Last week I took the Fiat 500c for a ride to see if this tiny car could produce some big time fun while driving it. The Fiat 500c is part of the small car segment that seems to be popping up now with just about every car maker producing one. The one I took for a drive was the 500c Lounge Cabrio, although the one that gets the most attention right now is the Fiat 500 Abarth which had a cool commercial with an hot Italian model seducing a regular Joe on the street. Honestly if I had the option right off the back, the Abarth model in all Black would be the way I’d go. But what about the 500c Lounge Cabrio?
Style
Make no mistake, this is a unique looking car. Whether you think that uniqueness is good or bad is going to be purely up to you. I will say this in terms of looks and style, the Fiat 500c is the better looking car out there with the only small car that trumps it in my opinion being the Mini Cooper (I’m a big fan of the movie the Italian Job!). It is definitely better looking than the Smart car (sorry Smart).
One thing is for sure, this car will definitely stand out in a crowd. During my week’s use of the 500c, everywhere I drove caught the attention of people on the street and even some passing cars. Especially in the Bronx, people would do double takes, triple takes, and some long stares. Children pointed and smiled in awe, grown men smirked in amazement (hard to tell sometimes if that was good or bad lol). There were even a few times when people in their own cars gave me a thumbs up or smile because of the 500c. This was especially true in Harlem, NYC where there was no shortage of people who looked in amazement while I drove through with the top all the way down. So the Fiat 500c is definitely a attention grabber!
Tech
There wasn’t a whole lot of tech that really caught my attention with this one. Yes it had Bluetooth connection for my phone, but only for talking, no streaming music through it. I was able to play music via an AUX IN connection, but that was in the glove compartment which was kind of annoying there. Then trying to quickly make use of the display screens in the dashboard and the center console, wasn’t as easy as it could of been. It took me a little bit to navigate.
On the other hand with the Bose speakers included in this vehicle, the sounds was surprisingly good for a car of this size. Let me say I was expecting the sound to be only so so because of the size, but the Bose premium speakers really pumped up the sound. Even with the top down and cruising on a highway I was able to hear the music clearly. Good job Fiat, good job!
Experience
Ahhh the experience on this one. I came into this one with so many judgements and assumptions, both because of its look and size. I can say all of those have been dashed! The Fiat 500c was a pleasure to drive and fun all around. The preferred method of driving this car is definitely with the top down in my opinion. Something about being able to look up and see the sky while driving is awesome, and it makes the 500c feel that much bigger than it is.
There were a few quirks. Like I mentioned I couldn’t stream my music via Bluetooth, so I was forced to use the AUX In input which was inconveniently placed in the glove compartment. Also although driving with the top down was great, with the top fully down, it did make looking out the rearview mirror hard as the roof blocked it. Also the rearview mirror blocked part of the front window, making it hard to see directly in-front of you. This didn’t make it difficult to drive, but uncomfortable at times as I had to look around the mirror if I wanted to see that portion of the view.
Otherwise the 500c was a joy to drive and felt like the perfect car you would want to use on a nice Summer day while taking a trip somewhere that has a scenic route.
Wrap-Up
The Fiat 500c was a surprise to say the least. Coming in at $15,500 on the very entry level end up to $22,000 to start for the 500 Abarth model, the Fiat 500 is affordable and great option in the small car segment. Better looking than most models in this class, and all around fun to drive.
However if you are looking for something with a little more tech features, then this may not be the one for you. However if you don’t mind too many tech features on the inside, and if I were you I’d definitely check out the 500 Abarth model in Black. That model just looks bad ass. But then again I’d recommend the 500c if that fits your personal style! G Style approved!
