Recently, Roman Mica (owner of The Fast Lane Car) and I wanted to see why the loveable FIAT 500 was so popular in Europe while receiving a lukewarm reception in the good ol’ U.S of A.
I love the FIAT 500 because it’s a fun car to live with. It’s peppy in urban driving while being a smooth little commuter. It gets good mileage at 30 mpg city/38 mpg highway while providing a fun little machine to toss around corners. It has more space than a Scion IQ and Smart Car while being much cheaper than an equivalent MINI and Beetle.
The seating is comfy if you’re small. When I pack my little ones in the back, I have to move a bit too close to the steering wheel for all day comfort. But, this is not an American family car by any means. It simply has a back seat in case you need it and it makes an excellent storage bay. Despite the size disparity, this is a great ride for the driver and front passenger. I’m over 6’1” and I’m a chunky monkey, yet I find the driving position acceptable.
The interior and exterior are SO damn cute! I know… it’s not very manly to say… sorry. Still, I just want to hug and squeeze it! Again – I apologize.
I think the convertible I brought to the video is the most American of the 500 line. It has a trunk instead of a hatch, a six-speed automatic transmission as opposed to the five –speed manual and it comes loaded with leather, heated seats, satellite radio and navigation (among other goodies) for about $26,000. That’s about the same price for a bare-bones MINI convertible.
I’m not saying the FIAT 500 is a better car than the MINI – but it is competitive.
In the video, we simply examine the differences between the cars, which both sport the same 101 horsepower, 1.4-liter engine, and how they feel to drive. You see, when it comes to cars with personality, the bottom line is how they make you feel as opposed to the all out performance and specifications.
We drove all over Boulder and Lyons, CO testing both cars for ride and handling. We had no technical conclusions as we were too busy having fun and giggling like little girls as we drove. This is a “giggle” car with the cutest little tushy… oh I just wanted to pinch it… sorry again. We did conclude that the six-speed auto got about 10% worse mpg than the manual and that it felt much slower but had a smoother ride.
And both have cute tushies.
These cars are rolling happy faces with the type of brio that we wish more vehicles have. There was a catch, something Roman and I felt these cars desperately needed and that is… well, you will have to watch the video to see. And – yes – we had as much fun making this video as it looks.
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