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:

• 

  Still a good choice after 56000 miles. - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By Bruce Sal - February 23 - 2:29 pm

  I have put 45000 miles on my 500L Trekking in 27 months. It is driven 3-5 days a week to work 24 miles one way. I have made numerous trips of 300 to 450 miles one way. I find the front seats become uncomfortable only on the longest trips. I track my MPG since new and average 30.3 MPG. My best is 39.8. I have the auto transmission and I did have to get used to it. It does not always shift smoothly. I had a problem with the engine check light due to a fuel vac leak. The leak was never found and the problem stopped over a year and a half ago. I love the dashboard. I like a simple layout and feel the FIAT gives it to me. The view from the drivers seat is beyond compare. Cargo room is great. I can carry 2x4x8 boards in the car. It has been a great little car. The TECH package was the selling point for me. The backup camera is awesome.

• 

  There are no boring trips in an Abarth! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Seth Simon - February 5 - 8:53 am

  This is a niche car and not for everyone, and thats why its a special. A Camry or an Accord are for everyone, and when you make something to please as many people as possible you end up with middle of the road blandness. Thats great for some, not for Abarth owners. This is a performance car based on a relatively humble small European city car, originally designed for dense urban areas. So, yeah, if you have 5 kids and two dogs, guess what? Its not a car for you. If you like space, fuel and technological efficiency, are concerned of your footprint on the planet but really like to drive, then an Abarth may be for you. It oozes character, it sounds fantastic and I love that it doesnt look like its angry and wants to kill you, like so many other cars on the market. Its actually pretty comfortable for long trips, and despite its compact exterior dimensions, it has a lot of space, more than a Mini. Im 5-10" and 190lbs and I can sit comfortably in the rear seat behind myself. Its easy to park and cheap to fill the tank, and no one get s annoyed at you when you pass them. Try doing that in a BMW or Mercedes. I considered a Ford Fiesta ST, but was turned off by the four door-only bodystyle, and although objectively it was a tad more refined than the Abarth in some areas, it just didnt feel special, and certainly wasnt as much fun to drive. The quality of materials is not on par with say, a Lexus, but then it doesnt cost Lexus money. Ive had mine for two years and the only issues Ive had were a burned out light bulb in the cruise control switch and a faulty tire pressure monitoring sensor. Nothing squeaks or rattles. Overall, Ive been very very happy with this car.

• 

  Looks arent everything - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Abigail - January 5 - 6:02 am

  I bought this car used at two years old with 24,000 miles. The car runs well and has not given me any engine trouble thus far. The problem with this car is that it is cheaply made. For example the first to happen was that the plastic hubcaps broke off and rolled away while I was driving it and all in a short period of time from one another. The rear view mirror started wobbling and bobbing while I was driving. Weve now had to rig it to stay still. I wont touch it in fear that it will brake. The armrest has zip ties holding it in place. The "leather" thing to the shifter is not attached to the base anymore. And the worst thing is that the front vents to the air conditioner do not work anymore. It is like theyre blocked. We have that rigged, as well, to have some air conditioning considering we live in the desert. To add to the vents not working the instrumentation for the air conditioning is faulty and now only has a choice of 2 speeds (1 and 3) and off. I cannot wait to get rid of this vehicle, but I will be upside down on it when I trade it in because what I owe is more than what it is worth.