Fiat 500C Reviews

Doing 100km of general running about for less than five bucks in fuel makes motoring pretty affordable. As manufacturers bring out more models with increasingly-amazing frugality, motorists are laughing all the way from the pumps. A generation ago, the 30 miles per gallon mark (9.4 litres/100km in metric speak) was a

"I like to say I sell pre-loved cars not second-hand cars. Unfortunately I love too many of them," the 44-year-old Southport dealer principal says. "That's the problem with being a dealer principal; you are in the shop with all these lollies coming in through the front door. You say, 'will I buy it to keep it or sell it?'. What do you do? It's hard when you love cars. You end up with a collection."Dean's collection is mainly made up of cars that have come down from the bedroom walls of his youth into his garage. They include: a 1966 Austin Healey Sprite, a "black, lowered and lovely" 1970 Fiat 124 BC Sport, a 1982 Lancia Beta Coupe which "not surprisingly has rust in all the wrong places", a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III, a 1970 Honda Civic that's only done 20,000km, a 1972 one-owner VW millionth edition Beetle, a 1968 Meyers Manx beach buggy, a 1990s Nissan S-cargo mini van "my wife calls Daisy", a 1988 Corolla hillclimber and a rare 1988 Lancia Delta Integrale HF 4WD eight-valve."I just bought another Integrale from Japan which is basically rust free," he says. "But I'll have to give up some of my other toys like the Beta, Veedub and the Civic."He plans to strip back the second Integrale and make it into a replica white Martini rally car like the ones driven to six World Rally Championships in the 1980s and '90s by drivers such as Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion. It's got the 16-valve, two-litre turbo engine but even though it has a smaller turbo than my eight-valve, it doesn't have as much lag. "You can get about 700 horsepower (522kW) out of them which I imagine could be quite scary."He plans to drive the Lancias in historic sprint meetings such as the Tweed on Speed, Leyburn Sprints and recent Cootha Classic. Meanwhile, he seriously campaigns his Corolla in the Queensland hillclimb championships which he won a few weeks ago."I got into it about three years ago through a friend of mine with a little Alfa who kept hounding me and hounding me," he says. "I kept putting it off because you have to be committed, but I did it one day at Mt Cotton and I was hooked. They're a great bunch of blokes. It's not exactly a blood sport."His Corolla has a 4AGE blacktop 20-valve Toyota four-cylinder naturally aspirated improved classified category race engine developing 89kW at the wheels."But it has a lot more torque which is great for hillclimbs," he says. He bought it for $1500 and has turned it into a $28,000 project racer. This is just a car that was supposed to hold me over until I got into the Evo monster," he says. "But you just can't jump in and hit the track with something that has 350kW at the wheels. It's a bit dangerous. I bought the Corolla to step up to the Evo, but I've fallen in love with it and the Evo is still sitting there. And in the interim I've come across the Integrale and now I'm getting another one. It's a sickness."He bought the 134kW Delta from Western Australia for $15,000 after "hunting one down" over several years. "It's got coil-over springs, it's been chipped, I've replaced the manifold and exhaust, and it's had tender loving care...  and about $5000 spent on it. I only use it for special exhibition events, not serious competition. I worry a little bit. I don't want to put it into a wall."

