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 1 through 10 of 263.00-
Excited to Frustrated/Alarmed - 2014 Fiat 500L
By William Pilcher - December 28 - 1:23 pmExcited to buy, loved having a fiat but should have done more homework but when we bought last year there was not this much about the cars. Purchased it as a commuter/local use. Love the room inside, lots of head room, wide so you are not rubbing you elbows and the back seat is very roomy as mentioned in other reviews. Cons:1. on a slight incline when you take your foot off of the brake the clutch takes about 2 seconds to engage, so you roll back and there is a slight pause before power goes to the wheels. Nearly got T Boned the first time, 2. going uphill the power steering looses power so you have to exert more muscle to turn the wheel, then in the middle of the curve the power returns and if you are not ready you end up in the oncoming lane, 3. As mentioned in earlier reviews the brake are not consistent, one time quick and grabby the next there is pedal drop before a smooth application, 4. The low beam headlights do not illuminate nearly far enough, I asked the dealer to dial them higher and he told me they were as high as they would mechanically go. I jus keep them on high beam all of the time and almost nobody notices, If you live in the city you would never notice but if you are driving around back roads or not spending all of your time on interstates then you will feel blind, 5. As mentioned earlier there are few dealers in the Dodge/Chrysler organization that have a trained Fiat mechanics so you have to go to the Fist dealer for anything beyond oil change despite the dealers claim that you can get service at any Dodge/Chrysler service shop, 6. The front seats are not comfortable for a drive longer than 20 minutes, there do not go back far enough for me to have my legs (510"), 7. The steering wheel tilts but only slightly so that if you tilt it up it stops and blocks part of the display, They give you plenty of head room but the car does not accommodate persons over 5 5" or so, we tested with friends, 9. we have had the car for just over a year and I was thinking about trading it in for another Dodge/Chrysler product and the dealer appraised the car at $8,000 and the salesman informed me that it was one of the worst depreciating cars in the USA and he had about 15 used Fiats. I am not 18 and understand car depreciate. I am also old enough over 45 to have driven many cars and know the difference between not liking the feel of handling of a car and not feeling safe driving a car. At first I thought I just needed to get used to it but over time it just gets worst and having to adjust my driving to keep from getting into a dangerous situation is not healthy. I made a big mistake purchasing this car for a number of reasons. I plan to trade it in as soon as I can research and purchase a replacement.
-
Fiat USA is NOT customer friendly! - 2015 Fiat 500
By Doug at - December 26 - 10:52 pmI bought my Fiat 1 year ago. I love the little car! But Fiat is not customer friendly. On 8/27/2015, my engine blew with 28,000 on the car. It took over a month to get it repaired and back to me. Three days later, I gave it back to the dealer, as it was not fixed. The 2nd engine blew. 3 months later, they gave me my car back. The upper management will not contact me. They continue to tell a CSR my options. 1/3 of my ownership has been in the shop, and they dont care. Buyers look elsewhere if you want support. My case number is 28015096.
-
Fiat USA is NOT customer friendly! - 2015 Fiat 500
By Doug at - December 26 - 10:52 pmI bought my Fiat 1 year ago. I love the little car! But Fiat is not customer friendly. On 8/27/2015, my engine blew with 28,000 on the car. It took over a month to get it repaired and back to me. Three days later, I gave it back to the dealer, as it was not fixed. The 2nd engine blew. 3 months later, they gave me my car back. The upper management will not contact me. They continue to tell a CSR my options. 1/3 of my ownership has been in the shop, and they dont care. Buyers look elsewhere if you want support. My case number is 28015096.
-
Clutch broke at 53,000km - 2012 Fiat 500
By Dragos Paraschivescu - December 14 - 12:50 pmClutch broke at 53,000km, 4 months after the end of 3 year warranty. Cost of repair was CAD 1,800. Called Fiat Canada customer support, they did not want to reimburse.
-
THE WORSE VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED! - 2012 Fiat 500
By Clarisse Barcelos - November 16 - 1:38 pmI have owned this vehicle since April of 2012, and since the first week I bought it, Ive had nothing but problems with it. From the rear brake lights going out, to damage tires, bad tire/wheel bearings after short time of ownership, convertible top replaced twice, electrical issues, trunk issues (not opening - 4 times since 2012), soft top roof leak, etc.
-
Terrible - 2012 Fiat 500
By Dave M - October 14 - 6:57 pmIMHO, this is the worst and most dangerous car on US highways. We were given one as an Enterprise rental, so beware. On the Interstates, it feels like the Fiat 500 could be run over by any compact American car. The ride was rough and noisy. Ive been told that some people love them......but I think its a standard answer for those who already have them. I was teased by acquaintances who suggested I put the Fiat in the back of their car. My wife, me and two suitcases were hard to squeeze into it! Terrible car....and without a doubt the worst car Ive ever rented. Complaints to Enterprise went nowhere....only questions. My objective would be to keep the Fiat off American roads.
-
Never again - 2013 Fiat 500
By Sarah Bennet - October 10 - 10:48 pmEverything is falling apart from the inside out. I have already needed a new clutch, fuel pump, and steering column. Worst car ever. Loved it in the begining....... great on gas and fun to drive. BUT NEVER would i recomend this to ANYONE. Oh yeah i have under 30,000 miles on this. Im going to feel terible even selling this to someone.
-
Piece of crap car! - 2013 Fiat 500
By leah - September 14 - 11:23 pmHorrible car!! DO NOT BUY!! i have 22K miles on it and my turbo stopped working, in addition both my windows motors broke. Worst car ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
50,000 thats it! - 2012 Fiat 500
By Dp - September 10 - 9:07 pmWarranty stops at 50k miles and thats when everything thing fails! You buy the car with a maintenance package.... They will change oil every 8,000 miles (factory recommended)... 500 miles out of warranty and engine light comes on... Now the story changes... Change oil every 5,000 miles!
-
Dangerous - 2012 Fiat 500
By Maria - August 27 - 12:26 pmThis car has left me standed in the middle of intersections and is super dangerous. Fiat finally agreed to pay me but for the past 4 months has not returned my calls. I also noticed that all negative posts have vanished.
