Well, I finally got to see one in person, or 3 actually! I also sat in it, climbed all over it and looked in every nook and cranny. At this point having not driven one I can honestly say I completely agree with the title of this thread...... Just listening to comments from other show goers as they walked by the car....."it costs as much as a MINI!" "I'd rather have a MINI", "it's just not as nice as a MINI", "well, it's OK but it's no MINI..." From my perspective, I'd have no interest in owning one, the car absolutely did not resonate with me at all.
Word is that FIAT is also going to import the FIAT 500 Coupe Zagato. The Spanish language web site es.autoblog.com said Fiat has approved the concept car for production. This concept car was well received at the Geneva show, mainly because of its bold color as well as its mix of 500 styling and coupe looks. The car also featured the characteristic double hump -- the true emblem of Zagato. The latest reports say that the production will be limited, which means that it won’t be offered cheap. For those unfamiliar with Zagato please see [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagato]Zagato - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
Saw a white with black strips Fiat 500 on the road today. Didn't notice it until it passed so only saw the side and rear. Rear bumper looks like the MINI factory aero kit rear bumper. It wasn't the same rear bumper as the 500 pictures in post 117 above. Overall shape of the car looked ok to me. Appeared taller than a Mini as it passed me (I wasn't in my MINI), but shorter in length. No idea how the dimensions compare to a MINI on paper.
Recent review of the 500 on Rants - Autoextremist.com ~ the bare-knuckled, unvarnished, high octane truth...
Der Vooh Loopy Loopy Time..... YouTube - Stuntman zet AutoRAI 2011 op zijn kop met Shell V-Power looping
I drove a Cinquecento last night. I just got home (~8:45PM) from work and while I was checking the mail I heard the car drive by and thought it sounded different, so I turned and looked and there it was. It pulled into my neighbor's driveway so I had to go over and talk to them about it. Turns out my neighbor's father is a salesman for Bob Boyd and was driving it for the night. He gave me the keys to take it around the block so I did. It's an interesting little car, but not for me. Steering is way too light and the car moves like a slug.
I've been in Europe all week and I must say that during my time traveling from Munich through Laverda Italy the number of Fiat 500's on the road is amazingly high. I've looked at them closely from seeing them on the street to looking at them closely in the pub parking lots....quite frankly I like what I see. I also have seen many Audi A1 and A3 cars that are great designs. Why can't we get the good cars like the Alfa's, Peugots, Fiats, small Mercedes and small Audi's in the states? I love the cars over here...and I'm developing an attitude quickly about the crap ,on the dealer lots in the states. Quite a lot of MINI's throughout Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Lithowania and Belgium though, so all hope is not lost. I'll post up some pictures tomorrow night.
I don't completely dislike the car and one has to keep in mind that this is the first gen car. I think what makes it look odd to me is the front end. If you compare it to the originals the front is much broader (higher) and with no grill it looks odd. It will be interesting where it goes from here. There is room for two small cars out there. Jim
Car front ends...... The european laws developed around pedestrian / car impact injuries have been influencing car designers for some time. It's not inconceivable that the design for some of the cars from different manufacturers will start looking similar. Protecting Pedestrians Through Vehicle Design — Edmunds.com
I saw one Monday afternoon on 270 at Roberts Road on the west side. It was a dark red. Looked good to me. I would not buy one, but it was nice to see another nice interesting car on the road. Jim the originals were rear engined so no grill, guess they are keeping that look intact. It has a grill down low, it's a mouth breather.
Yeah, now you longer scoop the pedestrian up and roll them over your roof, but with those blunt front ends you punt them down the road, then run them overut: Mark
Yes they were and I guess they are trying to keep some of the old look, but the originals were not that big and blunt looking in front. Guess it is something that one will get use to, or they might change it down the road. I would like to see this car make it, just as the MINI did, as there is some good history there too. Jim
I'm guessing that safety regs have a whole lot to do with its bulbous look. Look at the changes done to the MINI from R53 to R56.