the transmission and clutch, except for some long shift-throws. Here's the site:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t_drive_review
Can't wait to see some in person
http://www.fiatusa.com/en/find_a_dealer.html
BTW: What did you think of the interior differences on the other models, and the interior color options of the ones you saw?
Last edited by mmarshall; 04-19-11 at 09:52 PM.
04-19-11, 10:24 PM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
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Next planned MM Review: Probably the all-new 2012 Dodge Charger R/T, but I'm not sure yet.
I don't have formal review-requests for the new Buick Regal or Kia Optima yet, but I may try them later out of curiosity....they are getting a lot of hype in the auto press. I sampled each one briefly at the D.C. Auto Show, but that was only a quick jaunt on a few of the city-streets around the Convention Center where the show was being held....not a real test-drive.
I don't have formal review-requests for the new Buick Regal or Kia Optima yet, but I may try them later out of curiosity....they are getting a lot of hype in the auto press. I sampled each one briefly at the D.C. Auto Show, but that was only a quick jaunt on a few of the city-streets around the Convention Center where the show was being held....not a real test-drive.
Last edited by mmarshall; 04-19-11 at 10:36 PM.
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04-19-11, 10:29 PM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Thanks. It turned out to be a pleasant experience for me today, too....I was quite impressed with the place.
If you want one, they certainly don't cost an arm and a leg. But, with a baby girl, I know the finances have to go for her first. 
It turned out to be a pleasant experience for me today, too....I was quite impressed with the place.
I love this little car
04-19-11, 10:56 PM
#9
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Thanks for the review Mike - glad you had a good experience with it. I do hope that it is a reasonably reliable vehicle. I always liked the mid engine Fiat X1/9, so if the 500 end up being a solid car, maybe they will bring back a new (reliable) version of that car some day.
04-19-11, 11:13 PM
#10
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Sure....anytime.
I was more impressed with the clean, friendly, and well-stocked dealership than with the car itself...though there's no doubt it's an interesting new product. It's a little small for my tastes, though, and not something I would buy as a daily-driver.....I generally like a larger, heavier car, even if it uses more fuel at $4 a gallon.
Yeah.....no offense, friend, but, like its Pontiac Fiero competitor, the X1/9 was the very definition of unreliability. In addition to the usual Fiat rusting, it also had the habit of allowing a number of its fluids to leak out. Consumer Reports, I remember, had a number of problems with theirs just in the brief period they had it for testing. It was also quite difficult to get in and out of for someone my size....even more so than the slightly larger Fiero.
On the positive side, though, I agree with you that the X1/9 had first-class handling. The Division Chief in the office I worked in back then owned one....a bright-green one. You could flick it around corners almost like a go-kart...in fact, you had to be careful that you didn't oversteer it.....the mid/rear-engine design made it somewhat more tail-happy than a typical front-engine/RWD sports-car.
- glad you had a good experience with it.
I do hope that it is a reasonably reliable vehicle. I always liked the mid engine Fiat X1/9, so if the 500 end up being a solid car, maybe they will bring back a new (reliable) version of that car some day.
On the positive side, though, I agree with you that the X1/9 had first-class handling. The Division Chief in the office I worked in back then owned one....a bright-green one. You could flick it around corners almost like a go-kart...in fact, you had to be careful that you didn't oversteer it.....the mid/rear-engine design made it somewhat more tail-happy than a typical front-engine/RWD sports-car.
04-19-11, 11:24 PM
#11
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I was more impressed with the clean, friendly, and well-stocked dealership than with the car itself...though there's no doubt it's an interesting new product. It's a little small for my tastes, though, and not something I would buy as a daily-driver.....I generally like a larger, heavier car, even if it uses more fuel at $4 a gallon.
On the positive side, though, I agree with you that the X1/9 had first-class handling. The Division Chief in the office I worked in back then owned one....a bright-green one. You could flick it around corners almost like a go-kart...in fact, you had to be careful that you didn't oversteer it.....the mid/rear-engine design made it somewhat more tail-happy than a typical front-engine/RWD sports-car.
04-20-11, 04:47 AM
#12
Great review Mike. The 500 is a little car I know well. A couple of years ago my wife changed jobs and was looking for a little car to replace her company Audi. We looked at the Toyota Yaris and IQ (too plasticky and weird), the Suzuki Swift (just boring) VW Polo (for pensioners) etc, but when she saw a Bossa Nova White 1.2 Lounge in the FIAT showroom she fell in love with it and bought it on the spot. She loved the quality of the interior, the light and open feeling inside with the glass roof and the Blue&Me system paired instantly with her phone, uploading her phone book, allowing hands free calling, it even reads out text messages as you drive along. Loads of the features can be voice controlled and it's equipped with 7 airbags (the same as my Lexus) so it's safe (5 star NCAP).
She used it to nip through town to her job on the other side of the river, it got 45mpg and cost £30 a year to tax so it was cheap motoring. Reliabilitywise it never faltered, nothing dropped off, no squeaks etc (albeit she only did 10k miles over 2 years).
Called "Bella" it was replaced by "Bella 2" earlier this year - a 1.2 500C cabrio which she drives topless as much as possible (the car, not her!), and she's still loving it.
She used it to nip through town to her job on the other side of the river, it got 45mpg and cost £30 a year to tax so it was cheap motoring. Reliabilitywise it never faltered, nothing dropped off, no squeaks etc (albeit she only did 10k miles over 2 years).
Called "Bella" it was replaced by "Bella 2" earlier this year - a 1.2 500C cabrio which she drives topless as much as possible (the car, not her!), and she's still loving it.
04-20-11, 05:11 AM
#14
