Day-by-Day Review: 2012 Fiat 500 Lounge

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2012 Fiat 500

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And now for a car I have been waiting over a year to drive! Yes, this week the all-new 2012 Fiat 500 is in my possession and I intend to drive a lot and have some fun doing so. It already has attracted a lot of attention and rightly so — it is just so darned cute. In fact, today on my journey home I spotted a woman shooting video of me driving down the highway in the Fiat. Can’t say I’ve noticed that before.

This vehicle is small and it starts at somewhat of a small price as well, at just $15,995. You can easily get yourself into this little gem for under $20,000 out the door, and there are plenty to choose from on the lots as well.

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For those reading as a consumer, here is some background information. The Fiat 500 is brought to you by what we in North America know as Chrysler. Originally it was thought that this car would be called the Chrysler 500, as they had Chrysler badges on them during the autoshow rounds. Fiat, which has a majority stake in the Chrysler brand, has landed itself in North America, with the 500 being the first, but hopefully not the only, Fiat vehicle to hit our shores since 1984.

Many North Americans still have not-so-fond memories of the “Fix It Again Tony” brand from decades ago, but like many other manufacturers, Fiat has evolved and can now, hopefully, provide a much more reliable experience and build a strong brand here once again.

The 500 is available as a coupe or convertible; my coupe tester is a Lounge, or top of the line, model, equipped with leather seating, cruise control, climate control, power moonroof, backup sensors and heated seats. The Fiat 500 aims to be a premium small car without the premium price charged for, say, the Mini Cooper. Let’s find out this week if it is worth it!

2012 Fiat 500 Lounge
MSRP as tested (excluding destination): $23,475

For more information on Fiat and the 500 visit Fiat Canada

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The interior of the Fiat certainly is a polarizing one. Personally, I love the multi-colour interior: the white dash gives the 500 an upscale look and sets it apart from the sea of grey and black in most compact cars, and the two-tone leather seats really add flair. But a few co-workers who checked out the car had different opinions. Some like black interiors and found the Fiat’s plastics too felt cheap — until I told them the car starts at just over $15,000.

My tester has almost 9,000 km on the odometer and there is a visible difference between the driver and passenger seats. The leather on the driver’s seat is beginning to stretch and looks looser than that of the passenger’s seat. Regarding the seats, they are short in the leg area but sit very high in the vehicle, so tall people may have issue with rubbing their hair on the headliner if they are not accustomed to leaning back. Even I was able to touch the roof with my head with the seat in the upright — otherwise known as the “take-off and landing” — position.

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What is surprising is that although you need to bend yourself to get in and out of the backseats, they are reasonably-sized. Even more surprising is the trunk space. Eyeing the car from the outside and seeing the interior space, one would assume the trunk space is next-to-nothing. In fact, it is a very reasonably-sized trunk area that can more than accommodate most drivers’ weekly shopping.

The rest of the interior looks upscale, the only negatives from my perspective being the radio controls, which are all buttons and no dials, which makes simple tasks more cumbersome. The steering wheel feels solid and comfortable in hand and the driver’s armrest is perfectly placed for highway cruising.

The gear level is placed in an ergonomic position if you wish to shift the automatic transmission yourself, which leads me to believe the manual transmission would be perfect for spirited runs.

I am still loving the cute looks of the 500, but can’t help but think how striking it would be with 13 inch wheels, shod with 245 series tires and major negative camber — a little racy!

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Why does a car that is only six feet long need backup sensors? Let’s put that into the books as the silliest add-on feature of the year, no? So how is this thing to park, anyways? The steering is light and quick making it a breeze, as you may expect. The nose is so short you can pretty much just slam yourself into parking spaces without looking. It’s a joy to drive in parking lots and when you get it out onto the road, the joy does not stop.

As you speed up, the steering gets heavier, giving you a feeling of control and offering that inspiring sensation that the car will turn when you want it to with an immediate response. And it does so, although on our straight highways the car tends to dart around a lot because of the quick steering ratio. I guess you can’t have it all.

Step on the accelerator, though, and the joy doesn’t really continue. This little car is powered by a rather small, 1.4-litre engine that only produces 101hp and 98lb/ft of torque. With just myself in the car I found it adequate, but add a couple of co-workers and things get slow. But the trick in this little car is to anticipate the lights, keep your momentum up in the corners and you’ll not only save fuel, but you’ll be having fun doing so.

The 500 really feels like a go-kart, and although the seating position is very high there is very little body roll and the 15-inch tires feel like they stick to the pavement like glue.

On the highway, noise levels are very reasonable for this type of vehicle, and surprisingly, despite the very short wheelbase, the Fiat 500 soaks up potholes reasonably well. So far, I do not have much bad to say. Sure, I would like more power, but as a runabout it is sufficient. I’m sure with the manual transmission this car would be even more of a hoot to drive.

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I certainly had a lot of fun with the Fiat 500 this week. Imagine – a sub-compact car with a lot of style and a price that is reasonable. I love the interior, which offers up something different but is not so out of the box that it becomes a nuisance for everyday usage, and I found that there was more than enough cargo space for my hauling needs.

Fuel consumption was okay, but not stellar, for this class of vehicle, I averaged 7.0 L/100km with a lot of highway driving. It seems that these smaller cars do poorly in highway conditions: the little Fiat even had to downshift to maintain speed on the large hill headed to my home when no other vehicle I have tested has needed to do so.

Overall, I loved the 500, and if I was shopping for a subcompact it would – no question – be on my short list. As the only car for a single person or young couple, or a second car for a more established family, it may just fit the bill!

*Rating out of 5: