Overview & Reviews

Fiat is one of the earliest and grandest names in automobiles, dating from the establishment of Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino ("FIAT") in 1899. During the early years, its racing cars were the envy of every nation. Later on, the Fiat Topolino ("Little Mouse") was as famous as the Volkswagen KDF (subsequently known as the "Beetle") in the 1930s and '40s. The 1950s saw Fiat put much of Italy on wheels with the hugely popular 500, sparking the "Italian Miracle," a renaissance of European consumer products.

Sadly, the company's fortunes in the United States were mixed. Here, the Fiat 1500 won over a fair share of enthusiasts in the mid-'60s, and the early-'70s saw the Fiat 850 (Spider and Coupe) become popular among college students. Yet the Pininfarina-designed Fiat 124 sports car did the most to keep the Fiat image alive in America, as cars like the front-wheel-drive 128 and midengine X1/9 ultimately failed. Even Lancia, Fiat's premium brand, withered quickly after an introduction in the mid-'70s. Ultimately, Fiat's poor reputation for quality and its inability to cope with ever more stringent emissions regulations led the Italian company to pull out of the U.S. market altogether in 1984.

In 2000, General Motors acquired a stake in Fiat as part of a joint venture to create a new generation of small, affordable cars for Europe. GM's financial troubles led to the unraveling of this agreement in 2005, but Fiat had invested the GM money wisely in new air emissions technology. When the bankruptcy of Chrysler took place in 2008, Fiat saw an opportunity to return to the U.S. In 2009, Fiat acquired a controlling interest in Chrysler.

The Fiat 500, debuting for 2012, was the first of Fiat's new generation of cars to come stateside. Staying true to its lineage, the new 500 is very small, nimble and stylish. In addition to the 500 coupe, there are also the 500 convertible and hot-rod 500 Abarth to further tempt those looking for a small car with plenty of personality. More recently, Fiat has expanded its lineup with the fully electric 500e and the family-friendly, four-door 500L.

User Reviews:

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  Love-hate relationship - 2012 Fiat 500
  By molly40 - July 13 - 4:31 pm

  I bought my 500 sport with 3,000 miles on it - dealer sales staff drove the car. While it looked cool and was extremely fun to drive, I quickly learned to loathe the car. Two steering arms and one master control module later (car had less than 20,000 miles on it), I looked for any way to unload this car without taking a huge loss. In addition to these issues, the backseat began to come apart at 12,000 miles (and rarely did I have anyone sit in the back). The engine block heater worked wonderfully but it began to malfunction and send error codes to the main computer. I was calling the dealer (90 miles away) for service every few weeks. Finally, at 24,500 miles, I called it quits.

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  500 lounge, with every option - 2012 Fiat 500
  By phatgreatwall - July 12 - 10:06 am

  car is fun to drive, gets really good mileage, steering tie rod end was loose after 30,000km, replaced under warranty. buy this car only for the fun and new factor, definitely a chicks car, but i see too many old italian guys driving it......

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  Lotsa! FUN! - 2013 Fiat 500
  By bwbroo - May 23 - 6:22 pm

  This is a good (great) driving car. A pleasure to drive. I have the basic model and still it has quite abit extras. Iam a driver and like the fun of driving a solid steering car. This one goes from a regular driving car to a Ferrari when the sports button is engaged/push at the console. Great for curvy roads and parking lots or anytime. On the hwy I leave it regular mode and just cruise. Did I tell you it has cruise control too. Anyway dont push the OMG button unless - are you experienced - (Hendrix) I have the auto transmission and this is great. Iam 60 and this shifts a lot in the sports mode (OMG). There you have it.

