"New" Fiat 500

road_high

Seen the new Fiat 500, jeese looks exactly same as current one!
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/fiat/fiat-500-2016-facelift-revealed-first-official-pics-of-500s-new-look/

bazz26

That's because it's a facelift.

colm_mcm

No point in ruining it.

Terrontress

What can you do when you're modernising a car which was designed principally to look like an older car? You've got to try to mimic the old one again. Same with the Beetle, the Mini.

Skylinehead

I'm a fan of that instrument panel, gorgeous.

Dord

Some nice improvements there.

Would like to see what the abarth version looks like!

Sh1tbag OToole

The interior looks too Apple

James Delaney

Well U'd b paying a lot of €€€ fir the instrument panel.

Personally i think the Fiat 500 is not worth the money - way overpriced.

colm_mcm

They start at €13,400.

How is that overpriced?

Ford ka is the same price. Who wants those?
Opel Adam is €2000 more
Cheapest mini is €20k
Cheapest Beetle is €22k
Cheapest DS3 is €18.5k

goochy

i love them esp the soft top version. they are based on panda which is great car. aside from these cars and vans fiat have nothing else.

road_high

colm_mcm wrote: »

They start at €13,400.

How is that overpriced?

Ford ka is the same price. Who wants those?
Opel Adam is €2000 more
Cheapest mini is €20k
Cheapest Beetle is €22k
Cheapest DS3 is €18.5k

I think maybe op means to spec one up is pricy. But is say the same for all the above bar the DS maybe.
The 500 holds its value very well.

colm_mcm

You don't need to spend big money on a 500 though. They look great in base spec

Outkast_IRE

I own a fiat 500 in the lounge spec, must say its a great car the 1.2 engine is incredibly economical on petrol.

In my opinion the lounge spec is well worth it.

The alloys the extra bits of exterior chrome, the seats are much better, start stop, parking sensors, panoramic sun roof, bluetooth etc etc.

I have driven a few small cars in ireland, and generally i find the 1.2 engine to be too small for the weight of the car such as in the new renault clio etc.

However in the fiat 500, the car is quite light so the engine has a nice bit of perk in it, it handles well on the road for a small car, and is quite an enjoyable drive.

road_high

goochy wrote: »

i love them esp the soft top version. they are based on panda which is great car. aside from these cars and vans fiat have nothing else.

I think it was a policy decision they made to concentrate on 500 based cars, which is sort of wise in a way as they found it difficult to compete with the likes of Ford, VW, Peugeot etc in the middle market so have gone niche instead.
They have a joint venture sports car based on the Mazda MX5 coming soon which will do a lot to restore Fiat.
Their commercial range are market leaders alright.
I'd say they have better times ahead. I love the 500 and proving very reliable to boot.

Toyotafanboi

Looks like they've done the car justice and not forgotten what it's all about. The new 500 was a huge success for Fiat so i'd say they were wary enough of messing with something that was already going well. Hard to believe the pre facelift is 8 years old now.

Definitley the best city car for the money. Ours is a colour collection model which is really just a pop spec with funny hub caps and some bits painted white. It's had a few flaws but as was already said, it's a much more exciting ownership experience than coming out every day to a 1.2 polo or clio or whatever that would have cost 5k more.

James Delaney

I suppose at €13.5K its not bad.
Don't know if they retain der value, as 1 poster said.
I certainly don't rate them much - all down to personal opinion.

Toyotafanboi

James Delaney wrote: »

I suppose at €13.5K its not bad.
Don't know if they retain der value, as 1 poster said.
I certainly don't rate them much - all down to personal opinion.

4 year old basic spec models are still going for 8-9k so percentage wise, deprecition is probably better than most.

James Delaney

If d car is lite - Whats it like on a motorway esp. on a windy day?

Toyotafanboi

James Delaney wrote: »

If d car is lite - Whats it like on a motorway esp. on a windy day?

Absolutely fine. it still weighs the guts of a ton so it's not exactly going to flip over.

