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Will there be another Bravo ?
https://www.fiatforum.com/bravo/291425-will-bravo-discontinued-soon.html
Tuning New 500L driven.
- Thread starter Ulpian
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Tuning New 500L driven.
Will there be another Bravo ?
https://www.fiatforum.com/bravo/291425-will-bravo-discontinued-soon.html
babbo_umbro
Established member
Particularly ironic that this hideosity should start to make its presence felt in the week that Sergio Pininfarina dies - there is no conceivable way that he would have allowed such an object to carry his name.
i didn't mean buying new, my current Bravo is 2008 and is still in production till 2013
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Maybe it'll look better in the flesh, but it's just got so many bits of other cars - Mini/Lifan 320 styling, Picasso windscreen, Skoda paint job, 500 front end and Mini wheels circa 1964 10 inch. Come on Fiat you can do better than this, remember when you did things like the Coupe.
Thing is THEY didn't do better with the Coupe, it was outsourced styling by Pininfarina. The Grande Punto (which we could argue all night long looked considerably better than the Evo or the new 2012 model) was styled by Guigiaro .
The 500 seems to be one of the few Centro Stile Fiat designs that perhaps worked from the off. Surprising that the 500L and X seem to be from the same pen as the man who drew the 500 we love and adore.
I think may be Italians are great at an initial design. Perfection first time out. When it comes to improving their perfection they don't know where to go and end up f**king the whole thing up (MKII Punto refresh anyone? )Enlarging the 500 to a different scale seems to stuff up the design brief.
Steve
The 500 seems to be one of the few Centro Stile Fiat designs that perhaps worked from the off. Surprising that the 500L and X seem to be from the same pen as the man who drew the 500 we love and adore.
I think may be Italians are great at an initial design. Perfection first time out. When it comes to improving their perfection they don't know where to go and end up f**king the whole thing up (MKII Punto refresh anyone?
)Enlarging the 500 to a different scale seems to stuff up the design brief. Steve
Thing is THEY didn't do better with the Coupe, it was outsourced styling by Pininfarina. The Grande Punto (which we could argue all night long looked considerably better than the Evo or the new 2012 model) was styled by Guigiaro .
The 500 seems to be one of the few Centro Stile Fiat designs that perhaps worked from the off. Surprising that the 500L and X seem to be from the same pen as the man who drew the 500 we love and adore.
I think may be Italians are great at an initial design. Perfection first time out. When it comes to improving their perfection they don't know where to go and end up f**king the whole thing up (MKII Punto refresh anyone?
Steve
[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stephenson[/ame]
In July 2002, Stephenson was appointed Director of Ferrari-Maserati Concept Design and Development. His work with Ferrari included the design of the Maserati MC12 and Ferrari F430. He also oversaw Pininfarina's work on the Maserati Quattroporte and Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. Stephenson success with Ferrari led to his appointed to head of the company's Fiat, Lancia, and Commercial Vehicle Styling Centre in Turin, Italy on February 22, 2005. He was tasked with rebuilding the struggling Fiat brand. While there, he directed the styling of the Punto, Bravo, and new Nuova 500. These three designs by Stephenson are credited with reviving Fiat sales and making the brand profitable again. On June 2007 he was made chief of Alfa Romeo style where he designed the award winning MiTo.[11] He replaced Wolfgang Egger, while Donato Coco took over his previous position at Fiat.
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I think that award goes to the doblo
I agree, but financially I think most companies will go this way of interchangable parts used across the range and even makes. Engines have changed little in many makes with often just the addition of EOBD components.
My opinion of the 500L is that there are much better offerings from the competition. I wouldn't be surprised if the 500L went the same way as the croma. I'm also bewildered as to what market the 500L is actually aiming at
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One option on the 500L is a Lavazza in car coffee maker. Now that is cool.
Well said
however.... its possible with the right colour / wheels you could make the 500L work, a 4x4 would be a good alternative to the dull panda
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I'm sorry, but I think FIAT did better with the 2000-era Multipla than they have with this 500L.
