General Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo wor

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General Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo wor

lizebee53

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Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo wor

Hi, just wanted to check with people out there if these extras were worth it or not. Looking at the 1.2 Lounge and they have one in the blue which I want ready to drive away without these extra specs but as this is the first time I've bought a new car I wonder if it is worth it to wait the 10-12 weeks to get all the extra specs I was thinking of or not. So the 3 extras I was thinking of is:
Interscope Hifi System
Electric Sunroof
ESP
Are they worth it?
 
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Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Hi, just wanted to check with people out there if these extras were worth it or not. Looking at the 1.2 Lounge and they have one in the blue which I want ready to drive away without these extra specs but as this is the first time I've bought a new car I wonder if it is worth it to wait the 10-12 weeks to get all the extra specs I was thinking of or not. So the 3 extras I was thinking of is:
Interscope Hifi System
Electric Sunroof
ESP
Are they worth it?

Pros and cons. You get the glass roof with the Lounge. The electric roof reduces the headroom in the car and some people have complained of rattles. Glass sun roof and air con-why bother with the electric sunroof?

The Interscope upgrade seems to get good reviews as being a significant improvement on the standard system. But some claim that other post purchase solutions offer better value and quality. You can always upgrade when you have researched a bit more.

ESP has many enthusiasts on this site. There is a good explanatory video about it some where. It may only kick in once during your ownership but that occaission might be the time it saves your life. Others may argue that on a carefully driven 1.2, its a bit superfluous.

Like I said, Pros and cons.
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

I have the interscope and love it,sounds fantastic,worth every penny!!
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Re: ESP. What price do you put on your, or others' lives?
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

just to ad a bit to fang's comment :) basically if you or you'r partner are tall the opening roof could be a pain as it lowers the roof of the car (inside) by around 2 inches.

interscope is well worth the £250 that it costs and no you can't get the equivelent sound quality/volume from aftermarket kit for the same price just remember that as with leather you will lose the underseat storage.

esp it's up to you realy but remember the 500 has got a-b-s 7 airbags and the highest possible ncap rating anyway, and the test's that have been mentioned above are conducted on snow and with a massive suv and not on uk roads with a small car i'm not saying don't get it but don't be pulled in by the "if you don't have it you WILL die" way of thinking, you also get anti roll with esp which stops the car rolling back when doing a hill start.
 
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Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Thanks everyone for the information - do you know if I could get these extras added to an existing build if I don't want to wait for a new order? Don't think I'll go for the electric sunroof so thanks everyone you've saved me a few pennies there but still wondering about hifi and ESP. :confused:
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

You can't add these to a finished car. The ESP might save your life, and the interscope makes fine music better. The sun roof robs a lot of headroom, so if any of you are over 5'11, or you intend to sell it to a taller person, don't bother.
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

I've just ordered my 500 and after having a look at this thread
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/183245-esp.html
decided on paying for the ESP. Like everyone has said hopefully you'll never need it but better to be safe.

The sales guys in the dealership didn't know much about the Interscope (or even the optional alarm, lol) so I didn't go for those.

Happy Ordering :)
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

If you don't have the "interscope" kit remember to turn on the "loudness" feature on the stereo and turn the bass up a couple of ticks. It makes a huge difference
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

interscope is well worth the £250 that it costs and no you can't get the equivelent sound quality/volume from aftermarket kit for the same price

I'll bet you could if you looked hard enough. The sub is nowhere near big enough to produce deep, deep bass for starters. I'd be willing to bet that Interscope runs for the hills when faced with a dubstep CD ;)
 
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Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Yes, perhaps, but if you absolutely detest thump thump music polluting the street (me - in spades ;)) I'm sure the interscope will do just fine. It's the treble that really matters for real music :p
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Yes, perhaps, but if you absolutely detest thump thump music polluting the street (me - in spades ;)) I'm sure the interscope will do just fine. It's the treble that really matters for real music :p

Well, if you're into chamber music maybe ;)
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Lloyd, have you actually heard the interscope? It's a great system, for £250 it is a bargain. It's problems are much more in the midrange, especially with spacially processed sources, than in the bass.
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Lloyd, have you actually heard the interscope? It's a great system, for £250 it is a bargain. It's problems are much more in the midrange, especially with spacially processed sources, than in the bass.

