Joined
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15 Posts
Hello everyone,
I got mine last week and so far I've done ~1000 miles. It is a 1.6 diesel, lounge edition with about 4k worth of extras. I'll write a short review about the car, then let you guys ask questions.
The good stuff
Probably the best FIAT car I've ever owned or driven. I haven't driven the FIAT Freemont (ex-Jeep Grand Cherokee) but with that exception I can easily state that this is the very best FIAT car I've seen up close and personal (and I've even owned or driven a few of the professional stuff like the Doblo/Ducato vans).
The car has a solid feel, drives nicely and rolls easily without hesitation (1.6 diesel has lots of power). I drove it in snow and in some bad weather conditions, the "all weather" mode worked as expected and the car was quick to react when driven on slippery surfaces. Much better than other 2-wheel drive cars that I've driven. The car has a lot of sound insulation than previous FIAT cars, it really feels like a more expensive car and makes long distance trips quite comfortable. 5 out of 5 for that.
The interior is larger than I expected, a bit larger than all the competitors that I tested (mini countryman, capture, juke, etc). The Italians did a great job with the leather interior, seats and the dashboard cosmetics/design. The "double" glove compartments are quite neat, the hidden led lights in all the compartments are handy and the storage spaces very impressive. The steering wheel comes with leather trim and lots of buttons, including a bunch hidden behind it! 5 out of 5 for that.
How about the centre console between the two front seats, that has a USB slot, which allows the cable to come out and stretch towards the rear passengers, for charging mobile devices. Fun.
The gadgets are quite important to the new generation of kids, so I had to have... everything. I can truly say that the blind spot assist is one of the most useful items that all cars must have (like they have ESP as compulsory). Lane assist is... interesting. Maybe not useful when driving in a busy city centre like London, or Rome, but quite helpful on motorways. Especially if you are drunk. It probably won't help if you are heavily stoned or sedated. Your mileage may vary.
The exterior is... gorgeous. Yep, sales of the 500L will plummet down to nothing, I expect FIAT to stop its production very soon. Some touches are quite cool, like the "500" badges inside the bi-xenon lights.
Now the bad stuff
I couldn't really find anything bad with the "body" of the car or anything in the mechanics of it, the car is very solid and nicely build (unlike previous fiats). But there are some things that bother me.
For example, the rear passengers have no rear air vents. If they are cold/hot, they have to deal with it and wait for the air to circulate first from the front. I've seen smaller and cheaper cars with rear air vents, so this was a disappointment for some family members.
Another issue, is the "hand resting" centre console between the two front seats. While it seems like a nice plate to store stuff and to use the USB slot (as mentioned above), it seems it was fitted waaay too much towards the rear. The rear passengers complain that it gets in the way of their feet. Plus, it has no function for the rear passengers, unlike in other cars that I've had (no rear 12V plug, no rear coffee cup holder, etc). So yes, there is no rear coffee cup holder... oh my.
The boot of the car is of average size. So what does it mean? "average"? well the way I think about it, is that its good enough for 2-3 days of luggage, but not good enough for 6-7 days. If you have one baby in the family, the car will hold all its stuff no problem, but if you have two babys (or child etc) then you are... erm... unlucky.
Finally, the gadgets are in their early stages of development. I've had the 6.5" navi crash on me once, the media bluetooth crash twice and suddenly connect to a ghost iPod that doesn't exist, and the automatic braking control went crazy with errors during the snow storm. While I paid a small fortune for the extra 6.5" screen and all its funky features, it still feels gimmicky and cheap, something that was fitted in cheap cars 5+ years ago and not something that should be fitted in a 2015 car. Probably my only real disappointment.
PS:
just for reference, here is what I've put on my car:
- bixenon
- rear view camera
- lane assist
- brake control assist
- blind spot assist
- cruise control
- drivers seat height adjustment
- 3rd rear head rest
- extra floor mats
- automatic lights day/night sensor
- electric exterior mirrors open/close
- rain sensor
- interior electrochromatic mirror
- uconnect nav 6,5" with 3d maps
- sd card, 2nd usb slot
- drivers electric lower back control (not sure what it was called)
- some other stuff that I forget...