But peak motoring body the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries believes consumers are confused enough to warrant a broad-ranging education program about what ESC is and what it does.The Transport Accident Commission has already been running an ad highlighting the merits of curtain airbags and ESC. It has been endeavouring to lift awareness among buyers about what they do, via websites like howsafeisyourcar.com.au.But with Victoria moving ahead for the compulsory fitting of ESC to all passenger cars from January, the FCAI believes now is the time to increase awareness among car buyers.Despite TAC's efforts some carmakers like Honda believe consumers are still confused by the different acronyms used to describe the various systems. However, FCAI spokesman, James Goodwin, believes it will be difficult to mandate a single naming strategy."It comes down to marketing," he says. "All systems are different to some degree."Goodwin also believes it would cost too much to standardise the terminology on imported cars because the volumes are relatively small. Carmakers use different terms for the proprietary electronic stability program invented by Bosch and co-developed with Mercedes-Benz.Subaru Australia spokesman, David Rowley, says Subaru's own research shows a higher awareness among buyers of its own electronic stability control system, called vehicle dynamic control."Our customers tend to look in depth at the features of our cars," Rowley says. He backs an education program as “something worth considering" but balks at a name change. "A lot a brands have invested a lot of intellectual time in creating a point of difference with their various stability systems," he says.What they call it -Electronic Stability Control (ESC) - Holden, HSV, JeepElectronic Stability Program (ESP) - Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes Benz, Renault, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, Skoda, Peugeot, SuzukiDynamic Stability Control (DSC) - Ford, FPV, BMW, Mazda, Land Rover, Aston Martin, JaguarVehicle Dynamic Integrated Management (VDIM) - ToyotaVehicle Stability Control (VSC) - LexusVehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) - Nissan, SubaruDynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) - VolvoElectronic Stabilisation Program (ESP) - Audi, VolkswagenActive Stability Control (ASC) - MitsubishiVehicle Stability Assist (VSA)- HondaAutomatic Stability Control + Traction (ASC+T)  MiniMaserati Stability Program (MSP) - MaseratiPorsche Stability Management (PSM) - PorscheStability and Traction Control - FiatStabiliTrak -Hummer

Winnebago marketing manager Max Mayo says while most campervans are designed to cater for two people, these ones will be patterned after the space and comfort of the larger motorhome styles."Our new campervans take comfort and versatility to a new plateau and both models will cater for four people in style," he says.The Escape is a 6.4m campervan on a Fiat Ducato three-litre turbo diesel, while the Diversion is built on a 7.3m, long-wheelbase Mercedes Benz Sprinter van. There are no prices yet for the Diversion, but the drive-away price of the Escape is $105,929.They feature an electric roll-down bed which drops from the ceiling and can sleep two adults. There are other beds for two more people.Both will be displayed for the first time at the Queensland Caravan Camping Touring and Holiday Show from June 9 to 15 at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane.While most campervans do not include bathroom and toilet facilities or have a small shower recess, the Escape and Diversion have an expanding bathroom system with a flushing toilet.There is also a large "garage" area in the rear of the campervans made by storing the electric double bed against the ceiling and folding up the two single beds against the wall. The space created can hold a motorbike or two, a quad bike, bicycles, surfboards fishing rods and more.During the week, the Escape can double as mum's car or as a tradies truck with optional checker plating installed for the tool box. On the weekend, it can be used as a self-contained campervan. Winnebago claims the Escape has the biggest bathroom of any campervan and features a fold away external table.The Diversion is highlighted by leather armchairs, well-equipped kitchen, a sofa bed which converts electronically into a large comfortable bed and large awning. It also features roof and cabin air-conditioning, an LCD 12 volt TV with DVD player inbuilt , awning, microwave, two gas bottles and the largest campervan bathroom on the market.Both campervans have kitchen drawers that can be accessed from outside.

