500s Downtown

[5OO]

Fiat Scene tipped me off on twitter that Fiat was doing its press week in downtown San Diego, so I headed there and saw this. A Mocha Latte Sport
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfp67xOG551qb4d0a.jpg
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfp66dfUOx1qb4d0a.jpg
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfp674nVkJ1qb4d0a.jpg
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfp68yEbEU1qb4d0a.jpg

My Co-Pilot Bentley.
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfp696fxdK1qb4d0a.jpg

[abarth500racer]

Some good shots, especially the dog. lol

[.Lefteris.]

Some good shots, especially the dog. lol
X2 :icon_thumright:

[wreckmaster]

Since the photos are taken through the window like that I am sure it is really pictures taken by the CIA who spies on the italian spy sent by Berlusconilollol Did you drive a black navigator or suburban and did you have a black suit and sunglasses on?lollol

[5OO]

Since the photos are taken through the window like that I am sure it is really pictures taken by the CIA who spies on the italian spy sent by Berlusconilollol Did you drive a black navigator or suburban and did you have a black suit and sunglasses on?lollol

No that was the day all my suits were at the cleaners, and I brought my Chevy Tahoe with government plates into get serviced. lol

[.Lefteris.]

lol

[Pethead]

I like the mocha latte!!!

[5OO]

Okay, big post in the morning... I made one more visit to the Fiat press day's HQ, and was able to drive one. :D I'll most all the pics/videos/ and all that stuff early in the morning.

[VilleV]

and was able to drive one. :D


And how did you find the experience?!?:cool:

[5OO]

Yesterday my friend calls me and says get down to the harbor Fiat is still doing their press day, their are tons of 500s down here. So I head down their and low and behold there is about 10-15 cars for automotive press to drive. I looked over all of the colors, alot of them I haven't seen in person or in natural day light. My friend and I ended up talking to one of the Fiat PR guy (Who I'm very thankful to) for a while about the 500 and long story short I asked him if there was any chance I could drive one and he said yes.:jaw_drop:

I drove an Argento (Silver) Sport 5-speed manual. My friend filmed from the back seat, and the Fiat PR in the front seat. This was my first time driving a 500 and I was very pleased by how it drove. As corny as it sounds it was everything I hoped it to be lol, i'm very glad I did like how it drove other wise I would have wasted from 2007 until now wanting one.

The 1.4L has lots of personality and sounds amazing. I was pleased by how eager it is to rev, yet still has usable torque at the bottom. It was very easy to drive; I was driving it as if it was my own car, the pedal placing and clutch were very natural. I think they did a really good job selecting the gear ratios on the 5-speed, 5th gear is on the tall side so the engine is very relaxed at highway speeds. I want to say at 65mpg the engine was turning at 2300-2500.

I didn't get a chance to really test the handing, I only had drove the car on a short loop of big multilane straight streets. But the steering feel in Sport felt fantastic. The turning radius is tight.

I could gush about it forever, and I didn't find anything really negative that bothered me.

My friend and I made this video, he filmed I drove.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bUbi1iyZA

Pictures:
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/8713/fiatpressday1.jpg
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/1161/fiatpressday2.jpg
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/2466/fiatpressday4.jpg
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/3694/fiatpressday5.jpg
Me in 500 heaven lol
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/6621/fiatpressday7.jpg
http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/729/fiatpressday12.jpg

New blind spot mirror which is only on the driver's side.
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/4977/fiatpressday14.jpg

I got myself a Panasonic GF1 with a 20mm lens and I'm very pleased.

[abarth500racer]

:thanks2::good_post::399:
It was great that you were able to drive one.

[VilleV]

What a great video and I´m really happy to hear the 500 filled all the expectations! The US version seems to have it all, better sound proofing, better seats, a little more power, and best of all the colours! You guys even have the "ye ye green"!!!:cool:

[sjmst]

Great video and pics! Thanks!! :icon_thumleft: In your photos, the red car we see from the front, that's the non pearlescent/ non metallic red?
If so, what did you think of it? It looked a little on the orange side in some pics I saw in auto show lighting. (see below).

[5OO]

Great video and pics! Thanks!! :icon_thumleft: In your photos, the red car we see from the front, that's the non pearlescent/ non metallic red?
If so, what did you think of it? It looked a little on the orange side in some pics I saw in auto show lighting. (see below).

I believe it was Rosso Brilliante the pearlescent one. The color in direct sunlight is a deep red.

