OK Maxi here is another:

What one thing would you change about the Fiat 500?

Rules are:

1, it cannot be an option (on the UK car).
2, it must not have already been chosen by someone else in this thread.
3, you can't say "the price".

I will go first and say the US model's glove box lid.

Firmer steering in normal and ECO mode, at least on our TA.

I'd make the normal feel the one in ECO mode

Does it have to be just one thing?

Because my thing is perhaps a few things but only in one section of the car.

1. Possibly change the suspension design to the the US design IF it's better.
2. Replace the dampers and springs on the car with Koni FSD's and matched springs or Bilstein B14's. Perhaps offer both an call one the comfort pack and the other the handling pack.
3. Give the car a slightly sportier suspension geometry than standard. Halfway between standard and a race setup
4. Replace the rack ends, tie rod ends, suspension arms, droplinks and bump stops with better quality items or items which match the modified suspension
5. Find a good set of rubber which works for the car and the setup and only send the cars out of the factory with that so that there's a consistent level of grip available across the production run
6. Price it at 500-600 pounds
7. Watch magazines proclaim how great the 500 handles and how it's fun, chuckable and exploitable on the road.

Whilst I'm sure people will come up with some good ideas, I've never really seen anyone point out anything wrong with the 500 other than things which are inherent like headroom in the back, but the suspension on the original cars was terrible and from my experience on a testdrive with a c, still wasn't exactly OMFGWTFBBQ good


EDIT: I'd probably also pair the above with 16" wheels and perhaps get a manufacturer like Speedline or OZ to make a set of nice light and strong wheels which could fit the 500 wheel centres and look "factory"

I'd fix the bloody indicator stalk.

I don't miss it one bit.

Lloyd71 said:

I'd fix the bloody indicator stalk.

I don't miss it one bit.

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Nothing wrong with it

Two little things that annoy me about ours and which I'd change in a heartbeat if I could:

1. When I turn the ignition on and the radio/media plays, I mute it immediately. A few seconds later it starts playing again.

2. The indicators self-cancel far too early/frequently.

3. (OK, three things when we open the boot lid of our 500c in the rain, the water on the boot lid runs straight into the boot, all over our bags/shopping/children.

4. (Yeah, yeah) I'd lower the suspension and turbocharge our 1.2 engine.

Make the visors a bit more sturdy and less cheap feeling. Include a covered mirror on the driver side one For the price of the car I'd expect them to be a less cheap and nasty.

Move the driver seat height adjusting lever to somewhere else - maybe lower down on the righthand side of the seat.

The radio should stay on until you take out the keys, rather than when you park and switch off the engine. This really annoys me!!

Abarth insurance group

JackTheLad123 said:

Abarth insurance group

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It's your first car. Believe me you don't want anything remotely quick.

You have passed your test, but you DO NOT know how to drive. Trust me on that.

I wish I could have a pink key cover, but i am sure it is not an option.

FloJo said:

Make the visors a bit more sturdy and less cheap feeling. Include a covered mirror on the driver side one For the price of the car I'd expect them to be a less cheap and nasty.

Move the driver seat height adjusting lever to somewhere else - maybe lower down on the righthand side of the seat.

The radio should stay on until you take out the keys, rather than when you park and switch off the engine. This really annoys me!!

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You don't need to have a mirror on the drivers side, in fact I think it's an apalling idea. When you're in the drivers side you should drive.....

No mirror on the driver's side? Sorry, completely disagree, how am I supposed to shave properly when driving my wife's car? and what's more, I want to be able to stare at my fantastically handsome face while bombing along the M1 at 60 mph.

306maxi said:

You don't need to have a mirror on the drivers side, in fact I think it's an apalling idea. When you're in the drivers side you should drive.....

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It's not for use while being driven
And you asked what would you (I read this as I) change, and this is something I would change. Every other car I've driven / had in the same price range has had a mirror with a slide-y cover thing on the visor as standard.

1. I'd go along with the driver seat height issue. Dropping the back of cushion to 'lower' the seat is pathetic. I'd also like the seat to be a bit more comfortable. It feels more like you're sat ON it, rather then IN it.
2. Better integration of the radio and instrument pod and functions. Why is it that when I play a track off the USB, all I can see on the radio display is "Blue&Me Media Player", and yet the instrument panel has to squeeze in the track title. Why not display all the media info on the radio display?
3. How about making the trip meter register using 3 digits? I can't see the difference between a light throttle showing me 99.9mpg and lift-off overrun downhill that shows 99.9mpg. With cars getting more economical we're going to have to register mpg's greater than 100mpg soon anyway. And whilst I there, why can't the mpg be updated in 10ths?

306maxi said:

Nothing wrong with it

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You mis-spelled 'lots'. At one roundabout near my house I couldn't indicate for it unless I held the stalk and forced it to click up. Not a good design at all. My 106 had it spot on and that was an ancient design!

RobinPJ said:

What one thing would you change about the Fiat 500?

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I'd replace the radio, radio panel & B&M module with a flat screen Android tablet with clever software that would autosync via wifi (when parked at home) with a user-friendly "My500" app on my home PC. If it could be integrated with the car's CANBUS net & also run the latest version of Examiner, so much the better.

jrkitching said:

I'd replace the radio, radio panel & B&M module with a flat screen Android tablet with clever software that would autosync via wifi (when parked at home) with a user-friendly "My500" app on my home PC. If it could be integrated with the car's CANBUS net & also run the latest version of Examiner, so much the better.

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That would be awesome.

jrkitching said:

I'd replace the radio, radio panel & B&M module with a flat screen Android tablet with clever software that would autosync via wifi (when parked at home) with a user-friendly "My500" app on my home PC. If it could be integrated with the car's CANBUS net & also run the latest version of Examiner, so much the better.

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You've hit the nail on the head!
Why don't car manufacturers just carry on and make cars, but leave the entertainment and computing parts to experts in the field?
A tablet style interface would be fantastic and upgradable - maybe even transferable between cars? no, I'm just fantasizing now!

If we leave it to disinterested and inexperienced car designers to continue with radio/entertainment design we still seem to be looking at analogue radios when the analogue signal is scheduled to be switched off in 2015!

I'm sorry, but are we driving a mobile phone/tablet, or a car?

Admittedly, there are a few silly obvious bugs in Blue&Me that really ought to be fixed, but I think in the context of what it sets out to do, it works pretty well.

bgunn said:

I'm sorry, but are we driving a mobile phone/tablet, or a car?

Admittedly, there are a few silly obvious bugs in Blue&Me that really ought to be fixed, but I think in the context of what it sets out to do, it works pretty well.

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A fully integrated tab would do everything blue and me and the stereo does , with the advantage of being integrated to the ecu have gps fo satnav. OTA updates for the ecu and other intergrated systems and FF from the car! :slayer: