FIAT Reviews

[austenw90]

Why is it that reviews of Fiat cars are generally poor? I find this especially with Parkers and other big names like Whatcar. Reliability is always average rated despite the brand being well proven and being much better than other names who carry their engines and other components.

Example:
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/fiat/500l/hatchback-2012/safety-reliability/

How can this be scored 3 stars on reliability when many of the components are well proven on other models? Not just Fiats either.

Another example: How can the Punto be rated any less than a Corsa when a Corsa effectively is a Punto for people who like driving a c*** brand of car with appalling looks and interior!

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/fiat/punto/hatchback-2012/
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/vauxhall/corsa/hatchback-2006/

I know these reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt but they do affect peoples perception of the car and I still get people saying to me all the time things like "Yeah but it's a Fiat". Then they get in their diesel Corsa or Insignia or Ford KA not realising what they are actually driving... These reviews always seem to fail to mention things like this.

I think my Bravo is an excellent car and is pretty robust and much better than any Focus, Astra, Golf etc. In terms of performance and efficiency as well, Fiat seem to be able to laugh in the face of some competitors as for example the 2.0 Multijet can achieve excellent economy when compared with other 2.0 Diesels but also deliver much better performance than say a Focus diesel.

But reviews don't reflect this at all. Despite all the owners reviews on Parkers being 4/5 stars! Take a look at owners reviews for an Insignia, there are some shocking ones and no surprise because they are nasty cheap things.

Fiat don't really seem to help themselves much though as just reading threads on this forum there are many many cases of bad service. They should also bring out a new updated Bravo, one that makes its mark this time.

Anyway just wanted to share my thoughts and see what others thought.

 

[turbo_pib]

Spot on in there
I think esactly like you do and had various arguements with many friends that criticise fiat for been crap and then drive vauxhall with a fiat engine in it!
If something breaks in a fiat, the garage perception is "is a fiat is crap" if something breaks in a different car like vauxhall, ford, vw etc is always "they are wear parts what you expect?"
They always seem to rate anything german excellent and everything else not so good:banghead:

 

[ban1111]

Like so many I have owned countless fiats alfa,s and lancia,s....but the reality is they aren't top draw cars and few if any are even top of their class either...in any respect..as much as I dont like the way that testers write about them you have to believe they all cannot be biased.I read auto and quattroporte. Both Italian mags and their reports are no different.
Never the less there not that bad perform well cheap secondhand.service back up seems to be a major gripe though...

 

[dragonwagon]

Having experienced over the last 35 years assorted BL, Jeep, Citroen and Peugeot cars, usually secondhand and highish mileage I can but say that all the Fiats and Alfas of similar provenance have been head and shoulders better than the aforementioned brands at similar ages and mileages. Rarely will a Fiat, if reasonably maintained "fail to proceed" even if all the ancillary electrical and trim bits may not work simultaneously.

 

[dave]

because the motoring press are a bit divy, thats why i hear kids saying the 500 is based on a ford ka (ive even read that posted on here) they think i'm nuts when i tell them no they are both based on a panda.

the press cant admit that the cars they rate are really all fiats in ugly skin

 

[T14086]

Fiat don't bribe the testers

End of the day it's the 'real' people views the ones that actually own the cars, the technicians that work on them like everyone here that you can trust. Fiats have improved 10 fold over the last 6-8 years and reliability is as good if not better than similar brands. As stated already Fiat components/designs are used in other cars that get better views.....snobbery me thinks

I know cars that are great fun but a week down the line the novelty has worn off and you regret the purchase but each to his/her own.

Who gives a ****e what anyone says, if you like it and it suits your purpose then why worry about other peoples opinions.....as Fiat owners we don't follow the herd

 

[turbo_pib]

I read auto and quattroporte.

Never heard of them
Do you mean Auto Oggi and Quattroruote?

 

[ban1111]

Never heard of them
Do you mean Auto Oggi and Quattroruote?

Half right or wrong.. yes quattreroute..
And no.the other is called.. Auto... it has a website i believe its www.auto.it.. actually the best mag in Italy! Thay is if you want proper roadtests followed by a track test and all the techno jargan even down to mpg at 80mph.. well youve herd of it now

 

[turbo_pib]

Half right or wrong.. yes quattreroute..
And no.the other is called.. Auto... it has a website i believe its www.auto.it.. actually the best mag in Italy! Thay is if you want proper roadtests followed by a track test and all the techno jargan even down to mpg at 80mph.. well youve herd of it now

Yes i know that there is Auto aswell i just thought that you were refering to Auto Oggi which is same of Auto Express
Been living outside italy for 10 years now so i dont know what one of those mags looks like now! Only internet for me

 

[austenw90]

Look at this review... How can this possibly be compared with a KA???

