So I've bought my 500 and picked it up the other day 
First stop was at a cafe for lunch - see picture - the cafe owner asked where I'd come from and I said I'd bought a car in Christchurch - she looked outside and said "oh, nice! I've got the same model Nissan, mine's the silver one". :bang:
Within an hour or so, I'd pretty much decided that I really hate driving this car - the main problem is the bumpy and choppy ride that gives me a headache as it throws me around. I had to keep taking breaks to alleviate the dizzy feeling. My Mk2 Punto Sporting was pretty bad, but this is on a whole new level. As you can see in the photo below, the rear suspension doesn't have the antiroll bar, so must be the earlier setup despite being first sold in December 2010.
The steering doesn't seem very nice. It is strangely heavy when driving at speeds over 70km/h - turning into a corner requires a strong effort, and even the numerous small corrections required to keep the car in a straight line (due to crosswinds, road camber, etc.) need quite a force, probably noticed most because the steering wheel is too far away. I checked the tyre pressures - all four tyres had 24psi, so I bumped them up to 31 front/29 rear as per the handbook (1 bar being 14.2psi from memory). Surprisingly this didn't seem to make any difference.
I don't find the driving position comfortable - there are two choices: sit really upright, or recline the seat and move it closer, which makes the pedals too close - sore ankles and difficult to get in and out.
The power and burbling sound from the engine is great, and the Dualogic gearbox works flawlessly. I was impressed at the characterful sound FIAT have managed to get out of their four-cylinder 1.4L engine, and Dualogic is a big improvement over Selespeed. I was surprised also to find that while rolling downhill with engine on the over-run, it is possible to select neutral. Of course the engine will be idling (rather than fuel cut-off) but it can roll a lot further (engine braking is quite substantial otherwise).
Brakes are great, nice feel and powerful.
While the speed did start to tail off going up most of the hills, changing down to 4th or even 3rd was quite exhilirating as it made all the difference - the engine was much happier pulling up a hill at 4000 rather than 3000. I found the Auto mode - either Sport or normal - did not change down readily enough. So I don't mind the engine's characteristics, as the transmission makes it easy to use.
The fuel economy (6.3L/100km - 45mpg) is good, but no better than my trusty old 156 over the same journey (I bought that in Christchurch too) and the 500's small tank meant three fuel stops instead of one. Maybe it will be more economical than the 156 when I drive around town (8.4L/100km - 33mpg to beat).
The tyre noise is intense, though that can be improved with the excellent guides by pearce_jj. The tyres are ContiPremiumContact 2, probably the best/most expensive tyres I've ever had. 195/45 16". Increasing the tyre pressure made the noise a little greater - it's actually a booming noise on most new road surfaces, can't use Blue&Me to make phone calls as the person on the other end simply can't hear.
I prefer the bright red leather of my 156's interior, but I could get used to the 500's seats - they're quite good.
I did notice the sun reflecting off the various shiny bits of the interior - those door release handles and the dash panel can be blinding Still, I can live with that too.
When the temperature inside the car reaches the set figure, the fan slows down and starts squeaking quite loudly. I think I could fix that easily. The fix yesterday was just to turn the fan off.
Air conditioning seems powerful, doesn't mist the windows after turning the air-conditioning off, and is therefore probably an area where the 500 beats my 156
Headlights, wipers, stereo, interior light and pretty much all things electrical seem a big step down for me - nothing seems to work as well as on my 156, no Xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and the lack of cruise control all make their absence felt on a long trip. I'm aware that cruise control is possible to add at considerable expense I think rain sensing wipers will be possible too.
Given the choice, I'd still rather jump in my 156 for any journey - it's faster, easier to drive, quieter and more comfortable (despite also having a bumpy ride), and the stereo's better. I'm not sure whether the average Joe Public sees the 500 as being any more beautiful, particularly when it's confused with a Nissan March. The 156 is generally called a 'Rover'.
So in summary then:
Advantages:
- I like the colour
- Condition, particularly paint, wheels, interior all perfect
- Engine sounds great and performs well
- Transmission is pretty clever and easy to use
- Brakes have excellent feel and capability
- Fits in small parking spaces
- Turning circle is tiny compared to what I'm used to, easy U-turns
- Seats (Sport type) are comfortable with contemporary fabric, and matt textures
- Useful tailgate and boot, rear window wiper
- Wing mirrors work very well - they don't vibrate at all (unlike the internal mirror)
Disadvantages:
- Ride is truly awful - pitches forward/back and sideways jerks as well. When hitting a bump while cornering, there's a sort of bouncy rolling motion.
- Steering feel - a sort of smooth heavy springiness that makes cornering hard work, particularly at higher speeds. Fine for parking etc.
- Noise - particularly tyre noise - is high. Some wind noise as well (more than for, say, an Alfa Romeo 156...)
- Driving position not very 'luxury' and more 'city car'. I should have bought that 2006 Alfa Romeo 166 I was looking at (half the price).
- Various items of typical equipment missing (is there a glovebox light? I'm guessing not, since there's no glovebox) Most can be done without, but are nice to have. Rain sensing wipers/cruise control in particular
- Stereo disappointing but could be sufficient if noise levels are reduced
- Blue & Me basically useless in this car, as it turns out to be the earlier one that can't play music off an iPhone. It also can't understand any voice commands (and I can't hear its voice) and can't make handsfree calls, though with a new microphone and improved soundproofing, perhaps this will improve.
I'm away for a month (next month) but when I return, will try a listing on our auction site - hoping I don't lose too many thousands - and with the money, I'll probably buy an Alfa Romeo 166. However if I can't sell the 500 at all (quite likely, as it's been unsold for at least nine months before I got it), then I'll apply some improvements to what I can.