I haven't, no, but I know that I'd rather spec my own audio and know exactly what's going into it and who is installing it than leave it to Fiat. Especially after they managed to get fingerprints underneath the lacquer on my car. I don't trust them at that factory anymore ;) Unless it's not installed there?

I'm sure for most people it sounds heavenly but I rely on pounding sub-40hz bass to be able to even hear most of my music!

The bass at 0:56 on this video is just the start of what I'm on about;
(y)

Speaking of which, anyone got any idea if the aftermarket underseat subs are any good for low end response?
 
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Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Speaking of which, anyone got any idea if the aftermarket underseat subs are any good for low end response?

I've not been overly impressed with them - they are just for a bit of "filling" really.

I've heard good things about these though: http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/25/130/201/TS-WX77A/index.html

I've not had a chance to measure up the bootspace yet, although it looks like it might just about fit
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

I've got the Interscope on mine and my wife's 500s and I'm glad I did.

I used to compete in SPL and SQ competitions with cars I've had in the past, I was running in the high 150dBs in the mid 1990's with a Peugeot that had split charging, a couple of farads' worth of stiffening caps and enough Rockford Fosgate gear to seriously affect the handling!

My last car (a Mini aimed at sound quality) had Dynaudio components, Genesis Dual Mono amps, a Nakamichi HU and a Genesis sub. Plus about a grand's worth of wiring, sound deadening and RTA set up time.

Subjectively I'd say the Interscope sounds about 75% as good as my old Genesis gear but cost me a couple of hundred quid instead of thousands.

Diminishing returns set in pretty quickly in car audio!

Bizarrely even when I had one of the best sound quality ICE systems in the country it didn't sound as detailed as my Naim home hifi. Which in turn isn't quite as detailed as my Etymotic ER4 earphones.

If you fancy improving the sound quality in the 500 it can be done, but to do it well you might cringe at how much you spend. You won't see the money again when you sell it either. That's why I've got the Interscope, it's not bad quality at all, it's well integrated and decent value for money too. Shame Rainbow don't do an OE speaker upgrade kit or....
Here we go again! :D
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Couldn't agree with this more. I just don't think any individual or back-street audio shop can possibly hope to match what a specialist audio division can develop with a decent R&D budget and extensive testing gear, at a similar price.
 
Ive got the opening roof and interscope. I'm 6ft 2in and haven't got a problem with the headroom, and there is nothing quite like fresh air! I use aircon for demisting and really hot days, but open roof most times i drive when its not raining. I wouldn't want to be without it, and waited eight weeks for a factory order to get what i wanted, but its personal choice. I'm not a hifi expert, but reckon the interscope is well worth the extra - notably better than standard and better than much more expensive aftermarket kit i've heard. hope that helps
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

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If you fancy improving the sound quality in the 500 it can be done, but to do it well you might cringe at how much you spend.

It's one thing I will be improving in a few years time, starting with soundproofing as it's something the 500 desperately needs. The rear half of my car vibrates like mad at high volumes. :rolleyes:
 
Re: Help with configuration on new 500 - is the electric sunroof, ESR & better stereo

Thanks all so much for your help - can see will be coming back many times again to this website. Have decided after much thinking to go with the standard 1.2 lounge in New Orleans Blue. It's already waiting for me in the showroom. Want to see if I can add the side stripe in white to just finish it off. Would rather have the extra storage space under the seat than go with the interscope as not really that much of musci guru tend to mostly listen to radio and think the ESP is not really needed for the 1.2 - I'm not too much of a boy racer so think I will be ok. This is nerve racking stuff hope I've made right decision!!!!:D:eek:
 
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