Absolutely. Our first experience with the Fiat 500 has left us desperately wanting a few more miles behind the wheel. Fiat has always been at its best when channelling its creativity and engineering skills into the smallest of cars – think 1937 Topolino, the 600 of 1955, the 500 of 1957 and the Mk1 Panda – and the 500 proves that Turin has lost none of its small car magic. It’s quite brilliant, a car influenced by the nostalgic charm of the past but still perfectly judged for the 21st century’s high-profile premium supermini sector.
Fiat knew just who to get in to ensure that the 500 stayed true to the star of the 2004 Geneva Motor Show. It called on former head of Ferrari design Frank Stephenson to hone the 500’s design for production. There’s no one better out there for the job – Stephenson designed the Mini for BMW, after all.
The critter uses Panda architecture. Drivetrains range from a 75bhp 1.3-litre turbodiesel w/54mpg [US] to a 100bhp 1.4-litre “gas-guzzler” w/44mpg [US]. Euro guesstimates price it at $12,000 landed in the States.
Now, if they’d only make a turbodiesel mini pickup for me.
You know I always did like small cars, and pretty much owned small cars my entire life until I was provided a company car (at that point I drove what the company told me). One of my favorite cars around 10 years ago was the Geo Metro, I owned it for 4 years, good little vehicle though it had some problems going up hills, but damn the 50mpg was nice, would be nicer now with the cost of fuel.
Bring back the metro 🙂
RETCH…….
I remember back in the 70’s you saw a LOT of Fiats on the road. My brother had an X1/9. (Three of them, actually.) Great little cars.
Until they rusted apart. By the mid-80’s there were no Fiats left on the road, period. (Unless you count the Yugo, which were actually Fiats built in Yogoslavia.)
Maybe they’ve solved that rusting thing. You don’t see as many rust buckets as you used to, even up north.
Who owns Fiat now, anyway? VW?
Can’t expect a truck driver to appreciate nimble. Come to think of it, can’t expect someone who drives a piss-ant sequin-covered truck to even appreciate well-designed trucks.
Oh, well. Looks snazzy. Would be great for my wife’s commute – if her ancient Volvo ever died. Which, at this point in time, doesn’t look likely. Only 250,000 miles on it.
Actually I though about a little more. That would be a good scooter for tooling around the back yard, or for getting from the house to the mailbox and back if you didn’t have time to walk the full length of the driveway….
Uh, #3, Fiat owns Fiat – and Ferrari and Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Abarth.
Will this car actually be coming to the United States? It would be nice to see some smaller, cheaper cars coming to the market.
I don’t really care if someone else is buying a big hummer, but their really ought to be a law that says if you buy a gas guzzling vehicle, you have no right to complain about gas prices.
#5 – as ever, you sound like the average NASCAR Amurican. If you’re at work and need something from the store half a block away – you drive there and back.
At least, as evolution progresses, there will be a diminutive cul-de-sac species that dies out when it has only a Naugahyde-textured butt, a larger right foot (because it never learned to use a clutch pedal), Oakley sunglasses slot across the forehead and a permanent bobblehead acquiescing to whatever the government requires to keep petro-dollars flowing into the appropriate pockets.
#6, Actually the Agnelli family owns FIAT.
FIAT = Failure In Automotive Technology
Looks sort of like a shrunken SC430.
#7 Bob – “In Italy, the 500 will be priced at 10,500 euros to 14,500 euros ($14,300 to $19,746); lower-priced models with fewer options will be available in other markets.”
I had a 850 Convertible designed by GIHA which I drove everywhere in Wisconsin/Illinois.. It was a blast. I went thru a few head gaskets until they got it right. I really liked having a heater! ha!
I’d buy a 500. It makes a lot of sense for a set of wheels.
From Wiki:
In 2000…GM acquired a [20%] stake in Fiat. The agreement with GM included a put option, which held that Fiat would have the right to sell GM its auto division after four years at fair market value. If GM balked, it would be forced to pay a penalty of $2 billion. When Fiat tried to sell GM the company, GM chose the penalty. On May 13, 2005 GM and Fiat officially dissolved their agreement, and Fiat is now courting Ford.
In addition to the rust issue, 60s-70s Fiats (and most other Italian and English cars made at the time) suffered from atrociously unreliable electrical systems.
Well, if the car isn’t any better than their web site, I sure won’t be buying one.
And when the page finally loads (annoying music and all) and you “pick your country”, you can select Sovenia, Slovakia, and Turkey (among others), but you can’t select the USA. So maybe they won’t even be available here. Huh. Fix it AGAIN, Tony.
Fix It Again Tony
That’s what all the Fiat owners I knew back in the 70s called them.
The original 500 had a canvas sunroof and a hand throttle (as well as the normal accelerator). It was thus possible to drive it standing up, U-boat commander style, with your head and shoulders through the (open) sunroof – as long as you didn’t need to change gear, of course. I have seen this done.
How about the SmartCar? Should be in the US by 2008. Prices in Canada start at $16,700 Canadian (about $15,900 US at current exchange rate). Kinda pricy for what you get.
Fix It Again Tomorrow. My other favourite is the British sports car Lotus
Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious.
VW own Audi, Skoda and SEAT
I’m italian and I’ve just seen it live, it’s really a great car. Anyway here in Italy it’s not only a car, it’s a symbol.
Man, that’s my kind of car, I LOVE it… Makes me sad that it’s probably not going to sell here in Brazil.
In America, The great forgotten car is the VW’s Jetta TDi. 50mpg on diesel in a decent sized sedan or wagon is hard to beat and its been available for years….
The funniest piece of ignorance in Comments is complaining about rust on extra-US cars. The US invented the concept with the mid-50’s Plymouths.
And there’s always this:
http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12071
I realize that people who don’t know crap about cars – and probably economics – rely on sources like Wikisomethingorother for info.
Try Bloomberg: http://tinyurl.com/2uqgs4
Last year, Fiat turned a profit. How did GM and Ford do?
#19 Emanuele said,
“I’m italian and I’ve just seen it live, it’s really a great car. Anyway here in Italy it’s not only a car, it’s a symbol. ”
I have to ask, of what?
The 500 would be cool with a 650 c.i. blown hemi….gas mileage: 3 mpg.
Just kidding.
I would buy it. My truck has been making the Bush family rich long enough.
As a European, I suspect that the new Fiat 500 would not suit the US, until the US gets sensible about cars and escapes the ‘mine’s bigger than yours’ mind-set.
Regarding rust, it’s not an issue for the past decade at least and the new 500 offers a five (F I V E) year warranty.
Regarding who owns Fiat, it’s a public company quoted on the NY and milan Stock Exchange, and it’s now worth more (yes, more) than Ford and GM. Combined!
Moss –
I realize that people who don’t know crap about cars – and probably economics – rely on sources like Wikisomethingorother for info.
That’s a childish post. Nothing in the paragraph I quoted contradicts the Bloomberg article.
The 500 would have to meet the USA’s collision standards – 35 mph concrete barrier test, etc. – for the very smallest cars, that’s been a bigger challenge than any alleged lack of demand.
That’s maybe true, but then again they have to pass the same tests here in Europe, so… why don’t they pass them there?
The Smart ForTwo, one of the smallest cars in circulation had collision security indexes way up there. It was as secure as a Midsized Mercedes.
Mind you that these little beauties can have 90bhp engines on a car that’s no bigger than the two front seats of a sedan…