General driving a fiat 500 on the motorway

[myredfiat500]

hello,

i've just passed my driving test and i have a fiat 500 which i love. i'm confident driving it on dual carriageways etc, however i need to start making motorway trips now. i'll either have a lesson or two with my instructor for this or an experienced friend sat in with me, for the confidence boost as necessary(!)

i'm just wondering how well the fiat 500 manages the motorways and can it do a lot of journeys back and forth, or is it more likely to conk out? i have the 1.2 2014 model.

thanks

 

[John202020]

Welcome generally you'll have no issues its just like a dual carriage way the only thing you might find is on long up hill sections if you don't start at 70 it could struggle in 5th, the simple answer is to change into 4th whilst it will make more noise its fine and cause no issues just change back up at the top?

 

[decappottabile]

I've done a trip from Amsterdam to Ibiza (and back), around 2000Km, in a 2016 1.2 Lounge convertible.
I must admit that the same trip in a 2012 BMW 3 series was more comfortable, but it is still doable in the 500.

I did miss cruise control a lot though. Still tempted to retrofit.

 

[percymon]

We collected ours and drove it home 200 miles, half on the motorway. No issues but you need to allow extra space / time when pulling out into the overtaking lanes, esp if you are doing 60mph with the trucks

 

[portland_bill]

They are fine on the motorway.

Go back to your instructor for a proper motorway lesson. Relying on a friend is likely to miss important points, and unless they've had any advanced training, are only passing on their assumptions and experience, rather than proper rules and etiquette. Their experience is valuable, but best added to the proper advice, not instead of.

Before the lesson, think about any fears you may have, or any particular points you think you need to cover. That'll help you get the best out of the time.

Hopefully your instructor will be happy to do the lesson in your car, so you get the most from it. If he/she's reluctant to use your car, another instructor may be a good option. If you are apprehensive about using your car, I'd suggest an introduction using the instructor car, then swap to yours as your confidence grows.