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  Cmon its lots of fun - 2013 Fiat 500
  By thunderbird59 - May 15 - 4:37 pm

  I am an old dude 53, I have a Light seafoam green with ivory interior 2013 500 pop 5 speed with a sunroof , alum wheels, and beats stereo , on top of all the other goodies that just come standard on this car . It rocks , fun , fast , stable, quiet , Ive owned one of just about everything over the years from Pintos to Porsches , literally. This is hands down one of my favorites. My only complaint is that the turbo doesnt come in ANY color I want! after 11,000 miles in just under 3 months not a single problem , rattle , or squeak . Maybe I bite the bullet and go for an Orange Turbo at the end of the year, anything but silver or grey . Im sick of seeing silver cars .

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  Fiat 500-The City Dweller - 2012 Fiat 500
  By heiliner1 - April 24 - 7:37 pm

  Our household has two 2012 Fiat 500 Pops, 20 serial numbers apart. Both vehicles have around 2000 miles on them. On one vehicle the oxygen sensor has failed. On the other vehicle the glove box is out of alignment. We bought these Fiats because they are cute, easy to get in and out of, easy to park, and had low initial purchase prices. Considering the standard features there wasnt another car in that size range that offered as much.

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  If youre a real "driver" get one - 2013 Fiat 500
  By bircken - April 16 - 9:22 pm

  As I said in the title, if you enjoy driving and take it seriously, get one. I was very pleased with my 500 Sport (35000 mi) but longed for a bit more oomph to play with. Its handling and overall demeanor was really good and involving but getting up to speed was lacking. Enter the Abarth. As someone else stated in a previous review, the many changes made to the car to cope with the added power turned it into a different animal. The power is there, the steering more direct, the brakes (helped by the 17"tires) are like hitting a wall, the shifting is more direct and positive. Short of driving a race kart on the streets, this is it. You just have to hear the engine fire up. Love it!

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  2103 Pop 10 day review - 2013 Fiat 500
  By grepthis - April 11 - 6:50 am

  Purchased my 2013 10 days ago. Im impressed and very excited. The value of the Pop for the money cannot be overstated. After researching many used cars and new I was thrilled to pay $15,560 out-the-door for a new car with 4 year warranty, comfortable ride, fun ride, cruise control, power windows, usb, bluetooth... It does great on freeways and curvy roads. The Sport button is especially fun on the curvy roads. Parking and maneuvering is great. Excellent gas mileage - exceeds the 31-40 mpg ratings. The car meets the needs and satisfies the wants. The engine delivers. I pulled the rear headrests and keep the rear seat down and enjoy the open space in the back.

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  loved my FIAt...for first 5 months...hated Chrysler/Bob Baker Carlsbad :( - 2012 Fiat 500
  By chiariello - April 3 - 8:00 pm

  bought brand new car, only 3K miles, sometimes it would start, sometimes it wouldnt...not a good feature in a car! at first dealer suggested I was doing something wrong, but after having it towed 3 X, they finally realized I wasnt making this up. It was there for 2 months, I asked them finally for replacement (lemon law, which my car, which was sadly the case) so they dragged their feet for another month, plus charged me for mileage on the poor car they sold me. It was extortion, but after 3 months I paid it just to get a car....I dont think the service dept was at fault, they simply couldnt figure out whats wrong, but the dealer didnt help us at all, and Chrysler was even worse.

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  Best car ever - 2013 Fiat 500
  By perrusquiald - March 28 - 6:07 pm

  I have before a 500 sport for 2 years and 3 weeks ago I trade it with 14k miles for the abarth 2013. Fun factor is there every day I drive it. Sales person at the fiat dealer in cary was the best. I was looking at the mini s and the new subaru Brz. The abarth is the best value for the money.

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  Great Piccolo!!! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By elcano1 - March 15 - 8:36 am

  It has been a little more than a year that I get my 500 Sport, after 15,000 miles my wife and I are so happy with it, is like a go-kart, is too much fun, easy to park "zero" problems and great service from our dealer. Im looking for the Abarth in the next future. Esta de rompe"m". Existen vehiculos mas rapidos pero no tan divertidos para manejar.