I was very impressed with the 1.4L engine that produces 101 HP, since the Fiat is a small and light vehicle, (only 2300 pounds) the 1.4L motor performs well both in the city and in the highway. Under the hood the car looks great, the engine compartment is small however it has enough room for the small 1.4 L engine. Also under the hood I saw a sticker from Chrysler Corporation, the reason why is because Chrysler is building the chassis for Fiat in the United States mentions Andre Alves from Rochester NY.
The original Fiat 500 had an actual 500 cc engine under the hood, today motorcycles use the same engine they used on the original Fiat. The 1.4 L Fiat 500 drove really well here in Rochester NY; I drove the vehicle on both highway and around town. I know it is a Fiat however I had several people come and ask me about the vehicle. During the summer I photographed a wedding at Mario’s Italian restaurant in Rochester NY and noticed another red Fiat 500 parked in front of the restaurant. Doan Fiat in Rochester NY was doing an event at Mario’s Italian Restaurant on Monroe Avenue between Pittsford NY and Brighton NY.
The 2012 Fiat comes with an automatic or standard transmission; I did not have a chance to drive the standard version of the 500. It is my understanding that newer cars 2010+ equipped with automatic transmissions get better gas mileage (mpg) than the ones equipped with manual transmissions. Technology has evolved where the car’s computer is able to aid on gas consumption.
The new Fiat 500 also comes equipped with front and rear head airbags; it scored a perfect 5 star in the safety crash rating on both Europe and the United States. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive once I saw how little the Fiat was. However the Fiat 500 is a very safe vehicle and did earn my respect mentions Andre Alves from Rochester NY.
The 500 model I tested came with 16 inch low profile tires, the low profiles do affect the way the car rides. Low profiles tires do not have a lot of wall height in order for the driver not to feel every bump on the road. My good friend Tony Locurto from Sutherland Auto in Pittsford NY once told me not to get 19 inch tires for my 5 series BMW, according to Tony: “The car will ride like a bear†and he was right, I do feel the difference between the low profile summer tires and rims opposed to the winter set of wheels and tires (16 inch) on my BMW 525i mentions Andre Alves from Rochester NY.
It is too soon to talk about the Fiat’s reliability, only time will be able to tell us if they are a good vehicle. My initial impression of Fiat 500 was very good; the car does come with a 50,000 mile / 4 year bumper to bumper warranty from Fiat.
