Fiat 500

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2024 Fiat 500e RED Review – Electric City Driving in Style

Navigating the bustling streets of Midtown Sacramento in the 2024 Fiat 500e RED, I couldn’t help but appreciate the vehicle’s nimble handling and compact size. The electric motor’s instant torque made darting through traffic a breeze. Swiftly changing lanes for the hard to find parking spots that would challenge larger vehicles was effortless. On my way to grab a coffee from a local coffee shop, I maneuvered through tight alleyways and crowded intersections with ease. The 500e’s responsive steering and compact dimensions allowed me to slip into a curbside spot that most cars would have passed by. Vehicle Specifications The 2024 Fiat 500e is powered by a single permanent-magnet electric motor that produces 117 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. 

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Italy’s Driving Craze: Odd Names, High Speeds

Occasionally, a Ferrari or another elite supercar that made the country’s automotive industry famous, maneuver along small roads in Naples, Italy. But they’re outliers, open-road machines glorified in movies and showcased by snooty auction houses. Little cars, some familiar but with unfamiliar names reign in the nation’s maze of constant congestion and ego-driven driving. Narrow, often cobblestoned streets are the canvas for the pedestrian-versus-driver turf conflicts. Who goes first and why is hard to determine. It’s a skill honed more by instantaneous visual assertiveness rather than emotional outbursts. For automotive enthusiasts, observing the vast array of scooters, new and old petite vehicles from Fiat and the small transport vehicles, the Ape Calessino made by Piaggio, can supersede the frustration of

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#113, Fiat 500, Maine cheapest car, state for insurance

Where you live and what kind of vehicle you drive has a lot to do with how much your car insurance is going to cost. carinsurance.com has all the data. It’s crunched the numbers and determined the cheapest cars to insure in every state and the cheapest state in which to insure vehicles. Penny Gusner, a Consumer Analyst for the website, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Gusner talks with co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia about the cheapest cars to insure in every state and how the results were determined. She details how cars are built and how other factors fit into the equation. Road quality, technology, weather, etc., all contribute to a vehicle’s

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#19, Car collector Andy Harris talks Citroen, Chrysler, Mazda

Every vintage car collector has great stories to share about their vehicles. Andy Harris recently added to trend as a guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Harris lives and works in Sacramento, California. He’s owned United Attorneys’ Services for many years, and he shares two of the same pastimes as the podcasts’ co-hosts. Harris is a veteran long-distance runner and a vintage car collector. Harris is our guest on Episode #19 of our weekly video conversations about all things in the automotive industry. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Harris the particulars of the four vastly different cars he owns. How about a 1959 Crown Imperial? Or consider Harris’ 1973 Citroen SM or his 1991 Mazda Miata. And

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#91, Sacramento vintage car collector Andy Harris

Andy Harris lives and works in Sacramento, California. He’s owned United Attorneys’ Services for many years, and he shares two of the same pastimes as the co-hosts of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Harris is a veteran long-distance runner and he’s a vintage car collector. Harris is our guest on Episode #91 of our weekly conversations about all things in the automotive industry. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Harris the particulars of the four vastly different cars he owns. How about a 1959 Crown Imperial? Or consider Harris’ 1973 Citroen SM or his 1991 Mazda Miata. And for a daily driver, how about Harris’ choice of a 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth? While all of his cars attract attention,

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2016 Fiat 500X: Little SUV has faults, but rules the road

Four years after the Italian carmaker return to the United States, the 2016 Fiat 500X joins the little car family as its first subcompact crossover. It combines the traits of its motoring siblings, the 500 and 500L, with an elevated driving position and several upgrades. Like some of its siblings, the Fiat 500X is also among an increasing number of vehicles with more interior space than it appears from the outside of the car. It’s a subcompact SUV, surprisingly spacious and possessing a spunky personality. Key Takeaways Test car: the top-line Trekking Plus with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder, front-wheel drive engine that produces 180 horsepower, matched with a nine-speed automatic transmission. $27,210 MSRP and $31,805 as tested. 0-60 mph in 9.0

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Pope Francis goes climate big in small way with Fiat 500

The frugality of Pope Francis is not a new topic. But when the pontiff disembarked the plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sept. 22 he showed the world audience another example of his preferred lifestyle. He chose a black Fiat 500L in which to ride from the airport into Washington, D.C. The Fiat 500L, which has a base price of just under $20,000, was dwarfed by numerous blacked-out SUVs in the Pope’s motorcade. But for his first visit to the United States, Pope Francis was simply continuing his preferred method of travel. During his papacy, Pope Francis has used modified Toyotas, Kias, Hyundais and Land Rovers among others. When he is in Rome, he often opts for either

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2014 FIat 500: Proud little Italian subcompact

Since the FIAT 500 returned to the United States four years ago for the first time in about 30 years, I’ve driven at least a half-dozen of the little cars. They’re fun to drive and they have a refreshing amount of attitude as little engines that can. The FIAT acronym stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, with Fiat as the largest automobile manufacturer in Italy and ninth largest globally. The FIAT acronym does not stand for “Fix It Again, Tony,” the infamous, harsh definition. Key Takeaways Test car: the 2014 Fiat 500 Pop hatchback, the entry-level trim, with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder and a five-speed manual. $16,195 MSRP and $18,595 as driven. Fuel economy: 40 mpg highway as stated in the

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Eight diverse 2014 cars for less than $20,000