The Multipla was ageless and functional, ugly (if you like) with a purpose, and well-engineered.
This 500L might be a good car (though it's sounding like an underpowered slug) but why call it a 500...?! As the others said, it's to try and build on an image, yet this doesn't look like a 500 and, I think, is bloody ugly for no particular reason as it doesn't seat six in identical seats. It seems to have been given a pair of "I wish I were an Alfa Romeo 8C... or MiTo" taillights.
Why not an 'estate' (Giardinera) version of the new 500 (identical front, different rear with concealed rear side doors?)
Or maybe it's time to bring back the retro charm of a 600 or an 850? Or another modernist Multipla (better idea in my opinion...)
Or... I have another great idea... :idea:
I had a 1988 FIAT Croma once, then a 1987 Lancia Thema, then several Alfa Romeo 164s. These cars were all built on the same platform, with some success - the Lancia was the luxury version, the Alfa a more sporting drive, and the FIAT was a curious kind of executive car with more rust than the other two, loop pile carpets, optional German ZF auto (which had three speeds, but they all blew up and were replaced by a four speed ZF auto), refined handling (independent strut-and-link rear end of a sophistication not seen in any FIAT since), a gutsy yet economical twincam engine, trim that fell apart, any shade you liked as long as it was greyish metallic, and myriad electrical problems. The Croma's liftback was much more practical than the other two saloons.
Fast-forward to 2012 and the new Chrysler 300C - gangsta stylz - has been badge-engineered to create the new Lancia Thema - lovely. I'm sure both are solid-feeling, luxurious RWD saloons. V8, wood and leather, huge alloy wheels. Here in NZ, Chrysler appear to sell more 300Cs than FIAT do 500s - probably the same in the USA.
See what's coming next? It's time to put in a 2L four cylinder motor, carve a hole in the back, fit a nice pair of rectangular headlights with a slatted grille, lose weight by fitting weird, basic trim (e.g. oval speakers in dash), maybe introduce a few minor electrical problems like a check control panel to keep things fun, steel wheels, put in some blue velour German seats with rainbow pinstripes, don't forget that teal loop pile carpet, and create another new Croma - large, utilitarian, and unique, basically a budget 300C with the added advantage of a liftback. That would be an interesting car - pity it would be RWD, but BMW have shown that's what everyone wants
Or - FIAT should stick to making small cars, the only type they've ever succeeded with before
-Alex
The Multipla was ageless and functional, ugly (if you like) with a purpose, and well-engineered.
This 500L might be a good car (though it's sounding like an underpowered slug) but why call it a 500...?! As the others said, it's to try and build on an image, yet this doesn't look like a 500 and, I think, is bloody ugly for no particular reason as it doesn't seat six in identical seats. It seems to have been given a pair of "I wish I were an Alfa Romeo 8C... or MiTo" taillights.
Why not an 'estate' (Giardinera) version of the new 500 (identical front, different rear with concealed rear side doors?)
Or maybe it's time to bring back the retro charm of a 600 or an 850? Or another modernist Multipla (better idea in my opinion...)
Or... I have another great idea... :idea:
I had a 1988 FIAT Croma once, then a 1987 Lancia Thema, then several Alfa Romeo 164s. These cars were all built on the same platform, with some success - the Lancia was the luxury version, the Alfa a more sporting drive, and the FIAT was a curious kind of executive car with more rust than the other two, loop pile carpets, optional German ZF auto (which had three speeds, but they all blew up and were replaced by a four speed ZF auto), refined handling (independent strut-and-link rear end of a sophistication not seen in any FIAT since), a gutsy yet economical twincam engine, trim that fell apart, any shade you liked as long as it was greyish metallic, and myriad electrical problems. The Croma's liftback was much more practical than the other two saloons.
Fast-forward to 2012 and the new Chrysler 300C - gangsta stylz - has been badge-engineered to create the new Lancia Thema - lovely. I'm sure both are solid-feeling, luxurious RWD saloons. V8, wood and leather, huge alloy wheels. Here in NZ, Chrysler appear to sell more 300Cs than FIAT do 500s - probably the same in the USA.
