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Is Chrysler's tiny Fiat 500 finding buyers?

JonL said:
If the Golf TDI only gets 40MPG it has too much engine. I don't mind a slow car. I grew up when zero to sixty in ten seconds was pretty fast. I'd be happy with 0 - 60 in 13 seconds or so. I drive an old Mercedes 190D now that probably doesn't go nearly that fast. Back then there were plenty of cars with small gasoline engines that got 40+ MPG. Toyota Corolla with the base 1.3 liter (IIRC), Datsun B210 1.2 l, Honda Civic got 50MPG as I recall. The cars were all fun to drive.
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Not exactly 40 mpg? http://thinkblue.vw.com/5882-mpg-guinness-world-record-set-by-jetta-tdi/
 
JonL said:
If the Golf TDI only gets 40MPG it has too much engine. I don't mind a slow car. I grew up when zero to sixty in ten seconds was pretty fast. I'd be happy with 0 - 60 in 13 seconds or so. I drive an old Mercedes 190D now that probably doesn't go nearly that fast. Back then there were plenty of cars with small gasoline engines that got 40+ MPG. Toyota Corolla with the base 1.3 liter (IIRC), Datsun B210 1.2 l, Honda Civic got 50MPG as I recall. The cars were all fun to drive.
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You are doing what most of us older folks are doing. You are thinking 40mpg but not considering that the average speed has increased. The EPA revised fuel estimates until 2008 to take into account the increased highway speeds. So, if you take that same 40mpg TDI and drive it on the highway at the same legal speed limit as the B210 (nice car BTW), I think you will find the gas mileage quite surprising.

As an example, my 2002 Jetta GLI, when sold new, had an estimate of 30 mpg on the highway. Today, the estimates are 27 mpg. Combined has dropped from 24 mpg to 22 mpg.
 
JonL said:
Makes more sense. (58+ MPG, but very carefully driven.)

I looked up the Jetta TDI, 140HP and 0-60 in 8.3 seconds. Knock that down to 100HP, give me 0-60 in 11 or 12 seconds and a reliable 60+ MPG and you're talkin' my language.
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I witnessed an improbable drag race a couple of months ago while on a bike ride. 2 brand new black SUV's still w/ paper plates staged off at a light. An X3 BMW and VW Touareg TDI. Despite a serious weight disadvantage the VW pulled the BMW for a solid 1/8th mile. When our '02 Passat is finally retired my wife wants her car to be an SUV again. Guess which one it might be?
 
Owning a car that goes 0-60 in 13 seconds is fine when cars are moving at 55mph, and accelerate just as slowly, or you live in a rural area with little traffic. I have a car that does it in about 7 seconds (WRX automatic) and I can't tell you how many times that acceleration has just about saved my life in both LA and Chicago traffic. It's like an ejection seat- things get hairy, and I just pull the turbo and I'm out of there, especially when merging semis are involved. After owning this car, I will never have a slow car again. Its not about racing, its safety for me. I've rented economy cars that are really slow, and in Los Angeles traffic I felt like I was in a death trap. I could floor it, and the engine would get louder but the car wouldn't go any faster. I couldn't avoid oncoming trouble.

If I lived elsewhere, though, I wouldn't mind a slow car at all.
 
JohnVF said:
Owning a car that goes 0-60 in 13 seconds is fine when cars are moving at 55mph, and accelerate just as slowly, or you live in a rural area with little traffic. I have a car that does it in about 7 seconds (WRX automatic) and I can't tell you how many times that acceleration has just about saved my life in both LA and Chicago traffic. It's like an ejection seat- things get hairy, and I just pull the turbo and I'm out of there, especially when merging semis are involved. After owning this car, I will never have a slow car again. Its not about racing, its safety for me. I've rented economy cars that are really slow, and in Los Angeles traffic I felt like I was in a death trap. I could floor it, and the engine would get louder but the car wouldn't go any faster. I couldn't avoid oncoming trouble.

If I lived elsewhere, though, I wouldn't mind a slow car at all.
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I live in NY Metro, crazy drivers all over. I tried to find reliable performance specs on my only car - the MB 190D - and I'm not sure this is accurate but it's quoted as 0 - 62 (100kph) in 18.2 seconds. Doesn't bother me in the slightest, even in midtown traffic. This is the third diesel car I've owned (the other two being even slower old Peugeots), and you simply have to adjust your thinking and driving style. Sure, there are times when extra power might haul you out of a situation, but when you know you don't have that extra power you tend to stay out of those situations in the first place.

My 190D is super comfortable, seats five easily with a big trunk, handles great, and gets around 26MPH around town and 30 on the highway as long as I keep it below 70ish (which I rarely do). Even modern gasoline cars can beat the highway mileage, but a modern diesel sized to give more stolid performance would kick ass.
 
Jeffery said:
I see in your post there that your wife has a Kia Soul. I drove a Soul for a few days as a rental and actually enjoyed the little bugger. I'd be interested in your comparison of the two after you've had the 500 for a bit.
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I'll be glad to do that, Jeffery. I can say, right up front, that I would never have gotten this Fiat if we didn't already have the Kia. We have two boys, 15 and 7. We got the Soul to provide us with an economical way to haul around the family in town and for some out of town travel. The Continental is hard to replace as a long hauler, but we can rent a Chrysler 300 or something similar for those very ocassional long trips with the whole family.

The Fiat is almost strictly my commuter. I am sure that we will all take joy rides, whether it is 2, 3 or all 4 of us. Plus, my son can learn to drive a stick, too.