Hachiko

does it go up a hill though? I had the misfortune of driving a fiat 500 hire car a few years ago, worst thing I ever drove. I was absolutely crapping myself on busy UK roads at every traffic light and roundabout trying to get life out of it. Was dreading i would get rear ended or something.

Car was new enough so about a 2012 reg back then, I did request a Ford Focus sized car, its why I never use stupid hire companies, another time I requested a bigger saloon and was given a massive people carrier and an auto box, never drove an auto before. They always try screw you over or anything they can think of also.

I would get a car like a Honda Civic over this without hesitating, even a 10 year old civic.

James Delaney

At 2K Revs, what speed does the 500 go at ?

ianobrien

James Delaney wrote: »

At 2K Revs, what speed does the 500 go at ?

In what gear?

Toyotafanboi

Hachiko wrote: »

does it go up a hill though? I had the misfortune of driving a fiat 500 hire car a few years ago, worst thing I ever drove. I was absolutely crapping myself on busy UK roads at every traffic light and roundabout trying to get life out of it. Was dreading i would get rear ended or something.

Car was new enough so about a 2012 reg back then, I did request a Ford Focus sized car, its why I never use stupid hire companies, another time I requested a bigger saloon and was given a massive people carrier and an auto box, never drove an auto before. They always try screw you over or anything they can think of also.

I would get a car like a Honda Civic over this without hesitating, even a 10 year old civic.

it goes up a hill pretty sweet, Fiat took hills into account when designing it, they realized a car that only worked on the flat and downhill wouldn't be a good seller.

it's no rocket at 80bhp per ton, but it's competent. you have to work the gearbox and make good use of the rev range but that's part of it's charm imo, it's very rev happy. lets remember, it's a city car and not a motorway crusier.

the engine is very tried and tested at this stage, i'm no Fiat fan (i've said that in a few threads this week :pac:) but i'm pretty sure that that engine has featured in puntos from 1993 until today, aswell as stilos, pandas, ideas, bravo/as.

as regards speed at 2k rpm, as above, i've found with the 500, it does vary quite widely depending on what gear the car is in. if you are wondering what rpm it is at at 100km/h, iirc i was pleasantly surprised at 2900-3000, but you are most certainly dropping to 4th to overtake, even at that.

Lutecia

Beware of the last 1.2, it looks like they remapped the engine and it indeed doesn't perform well:

http://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/fiat-500-powerful-enough-hills-says-bbcs-watchdog-1107954951

James Delaney

ianobrien wrote: »

In what gear?

In 'Jeremy Clarkeson' gear, of course.

26000 Elephants

road_high wrote: »

I think it was a policy decision they made to concentrate on 500 based cars, which is sort of wise in a way as they found it difficult to compete with the likes of Ford, VW, Peugeot etc in the middle market so have gone niche instead.

Looks like they are going to havea go at mid sized again with guilieta based Aegea...

James Delaney

Looks like a nice car -,very similar to Alfa Romeo.

road_high

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

4 year old basic spec models are still going for 8-9k so percentage wise, deprecition is probably better than most.

The Fiat 500 has one of the best residuals out there alright. Some turnaround for a Fiat! Amazing what a bit of image and upmarket packaging can do.

ba_barabus

26000 Elephants wrote: »

Looks like they are going to havea go at mid sized again with guilieta based Aegea...

Any kore details on that? Is it something for South America or Western Europe?

colm_mcm

Fiat need new small cars for Europe They haven't had a successful saloon in decades

road_high

colm_mcm wrote: »

Fiat need new small cars for Europe They haven't had a successful saloon in decades

The old Regetta
I really think it's the styling they've messed up continually and are still doing it. Fiats should be chic and stylish, like the original Punto was in 1993.
Some of the cars they've made since have been horrific in terms of styling. VW might get away with some of the bland drivel they've come out but Fiat sure as hell weren't. Cars like the Stilo 5 door, Croma and even 500L lack any Italian flair whatsoever. These could have been good cars if packaged, styled properly. No wonder the sales of these were so appalling. They were lucky they got the 500 so right.

