Fiat 500 Reviews

Nothing.

I am most often behind the wheel of 4x4 vehicles. I'm not married to that arrangement, but that's just how things work out between employment and weekend activities (you are NOT going to take the Fiat 500 down the ol' access road or abandoned logging road).

I do drive regular cars, here and there, and have pretty strong opinions about what a car should do: handle very well; go quickly; use relatively little fuel; not be a money pit; not look like a sculptural interpretation of the color Beige; carry four passengers and/OR have impressive track times. The Fiat 500 does most of these.

The engine is fine for urban driving and will pull you along the highways. I have not taken this model on a proper road trip and have no idea how it would react to mountain passes. I do not like the sound of the engine when it is tasked -- like a lawnmower. I wouldn't suggest that this equates to durability issues, but to my ears it does sound sloppy and unrefined.

Despite the clunky engine feel, the Fiat 500 is still fun to rev-up and zip through and around bothersome traffic.

Handling is great. This IS a city car and it does the city well. Cornering is very good and requires little braking compared to compacts like the Corolla or Civic.

The interior is odd, like an upmarket fast-food joint. Not really my thing, but I have seen much worse. Seats and dash scuff-up easily, but you can just buff 'em out.

Seating and storage are somewhat limited. However, I hope that no one would purchase this as a family car, and not doing so would leave a lot of storage with the rear seats down -- plenty for groceries or the typical owner's trip to Ikea or whatever. Not sure that I would make adults sit in back for longer than 10 minutes. Comfort is just average, though the seat backs are nice and tall.

Fuel efficiency is good, though my mind is not blown given the car's low size and weight. Around 33 MPG in town.

Live in a good-sized city? Hate trying to work your way around awful urban planning and traffic jams? This thing might do the job.

I do not understand the whole (USA only) tiny-car-as-fashion-statement trend, and find it and the participants annoying. In the end, though, I think that the Fiat 500 transcends this stupidity by being good at what it's made for.

None.

Nice looking car.

Good fuel mileage, but very uncomfortable to drive more than a few miles. I am 5'9" and the steering wheel is too far away. Would be nice to have a telescoping wheel.

The electric power steering is erratic.

The seats have no support for your thighs.

Overall, I would never buy another one, and would not recommend one to anyone.

Clutch needed replacement at 67000 miles.

Occasional ECU warning messages needed resetting.

Wheel cylinder replaced after a leak at 52500 miles.

Rear lens cluster needed replacing because of water ingress.

Rear bulbs tend to blow more often than in most cars.

I bought this car to use as my driving school vehicle. This is possibly the toughest role for any small car today. Fiats do not have a great reputation for reliability, but I calculated that the funky styling and great reputation amongst teenagers would win me more business than any unreliability would lose me.

The car is small but well packaged, and drivers of all sizes can get comfortable in it.

The exterior styling is attractive, and far more faithful to the spirit of the original than, say, BMW's bloated take on the Mini. The compact dimensions and small overhangs also mean that the 500 is a very good city car.

The interior is also nicely styled. With the glass roof of the Lounge model, it is an airy and pleasant place to spend time.

The 1.2 engine needs revving hard to deliver any performance, and this affects fuel consumption, which has averaged only 48 MPG in my tenure. Bear in mind that as a 300 miles-per-week driving school car, this is not a bad figure at all.

The car still washes up like brand new inside and out. There are no rattles or squeaks. Very surprising for a Fiat.

The worst part about this car is the ride. It is unsettled and jiggly at low speed, to the extent that it can affect the steering over moderate bumps. It needs far better damping.

To be honest, apart from these points it is hard to fault the 500. I would certainly consider another as a driving school car, and even more as a private car with a much easier life.