Used 2015 FIAT 500 Consumer Reviews
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great little car
Cameron, 07/28/2015
updated 08/01/2016
2015 FIAT 500 Abarth 2dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
50 of 51 people found this review helpful
I've had this for around 8-10 months, so I can't really say much on long term reliability, but its a fun little car. No parking aids on my, but then again whats the point. just aiming it in the general direction is good enough. It's small enough where i can just go "Eh, good enough" and it is. It's a quick car, and still has decent acceleration at 60+ mph. It handles and grips well, is a lot of fun as a daily driver, well at least when there isn't too much traffic. The driving position is quite high, coming from my 98' BMW, but it somehow just adds to the fun. I've seen people complain about the lack of space, and granted, the rear seats kinda suck, but there's more than enough room if you only need to drive yourself or one other person around, not to mention it just is a physically smaller car which I like. If I'm careful, I can get 36-37 mpg between city and highway with traffic, could probably get 38-39 if there wasn't any traffic, but I generally don't bother with it. More fun not worrying about mileage, and even when being rather liberal with the gas it still gets decent mileage. Get's about the same range as my BMW did, I use a higher grade gas, and it still costs ~15$ less to fill up the tank. I think the ride is quite good, though my dad said the BMW felt like a rock (never really noticed myself). It makes a nice sound making it somewhat ridiculous, but not over the top. It's not super loud or anything, but it's enough to put a smile on my face. I couldn't be happier with it, Edit ~2 years later, been reliable enough, it can go through a bit of oil, not a leak, just keep an eye on it. Also fairly easy to modus probably hit the gas more than I should, and I'm almost always in sport mode I get a combined of about 30-31mpg.
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Awesome little commuter/city car
b-Row, 08/01/2016
2015 FIAT 500 C Abarth 2dr Convertible (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
28 of 28 people found this review helpful
I got mine used. Fiat's rather undeserving reputation for poor quality works out for those of us buying used. Car was probably 33000 with every single option available new and I picked it up for 14000 with 15k miles and 2 years old. So, not the car you want to absorb initial price on. Even if the price stayed strong like a honda, 33k would be a bit much for a car this size and power. A great MX-5 could be had for less than that. PRACTICALITY- It can seat 4 as long as they're all middling size. I'm 6'3" and can fit my teen children and wife in there. Not for long, but it can be done. Not much cargo space on the cabriolet, but enough to do a grocery run without putting the seats down. Gets good fuel mileage without giving up power. INTERIOR AMENITIES- Beats Audio is pretty great. I've owned a lot of cars and this has the best stereo ever. I thought the HK in the Mini S was nice. No where near. Controls are simple. Not many options. Has an easy to access menu in the gauge cluster to adjust beeps and DRL etc. Instant and trip MPG. Normal car computer stuff. Bluetooth is lacking. Technically you can use it to connect phone calls. But NO BT STREAMING AUDIO to the stereo. Unforgivable. Does have the requisite USB and 1/8" jack though. Seats (leather) are comfortable. Height adjustable (a la VW). Passengers complain about the rear headrests. The rear seats are almost perpendicular to the ground and the headrests stick out in front of them. You pretty much have to lean forward. BUT... technically its for safety. Safe isn't always comfortable. The arm rest is only on the drivers seat and is perfect for me. My wife considers it to be too high (she's short). It can be stowed if it bothers you. Seats are bolstered but not straight jacket. You sit high for a sports car.... but its not a sports car. Its a hot hatch. Good visibility. you never notice how small the car is till you park it or squeeze by into the turn lane that's almost blocked. DRIVABILITY- I came out of a mk6 GTI most recently. The GTI was almost too perfect. It lacked fun. You had to bring it to a track to get "on the edge" safely. The abarth isn't an "est" car. Its not the fastest, not the best in corners, its not the most powerful. What it lacks in power and skid pad and rapid weight transfer, it makes up for in spades with FUN. It must be driven on the edge. You don't sit back and marvel at your speed through the turn. You earn it. It handles better than