[wreckmaster]

Great video and pictures 500:icon_thumleft: You must be the biggest 500fan in the US of Alollol :good_post:

[abarth500racer]

What a great video and I´m really happy to hear the 500 filled all the expectations! The US version seems to have it all, better sound proofing, better seats, a little more power, and best of all the colours! You guys even have the "ye ye green"!!!:cool:

The U.S. version also gets an upgraded, stiffer chassis to meet U.S. crash tests. This revised chassis has significant improvements in torsional rigidity, a strengthened crash structure and improvements in noise, vibration and harshness. I think the 500s for the rest of the world get the new chassis enhancements in 2012.

The revised U.S. version uses higher strength steel, with reinforced side rocker panels, rear cross member and frame rails.

The rear suspension has been revised too, with improvements to the twist-beam and revised suspension bushings. There are also re-tuned struts/shocks and springs, an all-new structural sub-frame brace, upgraded upper-strut mounts, and re-tuned control-arm bushings for the U.S.-spec 500. biggrin2

[VilleV]

The U.S. version also gets an upgraded, stiffer chassis to meet U.S. crash tests. This revised chassis has significant improvements in torsional rigidity, a strengthened crash structure and improvements in noise, vibration and harshness. I think the 500s for the rest of the world get the new chassis enhancements in 2012.




And it´s not like the Euro version is an unsafe car either having 5 star rating in the EuroNCAP test! That´s saying something for such a small car! And now it´s even more safe!:cool:

[abarth500racer]

Yes, with the European 5-star crash rating the U.S. version should do great in the U.S. crash tests. The Mazda 2 (a rival for the 500 in the U.S.) received the following U.S. crash test ratings:

Frontal offset test results
Good 2011 models
Technical measurements (driver-side occupant compartment intrusion and driver injury) for minicars

Side impact test results
Acceptable 2011 models with standard side airbags
Technical measurements (structure, driver injury, and passenger injury) for minicars

Roof strength test results
Good 2011 models

Rear crash protection test results
Acceptable 2011 models

Good is the highest, followed by Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor.

I think the 500 will do better.

[Pethead]

Very nice video and pictures! I love the ye-ye green! I wanted to buy it but in Spain it was out of catalogue when I went to buy my 500.:(
It seems that the leather seats have better quality than european ones.
Thank you for the post! I'm sure you now feel like having a 500 on you garage, more than ever.:icon_thumright:;)

[wreckmaster]

The drawback on all this safety improvements is that it will probably gain some weight, which I am not sure will be all that good:) An euro 1,2 pop is less than 900kg today and I am sure this will rise the weight to almost an ton:(

[SFV500]

The specifications I saw last had the US car weighing 2350 pounds. About 175 pounds less than a US Fiesta 5 door.

BTW, I got a e-mail from Laura showing rolls of Prima Edizione steel arriving into the Mexico plant yesterday.

[Cinquecittà]

Yesterday my friend calls me and says get down to the harbor Fiat is still doing their press day, their are tons of 500s down here.
...
I drove an Argento (Silver) Sport 5-speed manual. My friend filmed from the back seat, and the Fiat PR in the front seat. This was my first time driving a 500 and I was very pleased by how it drove. As corny as it sounds it was everything I hoped it to be lol, i'm very glad I did like how it drove other wise I would have wasted from 2007 until now wanting one.
...
Pictures:
...

Sooooo,... -have you chosen your favourite colour?? ;)
(The green is very nice.)

[5OO]

Very nice video and pictures! I love the ye-ye green! I wanted to buy it but in Spain it was out of catalogue when I went to buy my 500.:(
It seems that the leather seats have better quality than european ones.
Thank you for the post! I'm sure you now feel like having a 500 on you garage, more than ever.:icon_thumright:;)

Definitely, I don't know if I can wait for the Abarth. :frustrated:

Great video and pictures 500:icon_thumleft: You must be the biggest 500fan in the US of Alollol :good_post:

I think your probably right. I mean how many other people crashed the media event? lol

Sooooo,... -have you chosen your favourite colour?? ;)
(The green is very nice.)

I'm leaving towards an Azzurro Blue Sport with the brown sport cloth, but then I like the Rosso Brilliante with brown. But I also do like the "Ye-Ye green" because I love the retro colors.

[Cinquecittà]

I also do like the "Ye-Ye green" because I love the retro colors.Yes, me too! I got one of the last Cha Cha blue 500s (see my Avatar :D ). Now I only have to correct everyone who says "Oh yeah, that *white* car over there." (No, it isn't! :p )

[5OO]

Yes, me too! I got one of the last Cha Cha blue 500s (see my Avatar :D ). Now I only have to correct everyone who says "Oh yeah, that *white* car over there." (No, it isn't! :p )

Lucky! lol Cha Cha Blue and Funk White are my all time two favorite colors. :icon_thumright: If I could get a Cha Cha trust me, that would be my first pick.