The Kia is really the foundation of our fleet, though. I have a 1997 Dakota for hauling stuff (and ya gotta have one V8), the 1995 Volvo 850 Turbo for my son to learn in (very safe, plenty sporty and cool, even by today's standards), my 1980 Honda CX500 for weekend rides and occasional commutes to work to keep the miles off the Fiat.

We use the Kia to go get groceries, haul my son and his guitar and amplifier, etc. It is a very safe car, sits up a bit higher than most, is very roomy for a small car and gets pretty good gas mileage in town - 28 with not so careful driving.

I will give more impressions of the two as we drive 'em. My wife has had her Soul since Mother's Day and we don't even have 6k on it yet!
 
JohnVF said:
Owning a car that goes 0-60 in 13 seconds is fine when cars are moving at 55mph, and accelerate just as slowly, or you live in a rural area with little traffic. I have a car that does it in about 7 seconds (WRX automatic) and I can't tell you how many times that acceleration has just about saved my life in both LA and Chicago traffic. It's like an ejection seat- things get hairy, and I just pull the turbo and I'm out of there, especially when merging semis are involved. After owning this car, I will never have a slow car again. Its not about racing, its safety for me. I've rented economy cars that are really slow, and in Los Angeles traffic I felt like I was in a death trap. I could floor it, and the engine would get louder but the car wouldn't go any faster. I couldn't avoid oncoming trouble.

If I lived elsewhere, though, I wouldn't mind a slow car at all.
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I feel the same way about slow cars. Here in Phoenix, they're dangerous.

I drive a Dodge Magnum R/T Hemi, and that car will do 0-60 in about 5.6 seconds, and the 1/4 mile in 14, and I've used that performance, often times for fun, but many times to save my own ass.
 
The Pasadena Fwy between D/T LA & Pasadena was opened in 1940. It was the 1st freeway. Many of the on ramps are 100-200 long from a standing start. Merging with 60 mph traffic is no fun with a slow car.
 
I drive a decently fast car. :D Combination of fuel economy and enough speed to merge into traffic on a busy freeway.
 
I'm seeing a lot of them around SoCal, and I bet there are more of them in Norcal due to the "political correctness" of driving golf carts and 4-wheel enclosed scooters around town to make a statement. I'm going to buy one of those little Fiats, and strap it to the roof rack on my wife's big red Diesel Chevy 3500 crew cab 4x4 Long Bed truck, in place of the extra spare tire.

Charles
 
RamblinE said:
+1

There's also a restrictive dealer network. I'd have to travel to Atlanta to test drive one. I think the 500 is just strange enough that it's more of a niche market car than anything else.
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Enterprise Car Rentals have some
 
In TN, especially in big cities. Slow cars are downright dangerous to drive. I've got to be able to merge or pass on the Interstate safely. Which means your 12 second diesel is a death trap if trouble occurs. Pair that with the automatic I must have, and it's lethal.
 
JohnVF said:
Owning a car that goes 0-60 in 13 seconds is fine when cars are moving at 55mph, and accelerate just as slowly, or you live in a rural area with little traffic. I have a car that does it in about 7 seconds (WRX automatic) and I can't tell you how many times that acceleration has just about saved my life in both LA and Chicago traffic.
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I've used my STS' 300HP quite often to save my bacon. I've used it more often to dispatch back road dawdlers though. :naughty:

I felt like I was gonna be a road pizza when I drove a Toyota Echo on I-15. Couldn't make 65 by the top of the on ramp, couldn't maintain speed up a grade, and sure as hell couldn't pass or get out of a bad spot. I don't like driving beside a three trailer UPS truck for long. :no:
 
Fiat had high hopes for the 500, which was extensively re-engineered for the U.S. and went on sale here in March. The Italian automaker — now the corporate parent of Chrysler — had anticipated it would sell 50,000 Cinquecentos this year in the U.S. Instead, the little hatchback has sold only 17,444 units through November and will likely fall below 20,000 units, according to projections by Edmunds.com.
In December, the 500 received one more bit of bad news — a disappointing overall safety rating of three out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Fiat has made several aggressive moves to bolster its brand image and presence in the American market, replacing its U.S. sales chief in November and hiring celebrity Jennifer Lopez to be its spokeswoman in a series of splashy TV ads.
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http://www.insideline.com/fiat/500/chevrolet-volt-fiat-500-2011-sales-flops.html
 
Hey Now,

My dad had a Fiat 850 in the mid-to-late sixtes while living on Okinawa. It was the family car, 2 adults 2 kids. Everybody fit in, but no AC and it was warm there. Don't recall it ever rusting out, it served us well.

I was rummaging through my father's tools and found the 17mm FIAT stamped wrench from that car's toolkit, 43 years after we sold it.

--
Finest kind,
Chris
 
1500 miles on my Fiat so far, 40+ MPG, no problems keeping up with traffic or accelerating - this car is very well done for a cheap little commuter. This is crossing Dallas, twice a day.

If I just gotta have a V8, I can jump in the Dakota with the 318. I am trading the big Lincoln Continental for a new paint job on the truck.
 
Is the Fiat 500 finding buyers? Here're the latest sales figures....

The Versa’s main competitors in the sub-compact segment include the Chevy Sonic, Hyundai Accent, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta and Fiat 500. Compared to the Versa’s impressive 9,939 December sales figure, Chevy sold 5,743 Sonics, Hyundai sold 5,316 Accents, Honda came in with 5,138 Fits, Toyota’s Yaris sold 4,514 units, while Ford moved 3,673 Fiestas. Coming in last for Nissan’s comparison was Fiat’s 500 with 2,325 vehicles.
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Emphasis is from me.
 
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