YOU'VE almost got to wonder, who buys all those cars? To say nothing of the SUVs and commercial jiggers.  Private owners and fleets bought almost 81,500 new vehicles last month. Of course, the usual suspects - Holden, Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Hyundai - do most business among the 50 or so brands on offer. But for every no-brainer buy there's an overlooked, if not unloved, model sitting on the lot.If you fancy a bit of vive la difference, we've unearthed some hidden treasures whose lack of popularity ought to compel the sales people to do a deal for you.Alfa Romeo 159Sales in April: 29Price:$49,990-$82,990THOUGH a non-starter in the premium sales stakes led by zer Chermans, Alfa's now five-year-old midsize sedan and wagon will be with us for another two years.Upgrades have seen it shed a bit of lard and get a six-speed automatic that works with it, as opposed to behaving like a transplanted organ the body's rejecting. Most 159s sold now are TI editions with lowered suspension and lustrous, but eminently kerbable, 19-inch alloys.Hardly the sharpest tool in the shed but, my, isn't she lovely? Gorgeous, actually.  Standard equipment levels are high, so put the acid on the dealer for a good driveaway deal.* Our choice: 2.4 JTDm auto sportwagonCitroen C5Sales in April: 16Price: $45,990-$72,990DESPITE its dashing appearance, the driving reality of this almost entirely diesel line-up can be considered exciting only if you accept boules as an extreme sport. It ain't sportif, but that's the point.What it does, in its Gallic shrugging way, is provide a classically wafty Citroen ride in a package that looks equally at home in Paris, Provence or Parramatta. The 3.0 twin turbo V6 oiler would convert an avowed petrolhead but, in Australia's Third World road conditions, isn't sufficiently superior to the 2.0-litre four potter to justify the price.* Our choice: 2.0 HDi ComfortFiat 500Sales in April: 25Price: $22,990-$33,990THING is, everyone who wants a mini 2+2 convertible goes for, well, a Mini. The irresistible new Bambino now comes with a rag top, in addition to its more stalwart though hardly less cute coupe siblings.Indeed, how much cute can you cope with? Given its level of kit and customisation options, the 500 is as much a bite-sized luxury car as a city-friendly commuting device.The current lack of an auto option in all versions across the range keeps sales to niche levels but, hey, this is a compact Italian job. Over there, even the most venerable nonna can handle a stick shift. Anecdotal evidence suggests the Fix-It-Again-Tony days are way behind Fiat.* Our choice: 1.4 Lounge manualHonda Civic HybridSales: 75-80 (since January)Price: $34,490WHILE Toyota's Prius is effectively a synonym for petrol-electric propulsion, the cheaper Honda not only looks like a car it drives like one, while returning a potential 4.6 litres per 100km. Sales are down a bit at the moment, as petrol prices are too, but an oil price spike is certain at some point. If you want a green car that doesn't make you look like Clover Moore, act soon.* Our choice: There is but oneSkoda SuperbSales in April: 6Price: From $39,990MAYBE the long Czech liftback and now wagon is just too close in essence and price to its VW Passat sibling. Maybe we don't yet "get'' big cars with small but highly efficient engines (though there's a diesel and a V6 petrol variant as well). Maybe it's a cold war hangover.Whatever it is, we're wrong. With a price realignment, the Superb offers better value, more kit, lots of space and lusher feel than the VW. It won Top Gear's luxury car of the year; the previous winner was a Rolls-Royce, for heaven's sake.* Our choice: Got to be the 1.8 turbo petrol wagon

But the 62-year-old Sicilian-born semi-retired school principal says his parents drove an FJ Holden and when he went to buy his first car salesmen tried to sell him something else. He immigrated to Australia at the age of 10 in 1957 and grew up in an Italian environment in the wine growing region of Stanthorpe."But Italians never drove Italian cars," he says. "They drove local cars, mainly Valiants because of all the chrome and the big fins. They wanted to be seen; to be noticed."For Impellizzeri, it was love at first sight when he clapped eyes on a brand-new 1969 Fiat 8590 Coupe. "It was red and sporty. It was different and I fell in love," he says. "Everyone was trying to sell me a Mini or a Torana but this was different." He paid $2350 and kept it three years."The baby came along and it got too small, so I traded it in for a second-hand 1969 125 sedan," he says. "At the time I appreciated the engineering in Fiats. They were way ahead of their time. They had four and five-speed gearboxes, four-wheel discs and belt-driven twin overhead cams. You couldn't get these things even as an option on anything else."He joined the Fiat Car Club of Australia in 1970 and attended several motorkhanas in Dubbo, driving the 850 down on Saturday, competing on Sunday, celebrating Sunday night and driving home on Monday. "We had a heap of fun in it."He kept the coupe five years and traded up to a 1974 132 GLS for $3000. He still owns it and drives it every day. "It's survived the test of time," he says. "It's so underrated. It's got 700,000km on it and you wouldn't keep a car that long if it broke down all the time."Around this time, he also bought his first Fiat restoration project, a 1950 Topolino (little mouse) 500C for which he paid just $50. "It was being used as a chook pen but the car was complete," he says. "The tyres were flat and it had grass grown all around it, but we pulled it out, took it home, cleaned and washed it, replaced the plugs, got the water out of one cylinder, put a battery in it and away it went. And it's still going."He has restored it twice and is considering another, more complete, restoration. "The first restoration was when I was young so it wasn't stripped properly in the first place and it was done on a budget." The car was deregistered in 1978 and got a more thorough restoration in 1984. In 1990, he paid $5500 for a left-hand-drive 1971 124BS Spider Sport which had been imported from the US. "It was pathetic," he says. "The engine was falling out of it because the cross member had come loose. But there wasn't a skerrick of rust on it."Impellizzeri admits that rust was a problem with most Italian cars. "They say they were treated, but if they were it wasn't worth talking about," he says. "Some say the fault was cheap Russian steel. Either way the cars we got here were all rusted. I always take off the door and interior trim and treat them with my own concoction of Killrust and fisholene. At first it smells but that's short lived. You can always spray a bit of your wife's perfume on it."Impellizzeri has spent about $15,000 bringing the Spider back to concours standard over about eight years. "You can hop in it and drive it anywhere," he says. "But the Topolino was never made for 100km/h, so I don't drive it on the open road as it struggles to keep up."His next project is a 1950s Fiat 1400 cabrio which he bought at auction in Adelaide for an undisclosed sum. "They were never sold in Australia. Only seven were imported and only two remain," he says. "When I found out how rare it was, I became interested."When he begins restoration, most of the parts will probably be found somewhere in his shed which is packed to the rafters with everything a Fiat owner would ever need. There are boxes of engine gaskets, nuts and bolts, locks and latches, horn buttons, alternator brushes, window regulators, even windscreens. "You name it, it's here," he says.So much so that even garages contact him for help and parts. Around the back of the shed are several 131 and 124 wrecks used for parts. His son, Danny, also owns some Fiats, including a 124 that he races with his father as head mechanic. The pair hope to run it in the Cootha Classic hillclimb at Mt Coot-tha on May 28-29. The event features more than 250 cars and about 50 motorcycles from the 1920s to today in timed sprints around a 1450m track up and down Sir Samuel Griffith Drive with seven corners and chicanes. Racing starts at 8.30am. Entry is $20 a day, $15 for concession, $30 for a two-day pass and $5 for parking in the J.C. Slaughter Falls carpark.