I got mine last week and so far I've done ~1000 miles. It is a 1.6 diesel, lounge edition with about 4k worth of extras. I'll write a short review about the car, then let you guys ask questions.
The good stuff
Probably the best FIAT car I've ever owned or driven. I haven't driven the FIAT Freemont (ex-Jeep Grand Cherokee) but with that exception I can easily state that this is the very best FIAT car I've seen up close and personal (and I've even owned or driven a few of the professional stuff like the Doblo/Ducato vans).
The car has a solid feel, drives nicely and rolls easily without hesitation (1.6 diesel has lots of power). I drove it in snow and in some bad weather conditions, the "all weather" mode worked as expected and the car was quick to react when driven on slippery surfaces. Much better than other 2-wheel drive cars that I've driven. The car has a lot of sound insulation than previous FIAT cars, it really feels like a more expensive car and makes long distance trips quite comfortable. 5 out of 5 for that.
The interior is larger than I expected, a bit larger than all the competitors that I tested (mini countryman, capture, juke, etc). The Italians did a great job with the leather interior, seats and the dashboard cosmetics/design. The "double" glove compartments are quite neat, the hidden led lights in all the compartments are handy and the storage spaces very impressive. The steering wheel comes with leather trim and lots of buttons, including a bunch hidden behind it! 5 out of 5 for that.
How about the centre console between the two front seats, that has a USB slot, which allows the cable to come out and stretch towards the rear passengers, for charging mobile devices. Fun.
The gadgets are quite important to the new generation of kids, so I had to have... everything. I can truly say that the blind spot assist is one of the most useful items that all cars must have (like they have ESP as compulsory). Lane assist is... interesting. Maybe not useful when driving in a busy city centre like London, or Rome, but quite helpful on motorways. Especially if you are drunk. It probably won't help if you are heavily stoned or sedated. Your mileage may vary.
The exterior is... gorgeous. Yep, sales of the 500L will plummet down to nothing, I expect FIAT to stop its production very soon. Some touches are quite cool, like the "500" badges inside the bi-xenon lights.
Now the bad stuff
I couldn't really find anything bad with the "body" of the car or anything in the mechanics of it, the car is very solid and nicely build (unlike previous fiats). But there are some things that bother me.
For example, the rear passengers have no rear air vents. If they are cold/hot, they have to deal with it and wait for the air to circulate first from the front. I've seen smaller and cheaper cars with rear air vents, so this was a disappointment for some family members.
Another issue, is the "hand resting" centre console between the two front seats. While it seems like a nice plate to store stuff and to use the USB slot (as mentioned above), it seems it was fitted waaay too much towards the rear. The rear passengers complain that it gets in the way of their feet. Plus, it has no function for the rear passengers, unlike in other cars that I've had (no rear 12V plug, no rear coffee cup holder, etc). So yes, there is no rear coffee cup holder... oh my.
The boot of the car is of average size. So what does it mean? "average"? well the way I think about it, is that its good enough for 2-3 days of luggage, but not good enough for 6-7 days. If you have one baby in the family, the car will hold all its stuff no problem, but if you have two babys (or child etc) then you are... erm... unlucky.
Finally, the gadgets are in their early stages of development. I've had the 6.5" navi crash on me once, the media bluetooth crash twice and suddenly connect to a ghost iPod that doesn't exist, and the automatic braking control went crazy with errors during the snow storm. While I paid a small fortune for the extra 6.5" screen and all its funky features, it still feels gimmicky and cheap, something that was fitted in cheap cars 5+ years ago and not something that should be fitted in a 2015 car. Probably my only real disappointment.
PS:
just for reference, here is what I've put on my car:
- bixenon
- rear view camera
- lane assist
- brake control assist
- blind spot assist
- cruise control
- drivers seat height adjustment
- 3rd rear head rest
- extra floor mats
- automatic lights day/night sensor
- electric exterior mirrors open/close
- rain sensor
- interior electrochromatic mirror
- uconnect nav 6,5" with 3d maps
- sd card, 2nd usb slot
- drivers electric lower back control (not sure what it was called)
- some other stuff that I forget...