-Alex
First stop was at a cafe for lunch - see picture - the cafe owner asked where I'd come from and I said I'd bought a car in Christchurch - she looked outside and said "oh, nice! I've got the same model Nissan, mine's the silver one". :bang:
Within an hour or so, I'd pretty much decided that I really hate driving this car - the main problem is the bumpy and choppy ride that gives me a headache as it throws me around. I had to keep taking breaks to alleviate the dizzy feeling. My Mk2 Punto Sporting was pretty bad, but this is on a whole new level. As you can see in the photo below, the rear suspension doesn't have the antiroll bar, so must be the earlier setup despite being first sold in December 2010.
The steering doesn't seem very nice. It is strangely heavy when driving at speeds over 70km/h - turning into a corner requires a strong effort, and even the numerous small corrections required to keep the car in a straight line (due to crosswinds, road camber, etc.) need quite a force, probably noticed most because the steering wheel is too far away. I checked the tyre pressures - all four tyres had 24psi, so I bumped them up to 31 front/29 rear as per the handbook (1 bar being 14.2psi from memory). Surprisingly this didn't seem to make any difference.
I don't find the driving position comfortable - there are two choices: sit really upright, or recline the seat and move it closer, which makes the pedals too close - sore ankles and difficult to get in and out.
The power and burbling sound from the engine is great, and the Dualogic gearbox works flawlessly. I was impressed at the characterful sound FIAT have managed to get out of their four-cylinder 1.4L engine, and Dualogic is a big improvement over Selespeed. I was surprised also to find that while rolling downhill with engine on the over-run, it is possible to select neutral. Of course the engine will be idling (rather than fuel cut-off) but it can roll a lot further (engine braking is quite substantial otherwise).
Brakes are great, nice feel and powerful.
While the speed did start to tail off going up most of the hills, changing down to 4th or even 3rd was quite exhilirating as it made all the difference - the engine was much happier pulling up a hill at 4000 rather than 3000. I found the Auto mode - either Sport or normal - did not change down readily enough. So I don't mind the engine's characteristics, as the transmission makes it easy to use.
The fuel economy (6.3L/100km - 45mpg) is good, but no better than my trusty old 156 over the same journey (I bought that in Christchurch too) and the 500's small tank meant three fuel stops instead of one. Maybe it will be more economical than the 156 when I drive around town (8.4L/100km - 33mpg to beat).
The tyre noise is intense, though that can be improved with the excellent guides by pearce_jj. The tyres are ContiPremiumContact 2, probably the best/most expensive tyres I've ever had. 195/45 16". Increasing the tyre pressure made the noise a little greater - it's actually a booming noise on most new road surfaces, can't use Blue&Me to make phone calls as the person on the other end simply can't hear.
I prefer the bright red leather of my 156's interior, but I could get used to the 500's seats - they're quite good.
I did notice the sun reflecting off the various shiny bits of the interior - those door release handles and the dash panel can be blinding
Still, I can live with that too.When the temperature inside the car reaches the set figure, the fan slows down and starts squeaking quite loudly. I think I could fix that easily. The fix yesterday was just to turn the fan off.
Air conditioning seems powerful, doesn't mist the windows after turning the air-conditioning off, and is therefore probably an area where the 500 beats my 156
Headlights, wipers, stereo, interior light and pretty much all things electrical seem a big step down for me - nothing seems to work as well as on my 156, no Xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and the lack of cruise control all make their absence felt on a long trip. I'm aware that cruise control is possible to add at considerable expense
I think rain sensing wipers will be possible too.Given the choice, I'd still rather jump in my 156 for any journey - it's faster, easier to drive, quieter and more comfortable (despite also having a bumpy ride), and the stereo's better. I'm not sure whether the average Joe Public sees the 500 as being any more beautiful, particularly when it's confused with a Nissan March.
The 156 is generally called a 'Rover'.So in summary then:
Advantages:
- I like the colour
- Condition, particularly paint, wheels, interior all perfect
- Engine sounds great and performs well
- Transmission is pretty clever and easy to use
- Brakes have excellent feel and capability
- Fits in small parking spaces
- Turning circle is tiny compared to what I'm used to, easy U-turns
- Seats (Sport type) are comfortable with contemporary fabric, and matt textures
- Useful tailgate and boot, rear window wiper
- Wing mirrors work very well - they don't vibrate at all (unlike the internal mirror)
Disadvantages:
- Ride is truly awful - pitches forward/back and sideways jerks as well. When hitting a bump while cornering, there's a sort of bouncy rolling motion.
- Steering feel - a sort of smooth heavy springiness that makes cornering hard work, particularly at higher speeds. Fine for parking etc.
- Noise - particularly tyre noise - is high. Some wind noise as well (more than for, say, an Alfa Romeo 156...)
- Driving position not very 'luxury' and more 'city car'. I should have bought that 2006 Alfa Romeo 166 I was looking at (half the price).
- Various items of typical equipment missing (is there a glovebox light? I'm guessing not, since there's no glovebox
) Most can be done without, but are nice to have. Rain sensing wipers/cruise control in particular- Stereo disappointing but could be sufficient if noise levels are reduced
- Blue & Me basically useless in this car, as it turns out to be the earlier one that can't play music off an iPhone. It also can't understand any voice commands (and I can't hear its voice) and can't make handsfree calls, though with a new microphone and improved soundproofing, perhaps this will improve.
I'm away for a month (next month) but when I return, will try a listing on our auction site - hoping I don't lose too many thousands - and with the money, I'll probably buy an Alfa Romeo 166. However if I can't sell the 500 at all (quite likely, as it's been unsold for at least nine months before I got it), then I'll apply some improvements to what I can.
-Alex
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