It's the topless cutie that Fiat Australia is hoping will give its stagnating 500 a swift kick in the class.  Deliveries of the soft-top Fiat 500C began last week and with more than 100 customer orders in the wings Fiat Australia is hoping the renewed interest in the re-born Fifties icon will help arrest a slide that saw the car's sales tumble from 584 in 2008 to just 342 last year.Over the same period class competitors like the Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Getz increased sales while other light passenger rivals like the Honda Jazz, Mazda 2 and Smart held their ground significantly better.  "When you are selling a car like this it is very important that there is something fresh and new (on a regular basis)," Fiat Australia spokesman Edward Rowe says."Unfortunately for us, while Fiat has recognised this on a global basis and there has been something fresh and new for the 500 every year (since the retro model was launched in Europe in 2007) we have missed out on one of those steps ... the Abarth version."As luck would have it the cars have come out of order for us. We are still hoping to have the Abarth later this year. It is definitely not off the future planning menu."While the Abarth model may yet make it to Australia, Rowe wouldn't comment on suggestions that the next stage of Fiat's global plans to keep the 500 fresh and exciting is a wagon version which could make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in October and pay tribute to the tiny 500 Giardiniera wagon from the early 1960s.In a bid to re-ignite interest in the 500 Fiat Australia set pricing for the 500C ($28,990 manual and $30,990 DuaLogic automatic) last year and started taking orders at the same time."We started forward selling it last year because we knew the numbers were going to be limited and we wanted to make sure the first cars that arrived were going to be the colours and trims that customers wanted," Rowe says. "Those orders are already well into three figures and we will probably be able to get two or three hundred this year."The 500C has the same 74kW engine featured in the 3-door hatch version coupled to either the five-speed manual or five-speed DuaLogic automatic. The electric soft-top is a dual stage affair with the cloth roof folding back between the fixed rails to be either partially or totally open.Seven airbags are standard, including a driver's kneebag, along with anti-lock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution. Electronic stability program and traction control along with a hill hold function are also standard."The Fiat 500C has to be the car to be seen in this summer," says Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager of Fiat in Australia. "But the 500C is much more than a stylish body. It shares the same technology as the 500 and that means it is as economical as it is cute, it has a five star EuroNCAP safety rating."Like the 500, the 500C is as clever as it is beautiful and fun to drive."  Rowe also downplayed suggestions that Fiat's distributorship arrangements in Australia currently held by Ateco Automotive, importers of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Citroen and Great Wall could be up for reassessment following the Fiat and Chrysler amalgamation. That joint venture is aimed giving Fiat greater distribution reach within the United States while Chrysler will win through access to Fiat's small car platforms."It is not an issue of any sort," Rowe says. "Nothing is going to change here. Neville (Ateco owner Neville Crichton) has the contract to import Fiat to Australia ... that's that."  Rowe says that news reports out of the United States that Chrysler Australia will import the Lancia Delta into Australia has fired the latest round of speculation."I think that where people have become confused is that they do not understand that it is not uncommon around the world for the same car to be sold as a different brand, even within the same market. Lancia, as a brand, will not come back to Australia ... rather the plan will likely be for a Lancia product to come to Australia as a Chrysler-badged product."Fiat 500CPrice: $28,990 (manual), $30,990 (automatic)Engine: 1.4L/4-cylinder 74kW/131NmTransmission: 5-speed manual, 5-speed DuaLogic automated manualEconomy: 6.3l/100km combined (supplied)Performance: 0-100km/h 10.5 seconds, top speed 182km/h

