The replacement might not go over well with some in this crowd: the electric Fiat 500e. It’s a fun car. Top Gear said, “this is one of the all-time best city cars ever madeâ€. The story began when my R52’s transmission was damaged in January. There was a possibility that my wife and I would have to quickly choose a replacement if the insurance totaled the car. It took a week before they made their decision, and during that time I pondered the selections. Nothing among current car models jumped out at me. Looking beyond the normal choices, I also considered EV’s. I test drove the 500e and was hooked. The instant, responsive torque of an electric drivetrain is ideal for the traffic and hills in San Francisco. As it turned out, my insurance chose to replace the transmission rather than total the R52. The repair shop also found that the right front axle needed replacement (it had been the cause of clunking in the steering that I’d experienced for several months). Between the new axle and transmission, the R52 came back to me running better than it had in a long time. Yet, my EV test drives were so compelling that I wanted to switch anyway. It highlighted that my R52 with low torque and manual transmission wasn’t the best match for city traffic and hills. The hard driving conditions had also contributed to premature failures. Small size is a real advantage in San Francisco, and the only EV’s I considered were the 500e and the Chevy Spark EV (which has the same length as an R56). The Leaf and eGolf are too large for me to consider. The Spark EV has an incredible 400 ft-lbs of torque, although the ECU doesn’t let you use all of it from zero. It is more practical with 4 doors and a fairly usable rear seat. Ultimately, I couldn’t get past the Spark’s ugliness, and the 500e has better driving dynamics. So there you are. My 3 year lease is somewhat of an experiment. At times I’ll miss manual shifting, but the response of an electric is fun in its own way. My wife loves the 500e. She is a lifelong stick shift driver and has never owned an automatic. With a one speed transmission, I guess technically it still isn’t an automatic.
Enjoy your car, be it electric, gas diesel or nuclear powered. Please let us know how you like it. Leasing makes a lot of sense for an EV. I'm a gas car guy, but that's a car so I like it too. I've recently sold my MINI too. My new car is not an EV, but gets better mileage than my MINI so that is something.
Woohoo...a new car! Seems like a great vehicle for your needs. Please let us know how it works out for you.
congrats the new car...needs change, and it was time to move on...I understand! Have fun and report back...the ownership experience will be interesting to hear....
Great car for SF, that is a snazzy color. 1 speed trans and EV, is this only in California? Guess I will ask the Fiat guys at the next C&C which I missed this month.
Congrats! Does the 500e only come in that orange color? That's the only color I've ever seen it in hereabouts. I believe they are only available in California and Oregon.
I did get to drive those EV1 things back in the late 90's I think GM made them them took them all back to crush them. The 0 to 60 was good but that was about it. Sorry I need noise and fumes and lots of them.
Thanks for the responses I had a good 9+ year run with my R52. It was not only the family's daily driver but also became a hobby, so this is significant change. This is the first time I’ve ever leased a car. I had done a fair amount of modding to the R52, but now having a 3 year lease puts a damper on motivation to do stuff I might want. For example, electronic and electrical upgrades (as I had done with my R52), but I'm reluctant to take the interior apart. The 500e is Fiat-Chrysler's "compliance car", where the manufacturer only produces enough to fulfill emissions requirements in specific states (California, Oregon, and more to come later) and don't offer the vehicles elsewhere. Examples of compliance cars are Fiat 500e, Chevy Spark EV, Honda Fit EV, Toyota RAV4 EV. Chevy is expanding Spark EV sales to Maryland. The orange is an exclusive color for the electric, but the 500e is also available in 6 other colors from the gas models. The way to easily identify a 500e (besides orange ones) is the bumpers. They have diffusor panels (maybe not the right term) that are perforated with small holes. They are also usually white (there is also an optional black version that is less common). Electric bumpers: Examples of bumpers for gas models (specific models have different styles):
Before you go, I just want to say thanks for the advice you gave me on the rear fog light mod a few years back, and I hope you have fun exploring and driving the Fiat. I'm also interested in your impressions of the 500e; please stay in touch.