Quite right, they are biased and they take bribes from F**d and A**i and M******s-B**z

Baerius said:

Quite right, they are biased and they take bribes from F**d and A**i and M******s-B**z

Click to expand...

If anything, M-B needs to be replaced with "B*W"... It's extraordinary with this comparison between MB and Bimmers that they can actually say the Merc is the better car all round and in all the important areas (C63 is better to drive thn M3 for example, nicer steering, seats, wheel, you name it), but the M3 wins.

I think the same is the case for Fiat in some cases, which is precisely why I have asked my brother to sort out a road test, which he said he will do in the summer after i've done my exams; his first car was a fully loaded BMW Mini (which i always hated, just something about it annoyed me, mainly how it was polo sized and could have been smaller and cheaper - probably why i love this) and now he drives a GTi and Q7 TDi, so he's probably quite qualified on a verdict of a good car or not. Thanks for the help anyway, and the quick responses show how quality this forum is, if i'm honest. :worship:

Well good luck with the exams.

IMO the 500 came at exactly the right time if you take current views on congestion, environmental impact, cost of ownership and the ever-increasing physical SIZE of the the cars themselves.

500 addresses all of these issues, but I'm not surprised the press ain't raving about it, it seems they are mostly interested in the next superfluous 5litre AMG or BMW engine...

It's alright for clarkson to do that as he is also funny but for all the grey motoring journalist band-wagon-jumpers to pay lip service to the more power/faster/bigger more expensive ethos (which your everyday guy ain't interested in cos he won't be able to buy one) is just backwards and frankly dull.

Fiat hit the spot making their fun 500 safe and SMALLER! Doesn't matter if its not a racer....who really cares when it looks like that

PS they should make the 500 free in congestion zone...

Baerius said:

Well good luck with the exams.

IMO the 500 came at exactly the right time if you take current views on congestion, environmental impact, cost of ownership and the ever-increasing physical SIZE of the the cars themselves.

500 addresses all of these issues, but I'm not surprised the press ain't raving about it, it seems they are mostly interested in the next superfluous 5litre AMG or BMW engine...

It's alright for clarkson to do that as he is also funny but for all the grey motoring journalist band-wagon-jumpers to pay lip service to the more power/faster/bigger more expensive ethos (which your everyday guy ain't interested in cos he won't be able to buy one) is just backwards and frankly dull.

Fiat hit the spot making their fun 500 safe and SMALLER! Doesn't matter if its not a racer....who really cares when it looks like that

PS they should make the 500 free in congestion zone...

Click to expand...

A perfect summation.

Baerius said:

Well good luck with the exams.

IMO the 500 came at exactly the right time if you take current views on congestion, environmental impact, cost of ownership and the ever-increasing physical SIZE of the the cars themselves.

500 addresses all of these issues, but I'm not surprised the press ain't raving about it, it seems they are mostly interested in the next superfluous 5litre AMG or BMW engine...

It's alright for clarkson to do that as he is also funny but for all the grey motoring journalist band-wagon-jumpers to pay lip service to the more power/faster/bigger more expensive ethos (which your everyday guy ain't interested in cos he won't be able to buy one) is just backwards and frankly dull.

Fiat hit the spot making their fun 500 safe and SMALLER! Doesn't matter if its not a racer....who really cares when it looks like that

PS they should make the 500 free in congestion zone...

Click to expand...

Do you read Autocar? If not, i'd recommend not so much buying it this week (they said the Fiat was dynamically so-so) but reading a certain section in the newsagents. Not the comparison between Twingo, 2 and 500, but for Chris Harris' section about how he thinks the RS6 crossed the line and now has too much power and weight, which will probably interest you, because it's quite clever. I am a fan of big powerful cars, but i don't only like them, i am a huge fan of hot-hatches and if i could, i'd have loved an Abarth 500 :bang:

I think Fiat have definitely hit the market at the right time, they have a small economical car which has some design flair. The mini did this a few years back but to me it wasn't as successful, the new 500 seems to be more in keeping with the ethos of the old 500 while the mini took the retro styling but elsewhere the ethos of the mini was lost, size and internal capacity being the main aspects which spring to mind.

I love fast cars, but most cars today are getting too heavy so they rely on larger more powerful engines to maintain performance. I drive a Caterham which weighs 530kgs, is currently fitted with a Ford duratec engine putting out 185bhp, I get 35mpg and 0-60 peformance of 4.5 seconds. Due to its lightweight it handles perfectly.

I think the only area where Fiat could do a little better is on fuel economy and emissions, a lot of manufactures are now releasing cars which just sneak into VED bracket A ie £0 tax. The 1.2 500 is certainly lightweight at 865kgs. I know they are in bracket B so they are still low cost in terms of running costs but people are begining to place more emphasis on emissions etc as they buy all sorts of products.

Simon

The 1.2 replacement due late this year/early next year, the twin cylinder turbo engine will do just that.

N500SHP said:

Pics of our 500 with the KW springs on and 17's

Ride comfort is surprisingly good still.

We will have Eibach on within a week or two to compare them

Click to expand...

Sorry to unearth this thread again. But are there any pics around of a 500 on 16s with a suspension modification, eibach or otherwise.

Thanks

Ross

See the first post N500SHP have got photos of their 500 with 17s, but not 16s

I see, sorry I didnt see the previous pic of the eibach white 500. So this is sitting on 16s? lovely. And to what degree is this lowered?

Thanks, P

It'll be between 30-40 mm I'd take at a guess. Looks good doesn't it

I really can't wait to lower my 500, think it will def improve the looks !


C'mon roadshow

Suasexed said:

We must have been driving different cars as the 1.4 Sport I drove with the 16" wheels was hardly a good ride. Very jittery! A 500 with 15" wheels though would be a different story however (good ride).

Click to expand...

This is the EXACT! reason I didn't opt for the 16" wheels. It was a 1.4 sport I test drove before purchase and the noise in the cabin on the M'Way was quite loud with the 16" wheels. I took the gamble and went for 15"' and I'm sooooo glad I did what a difference. However I do like the looks of the 16's.

What ground clearance would this give? I have a 500 1.4 sport with 16" alloys that obviously needs lowering. The rear of the car seems quite high and at speed over uneven roads the handling is skittish.

The kit to lower by 30mm seems about right but, as I live in an area of London with speed bumps in every direction, I need to know about clearance.

One of my office "colleagues" mentioned Spax adjustables saying that I could drop the car when I went on a long run (away from speed bumps) and raise it when I was urban. How easy is it to raise lower, and should it be done on a monthly basis?

roadster1_98 said:

This is the EXACT! reason I didn't opt for the 16" wheels. It was a 1.4 sport I test drove before purchase and the noise in the cabin on the M'Way was quite loud with the 16" wheels. I took the gamble and went for 15"' and I'm sooooo glad I did what a difference. However I do like the looks of the 16's.

Click to expand...

I testdrove a 500 sport with 15" Multispokes and the ride was OK but it did tramline quite a bit. Can imagine it would be worse with 16's on.