Everything you want to know about the 2011 US-spec Fiat 500

[Galaxy]

As long as the Tributo Ferrari doesn't look tacky, that's the one I want.

Since that is real carbon fiber in the interior and being used as mirror housings, it  can be given a pass. If it were plastic in carbon look it would be a no go.

[Galaxy]

[AutobahnSHO]

the kids should dig it.

[Madman]

MINI has had atrocious reliability but hasn't stopped it from being mildly successful. But in the least that had the legacy of the original Mini from which to draw and the BMW tie-in to lend a bit of credence. This has neither. Doubt most Americans know of Fiat.

Fiat also has the legacy of the 1957-75 Nouva 500 to draw upon.  There's also Fiat's tie-in to Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo.  If marketed properly, the Fiat 500 can be every bit as successful (if not more) than the MINI.


Madman of the People

[r0tor]

Am I the only person who could give a crap less?

Nope.... if this type of car really excited me, I'd have a mini cooper already

[cawimmer430]

I don't doubt that Fiat, along with every other automaker, has improved their quality and reliability since the 1980's. The question is whether their quality and reliability is within our acceptable standards. Remember that Americans in general depend on their personal vehicles more than Europeans do, which is why it's so important for us. And the general rule IMO is that we won't buy anything with inferior perceived quality than our own American cars. I know you don't care much for reliability surveys, but I remember someone posted a link of one from Europe here, which placed Fiat close to the bottom, so it's not looking very promising. FWIW, I am hopeful that the 500 possesses an acceptable level of quality for its price.

I think the term "reliability" has to be defined. I suspect that most people assume that when someone claims their car is unreliable, that it is a major issue and the car cannot be driven because of this issue. From what I understand, the majority of issues on most "unreliable cars" are small things like a broken cupholder, a malfunctioning radio or electric window - a slight annoyance, but hardly an issue that makes the car undriveable.

By the way, the Fiat 500 was just tested for over 100,000 km in the Auto Motor und Sport 100,000 km test. Once I am back in Munich (tomorrow) I will scan and post the article here. I have not read the article yet but apparently the 500 performed quite well with only two (2) unplanned shop visits - over 100,000 km. 

[SVT666]

Since that is real carbon fiber in the interior and being used as mirror housings, it  can be given a pass. If it were plastic in carbon look it would be a no go.

Okay.  If it had a stick, I would go for it.  Too bad.  I like this car so much that there's only 3 other cars I would rather have; the Mustang GT, Challenger SRT-8, Infiniti G35/37 Coupe.

[nickdrinkwater]

Don't tell me Europeans wouldn't be wary of reliability/quality issues of a product whose company previously withdrew from their market in part due to reliability/quality issues.

Well, Europeans (Britons at least) are pretty wary of Fiat, so I'd say yes.  I wouldn't buy one.

[Vinsanity]

I think the term "reliability" has to be defined. I suspect that most people assume that when someone claims their car is unreliable, that it is a major issue and the car cannot be driven because of this issue. From what I understand, the majority of issues on most "unreliable cars" are small things like a broken cupholder, a malfunctioning radio or electric window - a slight annoyance, but hardly an issue that makes the car undriveable.

By the way, the Fiat 500 was just tested for over 100,000 km in the Auto Motor und Sport 100,000 km test. Once I am back in Munich (tomorrow) I will scan and post the article here. I have not read the article yet but apparently the 500 performed quite well with only two (2) unplanned shop visits - over 100,000 km. 

I think reliability ratings should be measured based on cost per year. There are plenty of things in between the nickel-and-dime stuff and catastrophic engine failures that hit you up for a pretty penny, and in the end, that's how automobile reliability affects any driver.

[Colin]

It is true that Fiat's performance in surveys such as JD Power has been dismal....... a lot of the blame seems to lie at the feet of the dealers who seem to be an egregious and incompetent lot. Whether the cars are any more or less reliable than many others is hard to determine. I could produce anecdotal evidence to prove that it is or it is not.

I think the regular 500 is a cute looking device, and the Abarth gives it plenty more oomph and some more aggressive looks....... it's awfully tempting to buy one (it's one of few modern cars that would actually fit in my garage!), and keep it for years and years. Maybe after I test one, the temptation will prove too hard to resist. Watch this space!

[GoCougs]

Fiat also has the legacy of the 1957-75 Nouva 500 to draw upon.  There's also Fiat's tie-in to Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo.  If marketed properly, the Fiat 500 can be every bit as successful (if not more) than the MINI.

Madman of the People

Virtually no one in the US knows of Fiat in general or its models (past or present) in specific.

Trying to tie such an econo/compromise car to the likes of Ferrari or Maserati will look far too desperate.

IMO this will be along the lines of the Smart; it'll get some press but at the end of the day it'll be a token product.

[2o6]

Virtually no one in the US knows of Fiat in general or its models (past or present) in specific.

Trying to tie such an econo/compromise car to the likes of Ferrari or Maserati will look far too desperate.

IMO this will be along the lines of the Smart; it'll get some press but at the end of the day it'll be a token product.

Ummm:

[SVT666]

Ummm:

Luigi!

[the Teuton]

If Fiat doesn't use that car in its marketing campaign for this thing, they will have missed an excellent opportunity.

That said, I own CARS, and I really like the movie.

[SVT666]

If Fiat doesn't use that car in its marketing campaign for this thing, they will have missed an excellent opportunity.

That said, I own CARS, and I really like the movie.

I love that movie.  I've seen it over 40 times (35 of those times with my kids).

[giant_mtb]

It's not a manual.

