General Questions on some differences between ICE 500 and new 500e

[DeLorean4]

The 500e will soon be offered in Canada, and before potentially pre-ordering one, I'd like to confirm a few things with people who have owned both an ICE 500, and the new 500e.
I currently own a 2012 500c.

- Lots of reviews complained about the lack of rear space, and people said it was only for kids. How does it compare to the ICE model? I'm 6 feet tall and enjoy sitting in the back whenever I can even with the convertible roof up, I just remove the headrests.
- Some reviews complained about the lack of resting space for the left foot. Is this just an issue on RHD vehicles?
- On the Abarth, is it possible to replace the engine noise and guitar sound with the symphonic sounds from the standard 500e?
- Assuming Canada gets the same product offerings as Australia (Prima and Abarth only), how much of a tear-up is it to swap out the fabric dashboard panel? The body colour ones available on the base 500e look so much nicer.
- is there a 110v power outlet inside the vehicle? (or perhaps I should be asking 220V since the car has only been sold in countries with 220V)

Are there any other differences you observed between the ICE and 500e that are worth mentioning? Both good and bad?

 

[gazz_bee]

Hi,

I find the rear bench of the 500e is higher than the equivalent ICE so there's less headroom in the back but nothing to choose between the two in legroom.
There isn't a footrest for the unused foot which is a nuisance but can only comment on this from an RHD perspective.
I don't have an abarth but believe the fake engine noise can be turned off, but doubt if the guitar riff can be. On the standard 500e, the symphonic sound isn't switchable but only plays once during a journey and at about 12mph.
There is a power socket in the central console (180W I think).

It's probably the best EV I've driven as it actually has some character behind the wheel and also the cabin is far from the anodyne feel of most others. Real world range is in the 150-160 miles ballpark, less during winter months. Build quality is much better than the ICE equivalent and the 500e feels fast enough to the point that I don't think the abarth makes any real sense as an alternative. Mine is 2 years old and it's all sound.

Fiat have had supply issues so specs for the same models have varied since launch - always check that any car you're looking at actually has the equipment you expect it to have (parking sensors, heated seats, screen size and granny cables appear to be common spec changes/omissions). Like most EVs, manufacturer's haven't really thought about cable storage and the Fiat supplied Type2 cable is a chunky bit of kit that takes up a fair amount of boot space. Depending on how you intend to charge, this may not be an issue though but the convertible does have a really small boot to stow a cable and carry any luggage.

For reasons known only to Fiat, the car has a miniscule screen wash reservoir which is a nuisance. The halogen headlights standard on some trim levels aren't the greatest and use a bulb type not commonly found in the UK (the la Prima should have LED headlights which are much improved). The wearable pebble keyfob option is a gimmick and has a sealed battery so is useless when the battery depletes.

 

[IanML]

- is there a 110v power outlet inside the vehicle? (or perhaps I should be asking 220V since the car has only been sold in countries with 220V)

No. The power socket inside is 12V dc. If you want 110V ac, you will have to use a portable inverter. I think there may be 110V ac in some top of the market SUVs in North America, but ac supply is not catered for in European vehicles, as a rule.