A new Fiat? Wait what?

[EricHill78]

Yes the new Fiat 500. What just confuses me is what old timers used to say about Fiats including my late father that they were notoriously horrible cars. I remember an old joke.

You know what FIAT stands for right?

Fix It Again Tony.

It doesn't look very appealing to me. I think the mini cooper looks a lot better to be honest.

[Mdisch]

To be fair, it is not the most visually pleasing car, but as far as I know it is very economical, eco-friendly and VERY good for city driving. Apparently the handling is incredible for such a "cheap" car.
Personally I'm more the kind of guy who likes the old american cars such as Ford Mustangs and the likes, but I do quite like this car since it's so comfortable.
I know several people who have one of these - also some young people since it's a lot cheaper to drive "green" cars in Denmark.

[Premium Parrots]

To be fair, it is not the most visually pleasing car, but as far as I know it is very economical, eco-friendly and VERY good for city driving. Apparently the handling is incredible for such a "cheap" car.
Personally I'm more the kind of guy who likes the old american cars such as Ford Mustangs and the likes, but I do quite like this car since it's so comfortable.
I know several people who have one of these - also some young people since it's a lot cheaper to drive "green" cars in Denmark.

why would a green car be cheaper than a red or black car? Is green paint cheaper thank red or black? wtf

[Darwin]

Is green paint cheaper thank red or black? wtf

Wise guy eh? The 500 is just the first toe in the water for the modern FIAT organization which has been the master of Chrysler Corp for some time now. FIATs, by most reports have come a long way from their Fix It Again Tony days and their overall line is very extensive and includes some seriously beautiful and high-performance iron. The 500 should prove as reliable as most anything is these days since it is a very mature platform. It is a small platform however, the 2nd smallest sold here after the Smart Car. It seems to be a nice little micro-box but exchange rates are such that it is relatively pricey compared to its nearest U.S. offered competition such as the Ford Fiesta, the Chevy Sonic, the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris, and the Mazda 2. All of those vehicles are larger, less pricey and both more powerful and frugal than the 500 which makes it a tough sell. FIAT is thus pitching the car as some sort of hipster/hip-hop icon with the hope that its funky Eyetalian style snags younger buyers. It's a Hail Mary for sure.

[lxskllr]

I think it looks good. Not as nice as the Mini, but still pretty cool. Car makers are finally making interesting cars again. Chrysler kicked it off, and everyone else followed. Through most of the 80s and 90s, you could swap plaques from the fronts of various cars, and no one would know the difference. They were bland and generic. I see more cars today I'd be interested in buying than I did 10 years ago.

[EricHill78]

Great insight Darwin, you should apply to Car and Driver! Ha

Lxs I definitely agree. Cars definitely appeal more to me when they have personality and style.

One thing though I pray for anyone who is an accident in one of those things! Imagine that Fiat in a collsion with any truck. Game over.

[lxskllr]

One thing though I pray for anyone who is an accident in one of those things! Imagine that Fiat in a collsion with any truck. Game over.

Meh, life's dangerous. What irritates me is small cars that aren't that special other than being small. I was super excited when I first saw the Smart Car. I assumed it was an electric car, or possibly a hybrid, and you traded off the tiny size for exceptional fuel economy. Imagine my surprise when I found out it's only about as good as a Civic, with all the obvious deficiencies. I guess it could be handy for city use due to the small size, but our infrastructure is more than accommodating for a standard compact. Making it smaller without giving anything in return is just silly.

[Mdisch]

I myself drive a Toyota Yaris and I must say that the Fiat is a lot more pleasing to drive in. It's just a pleasure to drive in one of those.
And it is quite safe for it's size. Just like the Yaris.
But Darwin is quite right - it's a quite iconic car in will be one of those cars we'll see being an icon of the 10's just like the Ford Mustang is an icon.
It represents the return of italian design into the "cheap" car industry. I don't find it particularily visually pleasing, but nor do I like the look of the Mini Cooper(it's too "hipster") - but they are great cars, and the Fiat 500 will be remembered in the future.
I wouldn't buy one even though I love driving in them. As I said I like the old American cars, but who knows, it might change.

I'd say it's worth it's price just for the iconic stature it is getting, and for the handling.
I particularily like the front that is a mix of the current small cars, and old italian design. The back on the other hand, is not visually appealing and should be changed ASAP.

[sgreger1]

Sgreger1 disapproves of the new trend of faggy looking cars.

[EricHill78]

Sgreger1 disapproves of the new trend of faggy looking cars.

Haha yup.. turn in your man card.

I'm sorry there's no way you can look hard coming out of that thing.

[Thraxy]

My girlfriend loves the Fiat 500. She doesn't have a drivers license though, so we'll never EVER get one... muahahahaha

[Premium Parrots]

My girlfriend loves the Fiat 500. She doesn't have a drivers license though, so we'll never EVER get one... muahahahaha

they don't let 11 1 /2 year olds drive in Denmark?

[GoVegan]

I commute over 100 miles a day, 6 days a week. If that car is reliable, gets close to 40mpg, seats 4 and costs 15k or less I will be buying one.

[Mdisch]

I commute over 100 miles a day, 6 days a week. If that car is reliable, gets close to 40mpg, seats 4 and costs 15k or less I will be buying one.

If these are your requirements I'd highly recommend it. Or a Yaris(even though if we get heavy sidewind on the highway it get's blown a bit to the site ) since the Yaris is very realible and we've had hardly any issues with it in the past 5 years!

[kevs]

To my mind Yaris has a bit too high ride height, aunt owns one and every time i drive with it, it seems like it's going to roll. Ofcourse my driving style is a bit different too, been driving in rallycross and rally since I was 8. Best small car in my mind is Citroen C2- economical, stable, good engine. Only bad thing is that it's made by French. LOL