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TEST DRIVE: Inhabitat Takes a Summery Yellow Fiat 500 For a Spin
Posted By
Yuka Yoneda
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In
Automotive,Design,Transportation |
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The most amusing thing about the Fiat would have to be the attention it garners in an out-of-the-way place like northern Michigan. Older men shook their heads as the little yellow rocket passed them on the street, while the younger set smiled and seemed intrigued. Women of every age seemed to fall in love with it on first sight. Suffice it to say we were the only Fiat for several hundred miles in this land of General Motors and Ford allegiance, which made for many amusing conversations. We only shook our heads when we discovered that Sport mode, which gives you a little boost of power, got the same 40-mpg gas mileage as Eco-Drive over long distances, and that the car wanted to stay in second gear all the way up to 50 miles per hour for no apparent reason. The second problem is fixed with the manumatic shifting function, which allows you to change gears when you want by flicking the automatic gear lever back and forth. It’s a lifesaver for anyone who wants to make this car move.
“Should I buy one?” That was the question on everyone’s lips – even at a wedding we attended at the end of the week. The answer is, that depends on what you expect. If you want a reasonably efficient, small car with tons of style, the Fiat 500 is your ride, no question. If you’re looking for something sportier, you could opt for next year’s 175-horsepower Abarth model, or for more interior room, go for a MINI instead. All we know is there’s nothing like northern Michigan in the summer, and there’s nothing like the Fiat 500. They’re both one of a kind.
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We had the privilege last week of driving “up north” in a summery yellow Fiat 500C, the reinvented Italian people’s car. We traveled straight north to the Mackinac Bridge, the point between Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas (think 150-year-old fudge shops, parasailing, sugar-sand beaches, and breathtaking sunsets over birch and pine forests). It was the perfect car for the perfect summer trip: the little Fiat packs a lot of style into its 95% recyclable and economically-sized body, with a soft…
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The front of the Fiat Euro stylish, but big enough that we felt comfortable driving on the highway for long periods. The car feels like a scaled down high-quality compact, not like screaming along on a tractor mower as we expected.
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Just layer luggage and people in the Fiat with care: we had to pack a toddler and adult in the back seat, positioning their feet just so before locking the front seats in position to load more folks into the front. A little small for the large adult male of the species, who becomes grumpy after the novelty of scratching his head through the roof wears off.
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The interior of the Fiat is well designed and functional, with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, easy-to-use satellite radio, high-quality A/C system, and an automatic gearbox that shifts to manual with a flick of the gear lever. We found this feature, plus the Sport button, to be essential in moving the little car out of its laggy lower gears and into the fun zone.
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All in all, the Fiat 500 was a fantastic little car for running around town and for the longer jaunts of our road trip up north. We imagine this car would be perfect for designers, stylish single women, or single moms who want a fuel-efficient car with personality. For those who want the same size with a little (or a lot!) more zip, there is an Abarth model coming to the U.S. in 2012 with 175 horsepower, nearly double what this little guy has. We expect you wouldn’t average our 40 miles per gallon
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The trunk of the Fiat holds only a small suitcase and two paper grocery bags of cargo, but flattening one rear seat can double that capacity.
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