Fiat 500 Options

[1994Celica]

Its here in America. Im so excited I really love this car. What do you guys think of it .

[Celicachick49221]

I've seen several being tested here in Michigan well over a year ago. They are great little cars, and they are not based on the Mini Cooper at all. Both the Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 are remakes of vintage versions of the same cars, but they don't share any underpinnings whatsoever. The Fiat is actually more practical as it will be cheaper than a Mini (which is owned and produced through BMW). Also, the Mini is starting to show it's age since it hasn't gotten a major restyle since we got it several years ago. Sure, they added the (hideous IMO) Clubman for people who need to haul more, but people who buy these cars don't usually need to haul a lot. Small, fuel efficient cars are necessary here, the majority of people who own large SUVs and trucks rarely haul things or take them off road. They think they are safe just because they are big and ride taller than a car, but the reality is that a lot of them are less safe overall than a small or midsize car. I won't even touch the horrible MPG that trucks get, but it's silly to call a hybrid that gets no better than 25 mpg a significant improvement. Especially when smaller trucks (specifically imports) are capable of getting at least 30. Anyway back to the Fiat... personally I love it and I think it looks much better than a Mini Cooper. It is more modern, and even though it is 5 inches shorter, the interior sizes are almost the same. In base model form, the Fiat blows the Cooper away as far as MPG (Fiat gets 37 City/56 Hwy while the Cooper gets 23 City/32 Hwy). The Cooper S (turbocharged version) only produces 28 City/37 Hwy.

Here is a pic of the US Production version (we get slightly revised bumpers among other little things):


Also, there is a turbocharged mid level version coming, and if I remember correctly the 500 Abarth is being brought here as well (turbocharged hot hatch version made to compete w/ similar cars like the Mini Cooper S):






And like it or not, with the economy the way it is, fuel economy is near the top of the list for new car buyers, the Fiat is just better in all ways that really matter: price, mpg, quality, and it's a new model to the US, so it's a fresh sight to see on the roads. Coopers are old news, I'm not saying that they are bad cars, I've driven a few and they are fun but the interior is not very practical, especially with the HUGE tach being centered in the dash. The Fiat's interior is much nicer to look at and it doesn't feel dreary to be in.

This post has been edited by Celicachick49221: Mar 17, 2011 - 10:10 PM