Cinquecento at the Phila Auto Show

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Dan Sarandrea (Phila)

Waitin' On Parts...
Went to the Phila Auto Show last night and spent some time in the 500 and then watching the peeps that came by the display to have a look.

The had two models on display, a Nero Sport and a Rosso Pop. The Pop was the one for public access, the Sport for some reason was locked.

The show was sparsely attended (weeknight + weather concerns), but I'd say 90% of those walking down the aisle stopped to look, and looked for more than a few seconds.

While I was there, the comments you heard from people could be summed up as:
1. Cute
2. Small
3. Bigger than they thought it would be inside

While I was there, I was the only person who actually tried to sit in the back. With the pass seat set to a comfortable distance for a 6'-1" friend, I hopped in back. Another 6'-1" person would have been cramped but at 5'-7" I was reasonably comfortable, with head room being more of a limiter than legroom.

The pitch from the spokesmodel was pretty much what you've been reading, Italian flair and soul meets practical economical and safe transportation.
 
Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
Went to the Phila Auto Show last night and spent some time in the 500 and then watching the peeps that came by the display to have a look.

The had two models on display, a Nero Sport and a Rosso Pop. The Pop was the one for public access, the Sport for some reason was locked.

The show was sparsely attended (weeknight + weather concerns), but I'd say 90% of those walking down the aisle stopped to look, and looked for more than a few seconds.

While I was there, the comments you heard from people could be summed up as:
1. Cute
2. Small
3. Bigger than they thought it would be inside

While I was there, I was the only person who actually tried to sit in the back. With the pass seat set to a comfortable distance for a 6'-1" friend, I hopped in back. Another 6'-1" person would have been cramped but at 5'-7" I was reasonably comfortable, with head room being more of a limiter than legroom.

The pitch from the spokesmodel was pretty much what you've been reading, Italian flair and soul meets practical economical and safe transportation.
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Dan - same "showing" we had at the SF Auto Show it sounds and I was also the only one except for some kids, that sat in the back. I out rank you by a couple of inches :) and it was still comfortable for me.

I will say they had the prettiest spokes persons from the whole auto show but it was SF...
 
Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
With the pass seat set to a comfortable distance for a 6'-1" friend, I hopped in back. Another 6'-1" person would have been cramped but at 5'-7" I was reasonably comfortable, with head room being more of a limiter than legroom.
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I got behind the driver who was about 5'-7" also. I am 5'-11 1/2" and my head was deeply into the headliner ...as in, I had to turn my head sideways to sit in the rear seat. As I've said in other mini reviews of the car, that is my biggest complain. My second biggest is the graceless human origami/contortionist dance you have to do to get in and out of the back seat. The car is a two-seater. Seriously. I'm waiting for the four-door with slightly longer platform scheduled for the end of 2011.

John O.
 
!

I oh-so-hope that they come out with a Miata killer under $20K in the next few years. Then I'll feel like the world has finally gotten back to normal.
 
eflexter said:
I oh-so-hope that they come out with a Miata killer under $20K in the next few years. Then I'll feel like the world has finally gotten back to normal.
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I have a love/hate relationship with the Miata/MX5 but I agree that if a Miata killer could be had, it would be nice if it was a Fiat 500 or at a minimum, a Fiat something...
 
Try getting out of one with a corbeau race seat and 6 point harness fitted to it:

1128494398_Fk2j2-M.jpg


Getting out of the backseat is nothing compared to that :)

But I take your point. I've had passengers in the back seat of my car and they typically last less than a mile before the complaints start. Not really a 4 seater in the real sense.

The Miata killer would be great. It's been rumoured for ages now that Abarth with release one and it'll be the t-jet engine on a chassis developed with either Lotus or KTM or <insert other company here>. I've not really paid all that much attention to it until today when this appeared: http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=23107

If Alfa does the 4c, I wonder if we'll see a Fiat/Abarth version aimed less at the luxury-ish Alfa market and more at the performance end of the market. Mmm, lightweight, mid engined, rear drive beast would tempt me. Very seriously tempt me.
 