26000 Elephants

ba_barabus wrote: »

Any kore details on that? Is it something for South America or Western Europe?

Turkish built and its going everywhere except Western Europe and the US (They have the Dodge Dart which is Fiat underneath). They already have the very capable Viaggio on sale in Asia. I'd say the strategy is for the new Giulia to fulfill that role in Europe.

The Giulia will be special - its rwd :-)

ba_barabus

No good to me so. I worry that they'll over price the Guilia and sell very few. I love saloons but the choice if you don't like German is very limited

road_high

ba_barabus wrote: »

No good to me so. I worry that they'll over price the Guilia and sell very few. I love saloons but the choice if you don't like German is very limited

That's it...they need a tempting opening price to tempt people out of those Audis and BMWs. Hell, heard an ad for the new Jaguar XE starting at €36k which sounds like a good deal to me as I can imagine even the entry spec is probably pretty darn good. This is not a lot more cash than a decent specced Passat, Mondeo or Insignia (pre-discount of course). Alfa will need to pitch a lower than here I reckon.

Hachiko

ba_barabus wrote: »

No good to me so. I worry that they'll over price the Guilia and sell very few. I love saloons but the choice if you don't like German is very limited

whats wrong with Subaru, Lexus, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda. ? Japan all make Saloons to a great variety of budgets.

Japanese cars are probably the most reliable going, this attitude towards them is a bit confusing at the best of times. its not like German cars are in any way superior. But the upside is you can get some great bargains out there.

Whatever about how a car looks I rate reliability number 1, absolutely no point buying a Maserati and 4 months later the dashboard is like a christmas tree (and it probably will).

colm_mcm

So, you're in the market for a new car, say an Audi A4 or BMW 3 series. Something to rival a 318d/ 320d or A4 2.0 TDI.

This is the stuff that buyers want all across Europe. Not just Ireland.

What does Japan have to offer again?

Hachiko

Jag make fine specimen too......

Hachiko

colm_mcm wrote: »

So, you're in the market for a new car, say an Audi A4 or BMW 3 series. Something to rival a 318d/ 320d or A4 2.0 TDI.

This is the stuff that buyers want all across Europe. Not just Ireland.

What does Japan have to offer again?

not tractors luckily enough.

ba_barabus

colm_mcm wrote: »

So, you're in the market for a new car, say an Audi A4 or BMW 3 series. Something to rival a 318d/ 320d or A4 2.0 TDI.

This is the stuff that buyers want all across Europe. Not just Ireland.

What does Japan have to offer again?

This pretty much sums it up. The new Avensis is muck ugly and I've liked everything that's gone before, Subaru I've little interest in, Mitsubishi have the god awful Lancer, the Corolla does appeal but the engine choice is all underpowered, Honda has never done anything I'd like (sorry to everyone but I hate their interiors and diesels) moving on to others and you have the Fluence which doesn't appeal, I've little time for Fords and Mercs are an old man car still in my mind.

I do like the Lexus IS300H, as I have the older models.

I'm a picky customer

ba_barabus

Hachiko wrote: »

not tractors luckily enough.

Kuboto will sell you a Jap tractor :P

road_high

colm_mcm wrote: »

So, you're in the market for a new car, say an Audi A4 or BMW 3 series. Something to rival a 318d/ 320d or A4 2.0 TDI.

This is the stuff that buyers want all across Europe. Not just Ireland.

What does Japan have to offer again?

If anything Japan have been abandoning this market...the Accord is now gone (which was the great A4 rival), at the lower end the Avensis is slipping away, Nissan don't even bother any more.
Apart form the Lexus IS (which I quite like), Japan has a dearth of rivals in the compact premium exec market.
As an aside, shame Volvo haven't put a boot on the latest V40 either. The S40 was a neat classy saloon is quite missed in some quarters and a decent alternative to the Germans.

