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Last year I went to a car show. The Fiat 500 was on display and I absolutely loved it. I thought it looked really cute and fun. Now fast forward 1 year.
I have chosen a Fiat twice over the past few weeks as a rental.
I still think it is cute, and kind of "smily" like a VW Beetle, but boy is this car completely impractical.
Here are my beefs:
1. Backseat is pointless. For toddlers only
2. The keyfob needs help. THe key retracts, but it pops open again with the slightest pressure. The key fob doesn't have any "white" images or lettering, so it is impossible to figure out in the dark
3. The window controls are in the center console
4. I still haven't found the door locks. I have driven it for a total of 5 days at this point
5. The steering wheel controls are confusing. And some are hidden. I accidentally found the bluetooth volume controls
6. iPod/USB/Auxillary is in the glovebox
7. No armrest/center console storage
8. Terrible cup holders. They only work of your cup is a perfect cylinder. If not, then 2 cups cannot be used.
9. No storage: glovebox, door, an open slot (cell phone width) by the cup holder and the is a mesh slot on the passenger side of the center console
10. Complicated controls for the stereo/bluetooth system. Either the info screen is flakey or doesn't work. I tried to pair a phone today. It said "Pair the phone with the following code: 1234. Use the code on the screen to pair your device." The screen still had the title, "blue and me" with no secret code
11. The instructions in the manual do not tell you how to pair things properly
12. Nonstandard icons
I think of the fit as a perfect vacation var for a couple. In day to use, it would be torture because of the weird logic and missing convenience features.
What did you expect about the back seat? It is a tiny car, only slightly larger than a Smart4two.
Everything else can be explained by the fact it is a Fiat, made in Italy.
US car buyers effectively ejected Fiat from the US market a few decades ago because their cars had horrific quality. I wouldn't touch one until it had at least three years of proven quality in the US.
For now the Fiat 500 is for status conscious people who don't need a big car and want an unusual small car with some style. They are likely to spend a lot of time at the dealer the next two or three years.
What did you expect about the back seat? It is a tiny car, only slightly larger than a Smart4two.
Everything else can be explained by the fact it is a Fiat, made in Italy.
US car buyers effectively ejected Fiat from the US market a few decades ago because their cars had horrific quality. I wouldn't touch one until it had at least three years of proven quality in the US.
For now the Fiat 500 is for status conscious people who don't need a big car and want an unusual small car with some style. They are likely to spend a lot of time at the dealer the next two or three years.
My beef isn't with the size. That is too be expected. Weird unintuitive controls on the other hand are a deal breaker. This car is confusing. People probably took the test drive and went "huh?" Somethings are just to annoying for a long term car.
2. The keyfob needs help. THe key retracts, but it pops open again with the slightest pressure. The key fob doesn't have any "white" images or lettering, so it is impossible to figure out in the dark
3. The window controls are in the center console
I do not know about you but I can not see lettering in the dark if it was white or yellow. My Ford key bob has white letters but I just remember which is which.
My old corvette had the window controls in the center console as well.
I was just pondering the question of Fiat's lack of success as I passed a Fiat lot today. I think people want cute cars, but not a lot of people want to take the plunge and get something that small. PT Cruisers and HHRs were bigger and more in line with real people. They need to bring another bigger Fiat (or Alfa) and fast. A Fiat (or Alfa) competing against the Golf, Civic, et al might have a chance. I've seen some Alfas driving around here in SE MI so they might have a plan of some sort for this.
P.S. Our Fiats are made in Mexico in the old PT Cruiser factory.
Last edited by us66; 11-20-2011 at 06:50 PM..
Reason: last line
Anything that jlo the fur ho advertises is crap. Tiny cars are absolutely worthless & uncomfortable as hell. The fiat is from italy & the italians like their cars tiny.
I checked them out too, the dealer lot was completely empty. They are completely overpriced, period. Even with the nice touches. MPG is also HORRIBLE for such a small low power car.
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