2012 Fiat 500 C-Lounge
MSRP $23,500
Since Fiat bought enough shares in Chrysler for a 52 percent majority, Fiat is now determining most of the direction for the company. One of those directions is re-introducing the Fiat to the US. The Fiat 500 is the second-smallest car sold in America, and is available in two styles: subcompact hatchback and subcompact convertible. It also has two trim levels: the Pop and the Lounge. The C-Lounge is the highest trim level of the convertible.
The 2012 Fiat 500 C-Lounge has a 1.4 liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 101 horsepower. It has 15-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 6-speed automatic transmission. It isn’t rated yet, consumer reviews average out to an estimated 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.
The C-Lounge has a lot of amenities. It has full power accessories, keyless entry, cruise control, a tilt-only, leather-wrapped steering wheel, standard air conditioning, heated mirrors, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, and a trip computer. The audio system is a Bose with 6 speakers, bluetooth, AM/FM radio, CD/MP3 player, satellite radio, an audio jack, and USB/iPod input.
The C-Lounge comes with anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control, side front airbags, side airbags, and reactive head restraints. No safety tests are available as of this writing.
Conclusions and driver feedback:
The Fiat 500 has a design that is quite polarizing. It is either called “adorable” or many words that are very unflattering and unfit for public publication. It is slightly reminiscent of an original VW Beetle, but looks more like a cartoon car come to life. It also offers a lot of appearance options: body graphics, two-tone interior layouts, and 14 different exterior colors.
The interior is laid out quite simply, and is fairly attractive. The materials aren’t quite top-notch, but that isn’t expected in this market segment. The front seats have a lot of room for a subcompact: there is plenty of both headroom and legroom. The back seat is more of a “2+2” afterthought, but is tolerable for short commutes. There are 6.5 cubic feet of storage space in the “trunk.”
Though the 500 is small, cute, and made by a company known for peppy cars, it isn’t as sporty as you might expect. While the engine has plenty of power for zipping around town, and in and out of traffic, and the mileage is good, the suspension isn’t quite as responsive as you might imagine. And while the suspension is tuned for comfort, there are still a few more jolts than one would like.
Besides the trade-offs on suspension and size, the main negative about the Fiat 500 is reliability. Fiat is including three years of complimentary maintenance with any Fiat 500, so that should allay most fears. The other concern here is a lack of safety tests, but an educated guess would be that the Fiat 500 turns out to be about as safe as a Ford Fiesta.
The verdict: worth a test drive.
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