26000 Elephants

road_high wrote: »

If anything Japan have been abandoning this market...the Accord is now gone (which was the great A4 rival), at the lower end the Avensis is slipping away, Nissan don't even bother any more.
Apart form the Lexus IS (which I quite like), Japan has a dearth of rivals in the compact premium exec market.
As an aside, shame Volvo haven't put a boot on the latest V40 either. The S40 was a neat classy saloon is quite missed in some quarters and a decent alternative to the Germans.

And dont forget china. Some pull in that Reowe yoke...


(I'll get my coat...)

Hachiko

ba_barabus wrote: »

This pretty much sums it up. The new Avensis is muck ugly and I've liked everything that's gone before, Subaru I've little interest in, Mitsubishi have the god awful Lancer, the Corolla does appeal but the engine choice is all underpowered, Honda has never done anything I'd like (sorry to everyone but I hate their interiors and diesels) moving on to others and you have the Fluence which doesn't appeal, I've little time for Fords and Mercs are an old man car still in my mind.

I do like the Lexus IS300H, as I have the older models.

I'm a picky customer

Subaru?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQuOUdE-1Xg

Lexus ISF (bit long in the tooth, but still )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_xYZXc6Us

then you have some very reliable and nice Jags I got above.

Indeed a Honda Legend is a perfectly good car too, and has SH-AWD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNGeJy60_eU

plenty fine cars out there that are not German.

Lexus have a fine suite of cars as you probably know, the gs450h for instance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glWptZZlXCw

dgt

road_high wrote: »

The old Regetta
I really think it's the styling they've messed up continually and are still doing it. Fiats should be chic and stylish, like the original Punto was in 1993.
Some of the cars they've made since have been horrific in terms of styling. VW might get away with some of the bland drivel they've come out but Fiat sure as hell weren't. Cars like the Stilo 5 door, Croma and even 500L lack any Italian flair whatsoever. These could have been good cars if packaged, styled properly. No wonder the sales of these were so appalling. They were lucky they got the 500 so right.

Mmmm Regatta, that brings me back the Tempra was a huge leap handling wise/comfort/power but was never as big of a success... Strange!

Yes, we had 3 Regattas. Thanks to its leaf spring behind we could load a hape of coal in the huge boot

Personally I think the original Bravo was the last real good Fiat. Never liked anything after it. That awful Stilo has a lot to answer for

Toyotafanboi

colm_mcm wrote: »

So, you're in the market for a new car, say an Audi A4 or BMW 3 series. Something to rival a 318d/ 320d or A4 2.0 TDI.

This is the stuff that buyers want all across Europe. Not just Ireland.

What does Japan have to offer again?

The mazda 6 isn't bad looking. No idea how it's priced though.

ba_barabus

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

The mazda 6 isn't bad looking. No idea how it's priced though.

Someone posted on here recently that they're giving trouble

Toyotafanboi

ba_barabus wrote: »

Someone posted on here recently that they're giving trouble

They must be trying to be more like the German competition then :pac: they are a great looking car.

ba_barabus

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

They must be trying to be more like the German competition then :pac: they are a great looking car.

I was really disappointed as I'd hoped to buy one mext

terrydel

Was in Italy last week and my mate got the big 500 (not sure what it is called) as a rental car, and it was a lovely vehicle imho.
Felt well put-together and well finished. Really liked it myself.

road_high

terrydel wrote: »

Was in Italy last week and my mate got the big 500 (not sure what it is called) as a rental car, and it was a lovely vehicle imho.
Felt well put-together and well finished. Really liked it myself.

That's the 500l. Small mpv type car.
There's also the 500x which is sort of like a small suv ala Nissan Juke.

mickdw

Is seems quite odd to me how they have attempted to build a range of cars off the 500. I see the thinking of tying up all the models to the successful 500 brand but I believe it cheapens the 500 name at the same time.
I like the 500 but the big versions are terrible to look at at least.