Topic: Test Drive: 2012 Fiat 500 Lounge

[Autos_Editor]

The new Fiat 500 has so much style that it's easy to overlook its faults, says editor, Greg Wilson.

Read More...

[JohnM]

I love this car and hope to see lots on the road.  Actually there are quite a few on the road now so it must be doing well.  A good thing.

However "6.7/5.1 L/100 km city/hwy with the manual tranny, and 7.4/5.7 with the auto. I was seeing about 8.8 L/100" these are not stellar numbers and the 500 is in the Fit territory when it comes to weight but is well short of Fit capacity.

With all of the new great small cars out, perhaps it is time for another 50 Litre Challenge this spring.  To avoid putting the Autos editors on suicide watch, maybe it can be changed to a 30 litre challenge as cars have improved greatly since the last event.

Cheers,
John M.

[tpl]

For greater driving fun, the optional six-speed Auto/Stick transmission has a manual shift mode for better control of shift points: to shift up, you pull the lever back, and to shift down, you push the lever forwards, the opposite of many manumatics.

Good!  The other manumatic levers are wrong, Fiat is right.   ( I'd prefer using the lever to the paddles on my DSG except that as the lever is wrong I never use it)

[Snowman]

I'm sure after an extended period of time the style factor wears thin. The lay-offs at the plant where they are made and the poor sales indicate the public is overlooking style.

[safristi]

Autoextremist .com   has a blistering column on Marchionne......sales in the States are 17,000  His Majesty forecast 50,000 Ouch and the dealers who had to build Palaces to sell them are fuming...No Alfas coming for over 2 years        ..  as he says " A steaming big pasta bowl of NOT GOOD"....

[theonlydt]

For greater driving fun, the optional six-speed Auto/Stick transmission has a manual shift mode for better control of shift points: to shift up, you pull the lever back, and to shift down, you push the lever forwards, the opposite of many manumatics.

Good!  The other manumatic levers are wrong, Fiat is right.   ( I'd prefer using the lever to the paddles on my DSG except that as the lever is wrong I never use it)

Exactly. Mazda also have it right. Though why buy this car with an auto? With a manual you're looking at 0-60 in around 10 seconds, it's cheaper, more fun and uses less fuel. I find reviews on this side of the Atlantic are a little harsh - the 500 is much better received in Europe, where no doubt the small size and low running costs are more important than over here. One of my friends in the UK loved their first 500 so much on lease return they bought it, then also purchased a second 500 (new) as their second car. It's fun to drive, but North American roads are wider and faster - throw a 500 around some narrow side streets and you'll see the purpose of this car

[hemusbull]

The new 500 is partly a competition for Mini, partly for Smart. And the starting point is its own heritage. Unfortunately it follows the same sale "success" as smart with the costs "frugality" as Mini...Simply talking, the vehicle is targeting a very limited market share, mainly in big urban areas, building a new car culture here in North America.

[richink]

Looks like a far more substantial option for a city slicker than the Smart could ever be. I've seen them at more than a few rental counters... I am tempted.

[D70]

"Performance is adequate for urban use, and it cruises pleasantly on the highway, turning over about 2,500 rpm at 100 km/h with the automatic transmission"

For many people this could be the ideal car. I found it easy to drive with a manual gearbox probably more comfortable than my ragtop and certainly more practical but not as much fun

http://www.flickr.com/photos/d70w7/5971511817/

[aaronk]

They have an espresso brown Sport model at our local dealership, I've had my eye on it for a while now but not sure I could commit to such a small car for the 5+ years I typically own my vehicles. Considering prices are almost equal for a new SkyActive Mazda3 which is larger and quicker and nearly as efficient, I'd have a hard time settling on the Fiat. I think this would be a great lease car though, especially for urbanites.

[Spec5]

They have an espresso brown Sport model at our local dealership, I've had my eye on it for a while now but not sure I could commit to such a small car for the 5+ years I typically own my vehicles. Considering prices are almost equal for a new SkyActive Mazda3 which is larger and quicker and nearly as efficient, I'd have a hard time settling on the Fiat. I think this would be a great lease car though, especially for urbanites.

+1 my old '03 Spec V cost me $24k - sure it didn't have leather but boy would it lay waste to this thing! Agreed its catering to a niche market but apparently that niche isn't as big as Fiat was hoping.

Can't believe some dealers had to "Mini-ize" their dealerships for this thing! They should have released more than just the 1 car over here to show that they have some more range and that other offerings will be forthcoming.

Didn't CD do some kind of comparo with this and the Fit (as well as a few others) already? Pretty sure they did and this thing didn't do well. I'd take the Fit in a heartbeat.

[SaskSpecV]

Didn't CD do some kind of comparo with this and the Fit (as well as a few others) already? Pretty sure they did and this thing didn't do well. I'd take the Fit in a heartbeat.

No, they compared it with the Mini.  And the Fiat "lost" badly - for the reasons you would expect (slower, less practical, didn't handle as well, etc.)  They didn't include the Fiat in their subcompact comparison (Fit, Yaris, Accent, Sonic, etc.) - but I guess they could be cross-shopped.  Personally, if I want a small but nimble, economical runabout I'd be looking at a Mazda2...for a lot less money than the Fiat.  If I wanted something a little larger with decent power, then the Fit/Sonic/Accent would work.  And if I really wanted an urban vehicle for maximum space and fuel efficiency, then the Scion iQ.  I can't see any circumstances where I'd want the 500 over other cars...unless it was the Abarth version...

But I am proudly unstylish, living in the vast prairies of Saskatchewan, so I'm not exactly the Fiat 500 target audience!

[aaronk]

Didn't CD do some kind of comparo with this and the Fit (as well as a few others) already? Pretty sure they did and this thing didn't do well. I'd take the Fit in a heartbeat.

...unless it was the Abarth version...

You said it!  Count me in for wanting to test drive that little thing.

[Ex-airbalancer]

The new Fiat 500 has so much style

What styling 

[mik101]

The new Fiat 500 has so much style

What styling 

I'm with you. I'm not a girl but I'm probably in the target demo. 26 and love small cars. This thing just isn't it (and neither are the mini's for that matter because of the interior) but the dash looks like its from Fisher Price due to the colours. (I also hated the colour painted panels in the Kia Soul burner model, so I'm not biased.)

[ArticSteve]

Not putting this vehicle in Dodge/Chrysler stores was insane.  If ppl don't see it how can it sell.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I love these things. One of my neighbours has a grey one. The Chrysler dealer here sells them out of his regular showroom.

[greengs]

I love these things. One of my neighbours has a grey one. The Chrysler dealer here sells them out of his regular showroom.

I do too.  If Fiat brings the Auto Abarth to Canada I would be very very tempted to get one. 

[safristi]

I love these things. One of my neighbours has a grey one. The Chrysler dealer here sells them out of his regular showroom.

I do too.  If Fiat brings the Auto Abarth to Canada I would be very very tempted to get one. 

.....


      ....$25,000TEMPTED........

[paul246]

Watched a lot of these little 500's pass our tour bus on the motorways in England in the summer of 2010. Mind you, our tour bus was limited by law to a maximum speed of 100km/h, but the Fiats seemed to be keeping up with the rest of the traffic just fine.