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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  Exceeds expectations and is fun. - 2012 Fiat 500
  By igofishingalot - August 28 - 2:33 pm

  Fuel mileage is much better than the 38mpg highway posted on the sticker. An average of 41mpg was observed during a nice 40 mile long curvy and hilly back road drive mostly at 45mph in 4th gear with the top open. The car is a joy to travel in. It has plenty of room and comfort for 4. At 65mph with the top full open and windows closed, it is quiet enough to have normal conversations between all 4 occupants. Very quiet ride with top open or closed. Top can be operated with push button control while driving under 50mph. Car is fun enough to make our mid teen age kids still want to go with us. Back seats are roomy and comfortable for picky an long legged kids 58" tall.

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  No buyers remorse! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By crushlawtx - August 15 - 5:56 pm

  I traded in my 2008 Infiniti G35 for a 2012 Fiat 500 Sport in Rame with brown leather interior, and I could not be happier with my purchase. Its comfortable, fun to drive, and beautiful. I rarely go anywhere without someone asking me to look in my car in parking lots. Im averaging over 31 mpgs with the automatic transmission on mostly city driving. Ive had the car nearly two months now, and I dont have a single gripe. Its an absolutely amazing little car!

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  This thing shifts terribly! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By patsys - August 5 - 4:29 pm

  Brand new fully loaded lounge cabrio.. This thing is the worst around town. I have an automatic - because thats your only option. When it shifts from 1st to 2nd you get a whiplash-like jerk. The gas pedal is awful too. Its always too little gas or too much. Something is wrong with the design of this car. Seriously. Oh yeah.. you cannot pull out across traffic.. there is a two second delay between slamming the gas down and the car actually moving. Its not a lemon.. it just stinks!!!

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  Dont be fooled ... check these out first - 2012 Fiat 500
  By archi2 - August 3 - 11:39 am

  I bought my 2012 Fiat 500 Lounge in May 2011 and traded it in in July 2011. I continued to have problems with the vehicle since my purchase. Lemon? The service manager says it would take up to a year before it would even qualify as a lemon. I had 8 problems to be resolved at my first visit with the Fiat mechanic. Only one was resolved - the clicking noise on the driver door whenever opening. Apparently a loose screw. The other seven? The Fiat mechanic says for all seven, "Normal Condition. No Fix." The worst of the seven was being thrown around in a freeway lane, and not because of trucks or wind.

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  2012 500 sport (manual) - 2012 Fiat 500
  By pd14_98 - August 3 - 10:03 am

  I am a new Fiat fan for life! The 500 sport is a winner for me. Very reliable, very peppy & fun to drive, very economical, and very beautiful. I get 44 mpg on highway drives with the A/C on...this car easily exceeds the EPA rating for highway milage. Driving in the city is closer to the EPA rating (30-32 mpg in true bumper to bumper city driving). Even though I did not have a big budget, I am very happy I bought the Sport with a few options (18,600) and not the Pop. The sport has exceptionally comfortable seats and adds so much extra equipment for a small premium that it was worth getting over the Pop...I strongly recommend this car to everyone who admires it.

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  Wow--Exceeded all expectations - 2012 Fiat 500
  By eidnas - June 24 - 2:05 pm

  We have the 500 Lounge the retro interior is great. Very comfortable seats. The sport driving option changes the entire driving dynamic on curving & hilly back roads. For a small wheel base car, the ride, handle and power is superior. It is surprisingly very stably at freeway speeds.

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  Texas 500 - 2012 Fiat 500
  By toaot500 - June 23 - 10:00 pm

  I ve had my car for about a month and I am enamored with it! It drives like a much sportier and expensive car you feel the bumps but only slightly most of it is absorbed. I cant tell you how much I love the way the interior looks like it came from a Maserati. I ve had alot of cars in the past but this one is actually my favorite so far. It may not be the fastest on the road but you never get the impression that its not. I was going for the Sport model because I liked the wheels and the body kit but the differences, between it and the Pop are minimal in performance (Ive test driven both in a manual). Both have a sport button like the Mini that make the small 1.4l come alive. GAS SAVER!

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  Makes me smile - 2012 Fiat 500
  By fiatscooter - June 9 - 10:13 pm

  Just bought my sport last Saturday and I am very happy with the purchase. It has style and is tons of fun to drive. My commute seems to have been shortened. I definitely would recommend this car to anyone looking for an inexpensive and fuel efficient alternative in the usa. Great job Fiat!

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  Fiat sport - 2012 Fiat 500
  By perrusquiald - May 17 - 11:16 am

  I just got my car last weekend and Im happy. the car is great, fun to drive and great gas saver, I got 4 stars for the reliability because the car is new to America but I dont have any complains. You need to drive this car before you buy the mini cooper, this is better buy for the money and looks great.

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  Prima Edizione - 2012 Fiat 500
  By limee - May 4 - 5:14 pm

  I had wanted this car for years, so finally Fiat arrives back in the US. I was too late in the signing up process to get the first 500 models but managed to purchase one from a local dealer at MSRP which was good seeing as sellers are generally asking 2-3 thousand over MSRP. Now have it in my possession and it reminds me of all the other Fiats and Alfas I have owned over the years, in that it definitely has character. The styling is fantastic and very eye catching. Its a fun car to drive and a car that involves the driver more than other cars in the same class that I had test driven. Has a few niggles (Hey its Italian!) but they are niggles I can live with, because it has my soul!