Thursday, December 24, 2009

Consumer Reports drives Fiat 500; says the ride is 'awful'

Fiat 500 - Subcompact Culture
A blogger at Consumer Reports has driven a European-spec Fiat 500. It appears that the author liked it for the most part. However, he said the ride quality was "awful" in Euro-spec. Before I decided to chastise CR for it's criticism (they had complained about the ride quality on a Corvette, too), I did find at least one other review of the 500 which complains about its ride quality. Allegedly, Chrysler/Fiat is aware of this and will adjust the shock tuning for American roads. Hopefully this doesn't dumb the driving experience down too much.

Having not driven a 500 yet, I obviously can't comment. However, I'd like to think the "awful" ride is due to its tight handling. However, perhaps it simply just rides like crap.

Have any Subcompact Culture readers driven a 500 yet?

LINK
Behind the Wheel: Fiat 500 (Consumer Reports Car Blog)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

No I haven't driven one, but I have been really interested in the Abarth 500 for quite a while. I frankly get irritated by casual comments by myopic car reviewers. The proviso to their comments should be..."but I only one driver, with my perceptions may not be the norm". Case in point is my current car. I just returned from a Christmas gathering, driving my Accent SE with two passengers. The trip took us across California, mainly on the I-5, cruising at 80 mph....which is typical. I shut off the radio, and asked if the car was "loud" to either of them. The answer was "nope". We could talk quietly over the audible engine sounds. At least two reviewers said the Accent was "loud" at freeway speeds, or that drivers would need "ear-plugs above 70 mph. 70 mph?
There was a soft humming drone at 70 mph, which you could whisper above. To some drivers, accustomed to driving sensory-deprivation chambers, where nothing is felt or heard, the Accent might seem loud. But, to the average person, that probably would not be true. Maybe the Fiat really does need some changes in the suspension, or maybe the test-drivers don't really "get" what the car is supposed to be about.