I took the fam to Grand Rapids autoshow tonight and played with one. Cool. I'll never buy a new car so it's a moot point for me. I'm 5'10" and my head hit the ceiling when in the back, getting in and out of the back wasn't great either, but I don't hold either of these against it, it's a small car by design, the backseat is for kids and occasional adult use. Great looking, "cute" reportedly great fun to drive, good design. I like it but not sure it'd be my choice if I were dropping $19K. Honestly, I would buy, then tweak the coolest old car I could find before I'd buy a new one. I might buy one for my wife someday but I doubt I'll ever get one for me, I mean really, for 19K think of the X that would get you, seriously? I'm much rather have the most killer X on the planet then well most anything that kind of money can get me. I might change that tune someday but not today.
 
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I am not sure what all of the comments related to the rear seat are.

It is a small car boys and girls. I am 6 foot tall--and not happy in most back seats. I am 39 now and luckily I get to sit in the front seat 99.9% of the time. There are dozens of much bigger cars that I do not fit in the back seat--including a Chevy Suburban. Yes Chevy Suburban. The B-pillar is too far back and my feet get trapped trying to get out. Absolutely stupid design. The Suburban is designed as a people mover and fails at that. The Fiat 500 is designed as small car for 1 or 2 passengers.

Next time I need to ride in the rear seat of my own car--I will be sure we take take the 750il.

Sheesh!
 
OregonMTB said:
I am not sure what all of the comments related to the rear seat are.

It is a small car boys and girls. I am 6 foot tall--and not happy in most back seats. I am 39 now and luckily I get to sit in the front seat 99.9% of the time. There are dozens of much bigger cars that I do not fit in the back seat--including a Chevy Suburban. Yes Chevy Suburban. The B-pillar is too far back and my feet get trapped trying to get out. Absolutely stupid design. The Suburban is designed as a people mover and fails at that. The Fiat 500 is designed as small car for 1 or 2 passengers.

Next time I need to ride in the rear seat of my own car--I will be sure we take take the 750il.

Sheesh!
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Yep, I agree. Backseat room and accessibility is not what one should assess the Fiat 500 on (or any other similar cars, like Mini), IMHO. I really like the thing and when they're 30 years old (like my X) I may get one! I pointed out the lack of rear seat leg room in the next several cars we looked at and almost all were far worse! So if anything, count the fact the 500 has a back seat AT ALL as a bonus (or maybe some think it shouldn't?).
I liked it. Fiat was way in the back corner of the auto show showroom and even so there were a lot of people poking at the 500s. It would be a perfect car for me to commute in as my kids are getting older and I rarely cart them about in MY car anyway, and even rarer to have more than 1. So I could get away with a small backseat. Heck, I get away with it now in the X with NO backseat.
I just can't wrap my head around that kind of money for a new car when you can get a "good" and even a really "cool" used car for a fraction of that. I'm too frugal I guess.
 
back seat

At 6'2", the only class of cars whose backseats I fit into comfortably are mid-size (Accord, Malibu, Camry..) and larger. The backseats of small cars are for children and small adults, so perhaps the Fiat 500 isn't off the mark.
 
jvandyke said:
I just can't wrap my head around that kind of money for a new car when you can get a "good" and even a really "cool" used car for a fraction of that. I'm too frugal I guess.
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You are correct--there is no new car that is truly worth the money. Everyone is much better off buying a 4 to 20 year old car. I purchased my 2001 BMW 750il for $9000 a year ago. It stickered for $99k 9 years earlier. I bought it with 77k miles on it, too. It is a V12 and has power everything, heated everything, and leather everything. My price was less than a new Nissan Versa and every other new car on the market.
 
OregonMTB said:
It is a V12 and has power everything, heated everything, and leather everything.
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Fuel price is a factor as well. Where I live in England, we're paying the equivalent of $7.88 USD a gallon at todays rates. A V12 rated at 17mpg (when new!) just isn't a possibility. Not even as a weekend toy. In this situation, $19,000 USD on a small fiat that does 40+ mpg makes a lot more sense.
 
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