2012 Fiat 500

I owned an Abarth Zagato AND a '59 500, so I'm a shoe-in for the nostalgia buy, but I would like to know it feels on long stretches of interstate.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cpi2IAec9Ho" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It's a city car, not a touring car...

I should have been clear....it's a chick colour imo.

I think the fiat's are cool....I would probably get a fiesta or a soul and spend the rest on a motorbike....but that's my .02

I'm aware of that, but occasionally I see one around here, and I would like to hear some impressions of the 500 used as such.

I have a Miata, love it for it's RWD, great handling, balanced steering feel and incredible shifter. However I do have 500 lust....Being FWD and a 4 seater (barely) a person should be able to justify both right?

AZCycle-wife and I considered looking into the Fiat 500 a few months back when we were in the market for another car. She went with the Volvo C30 instead, but we both still really like the 500. I'd get the Abarth.

Looks like a fun runabout... enjoy it!

I hope you're British . . .

200 Miles from the dealer? this will not end well.

......but seriously, I am going to wait until 2015 when they will have four doors, six seats, turbo, four wheel drive, 20" wheels, roof rack, tow package and rear view camera.


aaahhhh, America

Ugh....I think that just made me nauseous.

As if the 500 wasn't already cool enough... they managed to get one in front of a Google Street view car... when it was mapping VW HQ

The clutch is really light and the shifter is sort of rubbery and long. However there is a short shifter on the market that I'm seriously considering installing but I have to save up some $$$ first.

It feels like a solid car. There's plenty of interior space and Fiat did a good job with noise reduction. Of course my comparison for that is my Insight and before that the Miata so my interior noise meter may be out of calibration. I think too much is made of the small size meaning that it will be horrible on the highway. It drives down the highway at 80 better than my wife's Matrix. Other than driving it home from Tempe on I-10 we took it back up to Tucson last weekend on I-10, a bit over 100 miles each way. I have nothing to report that would be any different than any other car I've own except that I got better views out the window than I did in my Magnum.

One of the bright spots about Fiat taking control of Chrysler is that the local Chrysler dealer can perform the service and warranty work for the Fiat. Okay maybe that's not a plus .

I took a chance that the Fiat would be as reliable as my Guzzi has proven to be; only time will tell if this was a gamble that I will live to regret or will be a non-issue. I expect that more dealers will pop up closer to home eventually, the dealer I bought from had only been open for a week and a half, and while Bisbee will never get a dealer of its own I can foresee one in Tucson and if I'm really lucky Sierra Vista.

As I get more used to driving the car it becomes more fun. Engaging the sport button allows for a big increase in off-the-line acceleration and the handling is very nice.

I've got just under 1000 miles on it right now.

As a former Matrix owner, this doesn't strike me as a particularly high bar.

Thanks

4 or 5 Abarth's At the Carlisle import show last weekend.

Rumor is that the 500T could come over for 2013.

This would be positioned between the 500 Sport and the Abarth, it would have the Euro Abarth engine with about 135hp and would be priced about midway between the Sport and the Abarth.

I hope so I hope so I hope so!

Thanks-- just what I was looking for.