I realised this while finalising the judging of this year's Carsguide Car of the Year contest, which you can read about in today's liftout.  Yes, there are still bad things in cars. I think the damping of the Maserati Quattroporte is awful, cannot stand the seats in the Fiat 500, find a lot of Japanese headlamps lacklustre, and worry about the long-term quality of Alfa Romeo.But these are little things compared to some of the howlers I have driven in the past.  The Fiat Argento was supposed to be an executive express but it was so bad that it was canned after the first press preview drive. The evaluation cars were dropped onto executives and the plan died.The Holden Piazza was, for me, nasty and dangerous. I only drove it once and was glad when the over-powered Gemini coupe was binned.  On the Holden front, the Gemini diesel was also awful. Ahead of its time in efficiency but behind the times in every other way.And I could go on. And on.  But the cars of 2009 are brilliant. It truly is a golden age in motoring.  We had a lot of trouble culling the COTY field to just 10 cars and the finalists are so, so close in so many ways. Great value, too.Things will only get better in coming years and I am expecting better efficiency, better performance, more safety and so much more before the day when environmental pressures and a lack of oil turns cars into transport modules and nothing more.We should all enjoy things today because it, truly, has never been better.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

While starting from a higher base of CO2 emissions, companies such as Ferrari have made the biggest improvements, according to automotive data and intelligence provider, JATO Dynamics.Ferrari leads the CO2 volume reduction race, with a 40.4g/km improvement in CO2 output so far this year. This is the greatest volume reduction of any brand on sale in Europe and represents a 9.5 per cent improvement. Ferrari's net reduction puts it well on its way to achieving its stated aim to reduce CO2 emissions from 400g/km per vehicle to 280-300g/km, by 2012.While Ferrari can claim the greatest CO2 volume reduction, when expressed as percentage improvement, it is Alpina that is the outright best performer, although on a small sales base.The next best in percentage improvement is Porsche with 10.6 per cent reduction. Meanwhile, 96 per cent of the top 25 brands of European new cars sold so far this year have reduced CO2 output by an average of 6.2g/km.New car sales for Smart, Fiat and MINI are already under the 130g/km CO2 average required under EU legislation by 2015. The outright biggest improvement of all mainstream marques over the past year belongs to Alfa Romeo, whose average new car CO2 output fell by 19.9g/km.The top spot is taken by Chevrolet, whose diesel Cruze model and three-cylinder, 0.8-litre, 119g/km Matiz helped its new car sales to a 15.2g/km average CO2 improvement. Second is Audi, whose 2.0-litre TDi engine helped it to an average of 163g/km. Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai and Mazda also recorded double-digit improvements. Ford was best of the biggest European volume sellers, improving average CO2 by 8g/km as its ECOnetic range.The cleanest of the range is the new 98 g/km Fiesta ECOnetic which is yet to be released here.However, Ford Australia is bringing the car out for next month's 3000km Global Green Challenge trial from Darwin to Adelaide. 

The Frankfurt Motor Show literally roared to life this morning when a classic BMW 507 roadster ran laps of a custom-built oval track inside the German carmaker's $30 million stand.