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:
Showing 71 through 80 of 263.00-
Nifty and fun, nice extras - 2015 Fiat 500L
By Joanne Straub - February 22 - 11:18 pmI always start with the negatives I note. First would be the fabric. Im simply not fond of it, it reminds me of heavy duty panty hose and seems to pick up dirt easily. The center armrest is very high and awkwardly placed. There is so much width the door armrest isnt really reachable, either. That said... I love driving this car. After years of soccer mom-mobiles, I wanted something small, easy to maneuver and park, better on gas, and fun. However, we have two large dogs and stepkids on weekends. This is a perfect blend for us. Room for five without needing a shoehorn, and not like driving a Sherman tank.
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Best Decision I Ever Made - 2014 Fiat 500L
By basso1 - February 4 - 8:48 pmI absolutely love this car. The interior space is incredible for a car this size! Its fun to drive, fine on the highway and very well equipped. I went from a Volvo XC90 to this seeking better gas mileage and got it, averaging about 28 mpg combined city/hwy. I read up on the dual auto clutch from the information Fiat provided and have no complaints. A well equipped car that is reliable and performs. I also purchased the lifetime extended warranty for $2,500 although I read you could get it as low as $2,295.
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Fun car - just hope nothing breaks - 2012 Fiat 500
By centraca - January 26 - 1:47 pmI have really enjoyed my 2012 FIAT Sport. It is a fun car to drive, but there are issues. at 61,000 miles I am having to put in a new transmission, as the pressure plate has failed. I am not the only one, I am now at two weeks without my car, waiting on the parts. Everything that has needed to be done on this car takes a long time for the parts to come in. If you are considering a FIAT, turn around and RUN away from these cars.
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Do NOT buy this Car!!!! - 2013 Fiat 500
By ray2172 - January 23 - 6:08 pmI have a 2013 Abarth. I will start on a High note and say that it is a Blast to drive, sounds great, and is an amazing small performance car. Now for the bad! I bought mine used with 4100 miles on it for about $10000 less than a brand new one, $27,500 sticker price. This should have been a sign that they dont hold their value at all. I missed having a larger car and wanted to trade it in, they offered $14,000 trade in with 6000 miles on it. Now with 16,700 miles on it I have had a brand new radiator put in it and have an appointment for a speedometer that stopped working today! Do yourself a favor and by a Honda Civic Si,VW GTi or Ford ST! I wish I had taken my own Advise!
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Perfec t little car - 2015 Fiat 500
By frankbq - January 22 - 4:29 pmWe have driven this little Italian car and we just love it very reliable no problems at all just gas and oil change, very good on gas confortable city car.
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Great niche car...think before you buy - 2013 Fiat 500
By holmgren - January 16 - 4:21 pmUp front Ill say that I love this car and it is great for my needs. But this is absolutely a niche vehicle that is lots of fun as a run-about but gives up a lot in utility/flexibility. There is no way I would have bought this as an only car in the household--something like a GTI would make way more sense or a Focus ST if you wanted more edginess. That said, I felt the Abarth had way more character, was more fun, and was more unique for a hot hatch. It feels a more raw and simple than the competition--which I like. It gets me to work every day, puts a smile on my face when I drive it, gets good gas mileage, and for short trips fits a family of three and groceries for a couple of days.
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Worst mistake of my life - 2014 Fiat 500L
By darthmoll21 - January 12 - 9:52 pmI traded in a reliable Rav4 for this piece of crap. For the first few months, the car worked well, aside from a few recall issues. After Id had it for 6 months, the problems really started to surface. The check engine light kept coming on and I was taking the car to the shop nearly every other week. The transmission completely locked up at one point and I had to turn the car on and off several times before it unlocked. The transmission also began to jerk much more (yes its quirky but this is NOT a feature) while accelerating and decelerating, making stop and go traffic particularly dangerous. Im currently pursuing lemon law on this car so I can get rid of it!
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Not good - 2012 Fiat 500
By cacplanor - November 17 - 4:34 pm2013 Sport purchased new now with 34K. Same problems many others are facing. Starting stumble, clunks heard and felt through steering system, suspension bumpers, eating tires once a year! Its nice to look at and fun to drive but thats about it. Run away if you appreciate what a "good" car is. Chrystler doesnt care if your car is broken, theyll tell you its all "normal". You know, that "normal" clunk in the steering. The same clunk which would have stopped you/me from buying the car if a new one made it! Mine had that "norma"l clunk after only 6K miles. Thanks for that screw Chrysler, I wont soon forget it! Your cars suck and Uncle Sam shouldve let fail like you deserved.
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Fun unless you want something practical - 2013 Fiat 500
By erinandlil - November 7 - 10:09 pmFull disclosure: I bought this car on a whim. My car enthusiast friend fully endorsed my decision, touting it had the "best stock exhaust ever". Its fun to drive in the city, especially under the raised train tracks in Chicago - you can actually hear the car roar. Unfortunately its so far from practical its not even funny. Inevitably the fun runs out in a couple of months and you look up trade-in value to see that this car holds absolutely zero value. And good luck explaining to the car dealerships that your Abarth is in fact different than a standard 500. I really wanted to love this car... it just didnt happen. Oh, and I had SILLY repairs two months in.
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Baja Life - 2012 Fiat 500
By bajatexan - November 4 - 2:22 pmI bought my 2012 Fiat 500C (automatic) new in Aug 2012. To date, I have put almost 60,000 miles on it. I would drive 90 miles each way to work from Baja to San Diego on a daily basis. The exterior has held up extremely well and I have had no mechanical issues! The interior looks inexpensive but has held up well. Id buy one again in a heartbeat!
