Date: October 2011
Months in Fleet: 2 months
Current Mileage: 4438 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 34 mpg
Average Range: 357
Service: $0
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $0
What are the practical minimums of small? As more and better subcompact cars roll into the competitive arena, the answer to that question is undergoing constant revision. The Smart Fortwo seems to be a little below the threshold of acceptability, at least by our standards, so what if we work our way back up in size? That question helped motivate us to add a new Fiat 500 to our long-term test fleet.
It’s small, sure, but compared to a Fortwo, it looks more plausible. At 139.6 inches, the Cinquecento is 33.5 inches longer than the Smart—but six shorter than a Mini Cooper—and it has a back seat. It has more luggage space, too, and flipping the rear seatbacks forward expands the hold beyond its initial 10 cubic feet. Moreover, although it outweighs the Smart by more than 600 pounds, the 500’s EPA fuel-economy ratings aren’t far behind: 33/41 city/highway for the Smart, 30/38 for the Fiat.
The other factor in this acquisition was simpler. This is the first production Fiat offered in the U.S. since 1984. It’s also the first-ever Fiat to undergo our 40,000-mile scrutiny.
The Car
Cinquecento buyers first have to choose whether they want the basic Pop, midlevel Sport, loaded Lounge, or designer Gucci trim. (There also are cabrio versions of all but the Sport, with tops that are essentially folding sunroofs rather than true convertible lids.)
Our 500 Sport coupe carries a base price of $18,000 and includes air conditioning, Bose audio with a CD player, a USB port, and hands-free connectivity; cruise control; a leather-wrapped wheel with auxiliary audio controls, and a tilting steering column. It also has as standard 16-inch aluminum wheels, a firmer sport suspension, halogen projector headlamps, fog lamps, red brake calipers, front-seat-mounted side airbags, curtain airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, and stability control. You can add an automatic for $850, but it’s not something we recommend if anything even vaguely resembling haste has a place in your automotive priorities. Accordingly, we stuck with the manual.
We did add an optional paint job (Rosso Brillante, $500) and two packages. The $400 Safety and Convenience package adds an alarm, automatic temperature control, and a temporary spare. The $200 Safety and Sound package also includes an alarm—if you don’t already have one from the other package—and Sirius satellite radio. Our as-tested total came in at $19,100. This seems modest enough, although for about $1500 less, you could drive home a new Honda Fit Sport with four doors, room for four, more utility, and more performance.
On the other hand, the little Fiat’s interior design is attractive, the control layout doesn’t require consultations with the owner’s manual, and, of course, its style is almost off the charts.
First Reports
The 500 arrived in August with 700 miles already rolled up on the odometer. Since then, we’ve added more than 3700 in fairly short order, as staffers signed up to experience life in the small lane, Italian-style.
Responses have been mixed: some plaudits for the 500’s agility, steering, ride quality, and brakes; demerits for blind spots in the rear quarters, gauges that require considerable practice to read quickly, and seat adjustments that some find frustrating. There were also a couple complaints about vague clutch engagement, although another driver praised this aspect of the powertrain.
The Fiat is wonderfully handy around town in Ann Arbor and neighboring Ypsilanti, and is perfectly happy with leftover parking spots—an ideal urban car. But anyone who takes the Fiat out onto the high roads remarks on its modest power. Fed by Fiat’s new MultiAir variable-lift valve system, the 500’s 1.4-liter four generates 101 hp at 6500 rpm and 98 lb-ft of torque at 4000.
In league with the manual gearbox—its shift lever protruding from the lower dash à la old Honda Civic Si hatchback—the little four is able to tow the 500 to 60 mph in just under 10 seconds, 9.9 to be precise. Covering a quarter-mile consumes 17.5 seconds, with 78 mph on the speedo at that distance. If, for some reason, the operator wishes to experience 100 mph, he must be prepared with plenty of wide-open road ahead of him. We needed close to a full mile (4563 feet) and the better part of a minute (39.1 seconds) to attain this heady speed.
Reaching the 500’s 111-mph top speed requires even more wide-open straightaway—chunks of Nebraska would probably be suitable. The speedometer suggests the car can keep going up to 140, but it lies. One hundred eleven is all there is, there ain’t no more, and it’s unlikely that any of us will experience the car’s triple-digit speed capabilities again until we take it back to the track for wrap-up testing.
The Long-Haul Question
Just when that wrap-up test will occur is hard to forecast. While other aspects of the 500’s performance—braking from 70 to 0 mph in 175 feet, skidpad grip of 0.85 g—are respectable by the standards of this class, its tepid power is likely to diminish enthusiasm for lengthy voyages. With a regimen of mostly urban motoring, we’re currently averaging 34 mpg, 3 mpg higher than the Mazda 2 in our long-term fleet.
And while it’s far too early to talk about reliability—the Fiat has yet to make its first scheduled service stop (an oil change is due soon)—it already seems clear that this little rascal is better suited to the inner city than the interstates. This might be a long test.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 3-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED: $19,100 (base price: $18,000)
ENGINE TYPE: SOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 83 cu in, 1368 cc
Power (SAE net): 101 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 98 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 90.6 in Length: 139.6 in
Width: 64.1 in Height: 59.8 in
Curb weight: 2427 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 9.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 39.1 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 10.6 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 16.0 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 17.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 17.5 sec @ 78 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 111 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.85 g
*Stability-control-inhibited
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 30/38 mpg
C/D observed: 34 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper;
4 years/50,000 miles powertrain;
12 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
4 years/50,000 miles roadside assistance;