2012 Fiat 500 Review


If you have been driving cars for a while now, spending just about 5-10 minutes driving a new car tell you much about it. The journey ahead simply builds up on the first impression. However, the overall idea remains the same.
Same was the case with 2012 Fiat 500. When we first drove it, our first expression was it is sporty, it is strong, and it is enjoyable. Now we understand why the car is so popular in the European countries. And we are sure that it would be loved by most Americans as well.
Small cars have been the trend off lately, only because a few brands dared to launch the concept of compact size – Mini and Smart. However, now every small car have been accepted by the citizens, and many were discarded quite quickly, just like the case with ForTwo. With America, king-size has always worked well. So, for a car to establish its base here, it really needs to have something to smile about.
2012 Mini 500, although small, doesn’t seem to have a toy-like model. When compared with mini Cooper, the length of the car is only about 6 inches small, 2.2 inches narrower, but is about 3.2 inches taller. For a small car, it is really easy to look out of place, and difficult to fit in with the crowd. The latter worked for 500.
The car acquires an Italian look, which makes it quite popular in Europe. There are absolutely no changes from its predecessor, NAFTA 500, expect for the American look it has received. And these changes are not really visible, at least on the first look. These include a change in the headlight, and the change of position of the fuel filling door.
The designer who had designed the car for the EU market, has designed it for the American market as well. And he understands the needs quite well. This is the reason why the EU 500 had spare tire under the trunk, while American 500 has it under the car.
The crashes that happened recently in EU were used to advertise the speed, power and safety of the car. While the compression of the front hood displays it capacity to drive at high speed, the 7 air bags that open up at the time of crash boasts its safety features.
With 101 horsepower and 1.4L, 4-cylinder engine, it makes a good drive for any American. It has a five-speed manual transmission and six-speed manual transmission gearbox, to enjoy the drive. Interesting, the chassis design is impressive. The rear axle, which is noticed immediately, boasts a stouter design. This also allowed the designer to soften spring rates, and revamp the settings of the damper.
2012 Fiat 500 will enter America in 3 models. Pop will be available for $15,500; Sport for $17,500 and Lounge for $19,500. The last model is the frst model with more luxurious features. However 500 Sport is available only in the US, which has protruding front, comfortable sporty seats, red-brake calipers, rear spoilers, and 16-inch wheels.
While the overall design is great, the graphics on the Sport model makes it look at bit out of the place. It doesn’t go well with the model, as the other two models do. The center trim has the color of the body, which provides more option to the owner to re-design the inner part.
When we drove the car, it is not as tiny as it looks. Meaning, it gives a feeling of driving a heavy car, as the movements are well controlled and solid. Power steering makes it a smooth drive. Effort to be applied on the steering is not too heavy, but not to light too. However, this effort changes when you toggle the Sport button on, and there is also a change in throttle mapping.
Both, the five-speed manual transmission, which was fun driving, and the six-speed auto transmission that shifted without any fuss, were satisfying. This is anytime preferable over the 6-speed auto gearbox of Ford Fiesta

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