"not as fun to drive as a Ford KA"

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/fiat/panda/4x4-2012/

 

[turbo_pib]

Look at this review... How can this possibly be compared with a KA???

"not as fun to drive as a Ford KA"

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/fiat/panda/4x4-2012/

Which is still based on a panda:banghead:
Ridicolous...

 

[austenw90]

Not only ridiculous but nonsensical as one is a 4x4 and the other is a front wheel drive city car. These reviewers are clearly in the wrong job!

 

[french bean]

Here we go again, Fiat are crap, everything German is fantastic - Not. But I don't really care because the crap reviews have helped me pick up some absolute bargains. For example, a 4 year old Alfa Giullietta in 1988 for a fraction of its new price. It was cheaper than a mate paid for a 10 year old Fiesta.

Everytime I see an Audi or BMW in the UK, I just think of sheep. Whenever I see an Italian car I think of independantly minded switched on people.

Personal experience has also taught me that German cars aren't all they're cracked up to be and Italian cars are far better than given credit for.

So, now my Stilo has gone, incidentally sold with 107k miles and didn't miss a beat, we are left with the wife's Dobbie. This is the 9th Italian car I have owned and the most practical by far. Incidentally, I believe Germany is the best export market for Fiat. Looking around here in Rheinland - Pfalz it certainly seems to be borne out.

 

[turbo_pib]

Here we go again, Fiat are crap, everything German is fantastic - Not. But I don't really care because the crap reviews have helped me pick up some absolute bargains. For example, a 4 year old Alfa Giullietta in 1988 for a fraction of its new price. It was cheaper than a mate paid for a 10 year old Fiesta.

Everytime I see an Audi or BMW in the UK, I just think of sheep. Whenever I see an Italian car I think of independantly minded switched on people.

Personal experience has also taught me that German cars aren't all they're cracked up to be and Italian cars are far better than given credit for.

So, now my Stilo has gone, incidentally sold with 107k miles and didn't miss a beat, we are left with the wife's Dobbie. This is the 9th Italian car I have owned and the most practical by far. Incidentally, I believe Germany is the best export market for Fiat. Looking around here in Rheinland - Pfalz it certainly seems to be borne out.

Absolutely and ask vw/audi owners if the dmf is ok

 

[portland_bill]

As a driving instructor, the school car takes a lot of stress. Over the last 9 years I've used Corsa C & D, Fiat 500 Sport and Pop and now Fiesta.

Despite all the hard work they do, most have been reliable. The Corsas got silly minor issues, indicators flashing erratically, heater fan seized (Corsa D). The 500s were 100% reliable, the Sport doing 18,000 hard-worked miles in 9 months, the Pop then doing 6,000 in 3 months before I had to give it back and move on to a Fiesta. The Fiestas we keep 7 months, usually about 14,000 miles. First Fiesta arrived with no power to the cigar lighter - no satnav or phone! Faults since have only been a washer bottle full of goo, something from the moulding process they thought.

When the car goes back, wear & tear is noticeable to me, but less so to the pupils. Seat sag is most obvious, general rattles, looseness of steering and suspension and a heavy clutch are usual.

The Fiesta suffers the worst.
Corsas cope well, except seat sag is bad.
The 500s feel closest to new, with few signs of the treatment they've had.
I still miss them now.

 

[LemonBear]

If you are a UK journalist then UK sales statistics say that you are more likely to drive VW Group, GM group or Ford Group than anything else. Why would you want to hammer the resale values of what you and your family drives or are thinking of buying next?

I remember when the Mondeo came out, 5 stars across the board. Then, surprise surprise, next Mondeo comes out and the journalists all say that the old one was crap, Ford have done better this time and we all said it was crap etc etc. A quick flip back through back issues never once showed the motoring journalists telling what had now become the new truth.

I've seen the same game being played about the Corsa, all French makes etc.



The best car reviewer is yourself on a test drive. As someone else said, so long as someone is buying them new, those of us who deliberately buy second hand get real bargains because of the depreciation.