First Drive: 2013 Fiat 500C

The original Fiat 500 Topolino was produced from 1936 until 1955. There was even a convertible version of this micro car/supermini/city car. From 1957 until 1975, Fiat produced the Fiat 500, a rear engine, rear wheel drive micro car. Unlike the Topolino, the Fiat 500 was not available as a convertible. In 2007, Fiat brought back the 500 name for its new city car. In December of 2010, production for the American version of the Fiat 500 began. In Spring 2011, the Fiat 500 went on sale in the United States and Canada. This was the first car to be sold under the Fiat brand in Canada and the United States since 1984. While the Fiat brand just recently returned to these two markets, Fiat's other brands, Ferrari and Maserati, were still sold in these two markets while during those 27 years. Another one of Fiat's brands, Alfa Romeo, made a short return these markets with the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and 8C Spider in 2008. The last Alfa Romeo to be sold in the United States occurred in 1995. After starting production of the Fiat 500 in 2007, Fiat started production on the convertible version in 2009. Fiat called this retractable soft top version the Fiat 500C. The Fiat 500C was available for the United States in 2011. The Fiat 500C is front engine, front-wheel drive, four passenger, two door convertible. The 500C comes with a five-speed manual transmission. I first saw the Fiat 500C at the September 2011 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. At the 2013 Houston Auto Show, I took a Fiat 500C for a test drive. The version I drove came with a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual shifting mode.

On the exterior, the Fiat 500C looks just like the Fiat 500. The 500C is one of the better looking city cars available for the American market. It has sleek body lines, something missing from the Scion iQ and the Smart ForTwo. The 500C shares some styling characteristics from the classic Fiat 500, including the round head lights, the hood, and a sloping rear end. It even has a similar body line going along the side of the car, just under the wind. This was a feature on the classic  Fiat 500. The Fiat 500C has a stylish interior. It is classy, but functional. Behind the wheel, I had good leg room and head room. The car feels more open with the roof down. Since this is a city car with only two doors, there is not much room in the rear for adult passengers. The rear seats are better suited for smaller passengers.

The Fiat 500C is powered by a 1.4L I4 engine that produces 101 hp and 98 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 9.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 110 mph. While the performance of the 500 is not great, it is still better than the performance of the Smart ForTwo Cabrio. For a small car, the Fiat 500C has a smooth ride. The car responds well when I turn the steering feel and has an agile feel to it. Unlike the Smart ForTwo Cabrio, the wind had little effect on the car. It was quiet inside the 500C. I could hear the product specialist explain the features of the Fiat 500C, even with the roof down. And most of all, this is a fun car to drive. Prices for the Fiat 500C Pop starts at $20,000. Prices for the Fiat 500C Lounge start at $24,000. While the Smart ForTwo Cabrio is cheaper, with a base prices around $18,500, the Fiat 500C is a better car.

The Fiat 500C has been featured in Gek Op Wielen, St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, Letters to Juliet, Camping 2, Monte Carlo, Der Letzte Bulle, Switch, Ein Sommer Im Elsass, Dolfje, Jo, Borgen, Frankie, Motorweek,, Wainy days, The Office, Pod Prikritie, and Top Gear Korea.

Overall, this is a good city car/super mini/micro car. For a micro car convertible, it has decent performance, especially when compared to its rival, the Smart ForTwo Cabrio. While having a 0 to 60 mph time of just under 10.0 second is slow, it has some zip to it when driving on city streets. With a top speed of 110 mph, it is one of the faster city cars out there. And the Fiat 500C is fun to drive, whether the top is up or down. There is a high performance version of the Fiat 500C, the Fiat 500C Abarth, which has a turbocharged 1.4L I4 engine that produces 160 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. It is only available with a five-speed manual transmission. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 129 mph. It costs $26,700. Still, if you want a city car with a little performance, go with either the Mini Cooper Hardtop and Coupe lines or the Fiat 500 line. For a city car, the Fiat 500C is a good choice.

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First Drive: 2014 Fiat 500L

When the Fiat 500 went on sail in mid-2011 in the United States and Canada, it marked the return of the Fiat brand to these markets. A Fiat has not been sold in these markets since 1984. In addition to the Fiat 500, the US and Canada markets would also get the 500C, 500 Abarth, 500C Abarth, and 500 Turbo. Starting in 2012, a Fiat subcompact/MPV started its production run. This new Fiat became the Fiat 500L. The Fiat 500L would be available internationally during late 2012. The UK and US markets started selling the 500L in Spring 2013. The Fiat 500L is a front engine, five-door hatchback. I got my first look at the Fiat 500L at the 2013 Houston Auto Show. During one Friday in June 2013, I took one out for a test drive. I drove one with the easy trim level and came with a six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters (a $1,350 option). The Fiat 500L is also available in pop (the basic trim level), trekking, and the top of the line lounge trim levels. The 500L comes with a six-speed manual transmission as standard.

On the outside, the Fiat 500L has a good exterior for a subcompact/MPV. The 500L shares some front facial features with the standard Fiat 500 grill and headlights on the bumper. The front bumper for the Fiat 500L extends out, past the grill. The 500L also features some nice lines going along the side of the car. It is not sporty, but the 500L is not a sports car. The 500L has a nice interior to it. I drove one with the easy package. That includes navigation, an excess speed alert, back-up camera, bluetooth functions, and media hub that includes a USB port. It is also very open and roomy. I was sitting in the back of one on a showroom floor and I had plenty of headroom and legroom in the rear. I was very comfortable behind the seat. The driver seat was comfortable. I had very good headroom and good legroom behind the wheel. What I like about the 500L is the visibility inside the car. It just feels open and not much is blocking your view when you are seeing nearby cars on the road.

The Fiat 500L is powered by a turbocharged 1.4L I4 engine that produces 160 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 120 mph. The Fiat 500L has adequate acceleration and good top speed, especially for a subcompact car. The 500L has a smooth ride quality. It drove nicely on the Houston roads and freeways. It was also very quiet inside the car. But most of all, this is a fun car to drive. Prices for the Fiat 500L starts at $19,990, which also includes a $800 destination charge. The price of the 500L I test drove was $22,345, including a $800 destination charge.

Overall, this is a good car. It gets adequate power from the turbocharged 1.4L engine that came fromt he Fiat 500 Abarth. It has adequate acceleration. It also has a good top speed, especially for a subcompact/MPV. It has a smooth, quiet ride. The car is very roomy. It has great visibility. For the price, you get comfort, a good interior, good styling for a subcompact/MPV, a good ride, and adequate performance. Most of all, this car is fun to drive. At first I was skeptical about this car. When I first saw it, I was not impressed. I feared that Fiat would use the 101 hp engine found in the standard Fiat 500. But that fear was gone when I found that this has the Fiat 500 Abarth engine. I am glad that Fiat went with the Abarth engine. It is a perfect match for the 500L. Fiat did not make the same mistake Mini/BMW made with the Countryman. The Mini Cooper Countryman used the same engine found in the standard Mini Cooper Hardtop, which really hurt the Mini Cooper. When you make a larger version of a car and keep the same engine, the performance of the larger vehicle suffers. Good job for Fiat for not making that mistake with the 500L. After driving both the Fiat 500C and Fiat 500L, I hope to see more Fiat models make it to the United States.

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