[the Teuton]

I love that movie.  I've seen it over 40 times (35 of those times with my kids).

Training them young, I see.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I love that movie.  I've seen it over 40 times (35 of those times with my kids).

That is a large numbe of times to see a movie. I don't think I've seen any move that many times.
I bet Back to the Future is in the 20's, but I don't actually keep count.

[Vinsanity]

If Fiat doesn't use that car in its marketing campaign for this thing, they will have missed an excellent opportunity.

That said, I own CARS, and I really like the movie.

Luigi's obsession with Ferraris would tie in nicely with the Tributo Ferrari edition of the real car.

[Madman]

Virtually no one in the US knows of Fiat in general or its models (past or present) in specific.

Virtually no one in the US knew of the old Mini, either.  Yet I see plenty of the new ones on the road every day.

Trying to tie such an econo/compromise car to the likes of Ferrari or Maserati will look far too desperate.

Does MINI look "desperate" because their cars are sold next door to BMW showrooms?  It's the BMW connection which gave a previously unknown (in the US, at least) product like the MINI instant credibility.  You don't think the association with Alfa, Maserati and Ferrari can do the same for the Fiat 500?  Think again!


Madman of the People

[Galaxy]

Trying to tie such an econo/compromise car to the likes of Ferrari or Maserati will look far too desperate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBs5FuCN8nE

Something along the lines of this might work.

[Galaxy]

It does a pretty good job at imitating an American V8. At least at idle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7BXLeya9ds&feature=related

 

[Tave]

Does MINI look "desperate" because their cars are sold next door to BMW showrooms?  It's the BMW connection which gave a previously unknown (in the US, at least) product like the MINI instant credibility.  You don't think the association with Alfa, Maserati and Ferrari can do the same for the Fiat 500?  Think again!

AHHAHAHA!


Dude, how many FERRARI SHOWROOMS do you think there are in the US?

[Eye of the Tiger]

AHHAHAHA!


Dude, how many FERRARI SHOWROOMS do you think there are in the US?

Five?

[AutobahnSHO]

Five?

Maybe in Idaho.

[Madman]

Well, Europeans (Britons at least) are pretty wary of Fiat, so I'd say yes.  I wouldn't buy one.

Maybe YOU wouldn't buy one, but 60,357 Britons DID buy a Fiat last year.  Also consider Fiat's UK sales were up 9% over the previous year, a pretty amazing result considering the rest of the car industry was posting double-digit decreases in sales.  Then there's the Continent itself, where Fiats are even more popular.  If Fiats were really that bad, do you honestly think all those people would be buying them?

AHHAHAHA!


Dude, how many FERRARI SHOWROOMS do you think there are in the US?

Nobody said anything about SELLING Fiats in Ferrari showrooms.  I only said Fiat should play-up the Ferrari connection in their advertising.  Most car-illiterate Americans will want to know "Who the hell is Fiat?"  To which, they can respond "We're part of the same company as Ferrari!"  MINI made sure everyone knew they were a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW, so it would only make sense to advertise Fiat as being in partnership with Ferrari.


Madman of the People

[TurboDan]

FWIW, Fiat had the hottest girls imaginable at the NY Auto Show. Yes, there are pics - ass pics, by the way - and they will be posted tomorrow. 

[cawimmer430]

Ok, so here's the reliability test of the new Fiat 500.

I made a mistake - it's not 100,000 km but 50,000 km. The good news is that for those 50,000 km the Fiat 500 1.2 tested only had two unplanned shop visits. The first defect showed up at 20,817 km and was a faulty shaft on the steering column. The next defect appeared at 34,358 km - the temperature sensor had to be replaced.

Minor problems did rattle the otherwise solid 500.

- 28,997 km = a button for the radio controls fell off.
- 34,012 km = temperature sensor and A/C failure

Other than that the Fiat 500 was very reliable. Testers noted the build quality felt solid. The only major complaints were the poor comfort, hard suspension, usually high fuel consumption (for a small car) and the vague transmission shift patterns. The 1.2-l engine with 69-horsepower was classified as zippy and adequate.

Four Fiat 500 owners wrote to AMS about their experiences with their 500s. None of them experienced any poor reliability. On the contrary, in all four cases the car was very reliable. But the same complaints could be heard from all four owners: excessive fuel consumption, poor comfort and vague transmission feel. All in all, all four owners expressed their admiration and the fun-factor of the car. And if there were problems, they would be willing to forgive the car because it's "so cute". 


Please show this data to Toyota Reports...eh, excuse me, Consumer Reports and tell them to please go f_ck themselves. Thank you. 



The Scans

[Galaxy]

It's odd that they only tested it for 50,000km. They usually always test for 100,000.

[TurboDan]

Christian, I wouldn't call those minor problems. In fact, put together they sound like thousands of dollars worth of problems before the car even hits 31,000 miles. I put 20,000 miles per year on my car, so that means within two years of ownership I would have to deal with a faulty steering column shaft and a burnt out temperature sensor? As well as a radio knob falling off?

If this stuff is happening within the first 31,000 miles of ownership, I shudder to think what parts will be breaking down by, say, 75,000 or 100,000 U.S. miles. As someone else mentioned, Americans use their cars much differently than Europeans and these cars must be reliable and able to take lots and lots of short trips, long trips and every kind of driving situation without having to be hauled to the shop for repairs or excessive maintenance.

I suppose sensors go on every car, but the steering column shaft scares me. You start messing around with that stuff out of warranty and you're looking at thousands of dollars in repairs, especially on an Italian car that probably has to be fixed at a dealership.