Consumer Reports has lots of car lists. A recent addition is the best new cars to buy with prices less than $20,000. The eight-vehicle list is varied . . . from an SUV to several sedans, and there are a few surprises. All cars on the list have manual transmissions. An automatic transmission in any of the vehicles would come with a high price. Here’s the list of eight 2014 cars all available for less than $20,000: Vehicle/MSRP/National Market Avg./Potential % Savings/Potential $ Savings Ford Mustang Coupe V6, $23,335, $19,635, 15.9%, $3,700 Jeep Compass Sport 4×2, $19,690, $16,949, 13.9%, $2,741 Fiat 500 Pop, $16,995 $14,990, 11.8%, $2,005 Hyundai Sonata GLS, $22,260, $19,712, 11.4%, $2,548 Dodge Dart GT, $21,990, $16,626, 10.8%,

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Small cars still mean big things for collectors, museums

After World War II, the troubled global economy prompted innovation in the auto industry. As a result, microcars, the original green cars, became all the rage. They were city cars, relied on for local commuting and for errands. They were cheap and used little fuel. As a description at the current display of microcars at the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento details, “Microcars were easy to park, simple to drive and mechanically similar to scooters in that they were seemingly in every city of the world.” Most of the original microcar manufacturers are gone now, but the idea has returned in recent years with the introduction of new cars and new models of old microcars like the smart fortwo, Scion

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Fiat 500 electric, decked in orange/white, debuts at LA Auto Show

The Fiat 500e, electric edition of the Italian hatchback first rumored two years ago, will debut November 30 at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a unique orange and white theme. First shown as the Fiat 500 BEV concept at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, the zero-emissions Fiat 500 hatchback will go on sale in California in 2013 and other United States markets from 2014. The Fiat 500e is distinguished from its conventional petrol-powered sibling by its white lower front intake panel, unique side skirts, aero-enhancing alloy wheels and low rolling-resistance tires. The orange and white theme is reversed in the car’s interior, with the latter dominating the dashboard, center console, seats and door liners. A push-button gear selector and

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2013 Fiat 500 Review: Plenty of ‘Pop’ in entry level soft top

I drove the Fiat 500 hatchback when it debuted and was generally impressed. The hot rod Abarth version arrived later and was even more fun. But I didn’t get a 500C “Pop” Cabrio model with its quasi-convertible sliding power soft top until late summer. While small, the front-drive, two-door 500 is practical enough, although the rear seat area is hard to reach despite long doors. Moreover, the backseat is only suitable for children, pets or cargo that doesn’t fit in the trunk. Rear seatbacks can be flipped forward to increase cargo space, although they don’t sit perfectly flat when folded. The 500 is fun to drive, and the 500C Cabrio model with its long sliding soft top should make it

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2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Review: Italian, sexy mini car has Ferrari relatives

The sexiest cars arguably long have come from Italy, and the new Abarth version of the 2012 Fiat 500 is such a car. The 500 Abarth follows the colorful tradition of the very small, low-volume race-winning “Double Bubble” Fiat Abarths of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Those cars are valued at $135,000, if you can find one that wasn’t thrashed in races. (They had nifty twin roof humps, or “bubbles,” to clear race driver helmets.) The early Abarths were standard Fiats cleverly modified by Karl Abarth, who made a fortune selling hot rod exhaust systems, mainly for sports cars. If you wanted the greatest sports car sound around and higher performance, it seemed mandatory that you get an Abarth

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Chrysler, Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne interviewed on 60 Minutes

Sergio Marchionne, the Italian-American CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, was the focus of one of the three weekly segments March 25 on 60 Minutes, the long-running Sunday night CBS news magazine. Marchionne discussed, with questions by Steve Kroft, the return from certain demise of the two historic carmakers in the three-plus years since Marchionne took control. Last year, Chrysler earned $183-million, its first profit since 2005. Fiat re-introduced last October, the Fiat 500cc, the iconic sub-compact. Marchionne’s companies were also responsible for the hiring of celebrities to tout Chrysler and Fiat: Eminem to Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Lopez to Charlie Sheen. The entire interview is below: James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written

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2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Review: Scorpi0n edition adds to brand’s savvy hot model marketing

Since its return last fall after nearly a four-decade absence, the Fiat 500 continues to find a steady, niche new market in the United States via its new relationship with Chrysler and several massively popular television commercials. In addition to the three models, Pop, Lounge and Sport, Fiat has several specialty editions, including the recently released Abarth and Gucci, and some further specialized offerings for 2013 currently featured at the Geneva Auto Show. In the Gucci trim, a two-tone style and high-styled badging is offered to reflect the famed designer. And with the much-anticipated Abarth, Fiat is hopeful of vast interest in the Scorpion badging that pays homage to the famous driver and builder Karl Abarth. Born under the Scorpion

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Sexy model's 'Seduction' still selling FIAT Abarth . . . now eight million times

Since its debut about 3 1/2 months ago, the FIAT 500 Abarth commercial Seduction, which features Romanian model Catrinel Menghia and was showcased in the 2012 Super Bowl, has now been viewed nearly 8 million times on YouTube. In the one-minute spot, a young man fantasizes while seeing a beautiful woman’s skirt slightly rise. Menghia is the woman who morphs into the Fiat. She also stars in the Nissan Juke Sports Illustrated commercials. When the woman catches the young man staring at her, she approaches, slaps him, then pulls him closer and whispers into his ear. Via translation, she says: What are you looking at? Uh!? What are you looking at?! (slap) Are you undressing me with your eyes? Poor

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