See what's coming next? It's time to put in a 2L four cylinder motor, carve a hole in the back, fit a nice pair of rectangular headlights with a slatted grille, lose weight by fitting weird, basic trim (e.g. oval speakers in dash), maybe introduce a few minor electrical problems like a check control panel to keep things fun, steel wheels, put in some blue velour German seats with rainbow pinstripes, don't forget that teal loop pile carpet, and create another new Croma - large, utilitarian, and unique, basically a budget 300C with the added advantage of a liftback. That would be an interesting car - pity it would be RWD, but BMW have shown that's what everyone wants
Or - FIAT should stick to making small cars, the only type they've ever succeeded with before
-Alex
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One word--YUK!!
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There's a review of the 500L in the In Gear supplement today. Prices here start from €20K !
If FIAT's quality control is up to its usual standards, then for some who choose this option, it just might be
. Something tells me if this fails, it ain't gonna be covered by the 3rd yr warranty
.
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If FIAT's quality control is up to its usual standards, then for some who choose this option, it just might be
Something tells me if this fails, it ain't gonna be covered by the 3rd yr warranty
With the message "Coffee N/A"
Bit more about it here.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/12/fiat-500l-to-launch-with-worlds-first-in-car-coffee-maker-optio/
Strikes me as silly, but hey ho I'm sure Fiat knows what it's doing. :chin:
Stupid idea!
What a faff!
You still have to take the thing inside to wash it, and then remember to take it back to the car - or is there a dishwasher in the boot!
I love expresso, but I can manage with a thermos of good stong coffee on a long journey thanks.
Now, are the light bulbs easy to change please?
You still have to take the thing inside to wash it, and then remember to take it back to the car - or is there a dishwasher in the boot!
I love expresso, but I can manage with a thermos of good stong coffee on a long journey thanks.
Now, are the light bulbs easy to change please?
babbo_umbro
Established member
Big opportunity missed here - Lavazza is by no means the best coffee out there. At a recent blind tasting in Italy, signor Lavazza - along with other experts - marked his best brand somewhere near the bottom of a list of coffees (allegedly).
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This is a much better/more appropriate tie up than with Gucci if you ask me.
You see plenty of people with their little thermos cup things, and even if it doesn't get used much, it will be something to get the car noticed and written about when it is launched, and getting noticed is half the battle.
Lavazza may not be the finest coffee in the world but it is a whole heap better than most (Starbucks dishwater included), plus it is quintessentially Italian and, dare I say it, cool. Probably cooler than Gucci actually.
You see plenty of people with their little thermos cup things, and even if it doesn't get used much, it will be something to get the car noticed and written about when it is launched, and getting noticed is half the battle.
Lavazza may not be the finest coffee in the world but it is a whole heap better than most (Starbucks dishwater included), plus it is quintessentially Italian and, dare I say it, cool. Probably cooler than Gucci actually.
Well, I'm so totally uncool Im practiclly cool
These syle things I can understand but unfortunately not really appreciate, they just seem like a way of spending money to little effect. But there are plenty of younger people for whom being 'stylish' really matters. And I can remember that I have a friend who is constantly berating me for not understanding why it is important to spend money for lovely stylish things, insead of spending a lot less money for more practical ones that don't clutter the place up.
Which seems to be where Lavazza comes in, a lot of money for a flash talking point, that doesn't make great coffee
And I totally agree that Starbucks coffee is total milky overhot ****e!
These syle things I can understand but unfortunately not really appreciate, they just seem like a way of spending money to little effect. But there are plenty of younger people for whom being 'stylish' really matters. And I can remember that
I have a friend who is constantly berating me for not understanding why it is important to spend money for lovely stylish things, insead of spending a lot less money for more practical ones that don't clutter the place up. Which seems to be where Lavazza comes in, a lot of money for a flash talking point, that doesn't make great coffee
And I totally agree that Starbucks coffee is total milky overhot ****e!
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