most things on the road and anything in its class, but it doesn't beat your brains out on rough roads. It has a very sophisticated shock absorber that lets it soak up bumps and still perform. The shifter is spot on. Some call it sloppy. It doesn't offer a lot of feed back, but I've NEVER missed a shift. Only thing weird about it is that it will let you try to put it in reverse if you forget its only a 5 speed and try to grab 6th. When you come to a stop in a 3 point turn, if you quickly shift from forward to reverse you might hear it grind as the transmission spins very freely. The ASC is VERY intrusive when "all the way on". Starting from a green light can find you bogging down if you try to start quickly at all. The tiny firm tires try to spin on intersection rubble and the ASC/TSC kicks in and cuts the throttle all but completely. I generally drive it on "1 push". That is. Tapping the ASC controls put it in a "sport" mode. It allows a bit of wheel spin and will let you performa an "L" turn with the hand brake before it stops you. It still assists if you start sliding around a corner, or stab the brakes too hard out of a dip. Push and hold the ASC button for 5 seconds and you're in track mode. Full off as far as I can tell. Smoke the tires, pull J turns, drift through chicanes, spin backwards into the gravel or trees. Not a great idea for the road, but kicks butt on the auto cross circuit. The ASC has saved me a couple times. It has my trust. The noise... OH the noise. Pops and crackles. Pull away from the drive up window and you hear the turbo spin up. Build full boost at anything below maximum torque curve and let off to a satisfying after fire. The car has NO MUFFLER! Catalytic converter into down pipe, into a small flex converter---- 6 feet of straight pipe, T to the 2 outlets. Its obnoxious in confined spaces. On the road its not even noticeable. No drone, just a very european crackle. Blip the throttle between shifts. Sounds race car. The pedal box is perfect. My wife automatically learned to heel toe. She had never even heard the term before. It just comes naturally in the 500. "I can brake and rev match without taking my foot off the brake". Its amazing. The steering is responsive but not heavy. The steering wheel could be better. I can't find a perfect place for my hands. It wants you to be at 10&2 but I prefer a 9&3. The car has a bit of body flex and body lean, but nothing dramatic.
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Give this car a chance, you won't be dissapointed
Shawn, 03/28/2016
2015 FIAT 500 Pop 2dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl 5M)
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
The big deal with these cars are the value for the money. It's a very capable car when you maintain it and drive it responsibly. I drive my 15 pop with manual transmission 120 miles a day. At 19k miles I have had no problems. The car handles incredibly well on curvy roads, and it has adequate acceleration. I love flying buy more expensive cars on winding roads because they are over priced 2 ton behemoths! As a car guy who just came from a 300hp car, it takes some getting use to, but, once you realize how much better the mpgs are (36-40highway) and the handling improvement, it's actually more fun to drive than my 12 challenger. It has torque so going up bridges and hills is actually easier than other cars. The interior style is a great way to be received everyday. My car has a red and white interior and the wife loves it and anyone who rides in it loves it. Much better than the bland silver and black also rans from toyota or mazda. You will be surprised how much you can do with this little car. it's a hatchback so you can carry quite a bit when you fold down the seats. So in my opinion give these cars a chance.
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500 Turbo - anti-Yaris, anti-Fit, anti-boring.
Kirsten, 08/21/2016
updated 09/16/2022
2015 FIAT 500 Turbo 2dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
21 of 22 people found this review helpful
The 500 turbo - slotting in between the non-turbo models on the low-end, and more powerful turbo Abarth model on the high end, is definitely a bit of a "goldilocks" fit for people interested in commuting. This is my second FIAT purchased new, and I'm generally pretty pleased with the car. My one modification is the exhaust system like that of the Abarth - a loud, open exhaust. This car will turn heads because of the sound - in a good way (it doesn't sound like a fart-can Civic from Fast and the Furious, but more like the sensational Alfa Romeo 4C). In any case, this car is a competent handler once you get used to the high-riding seats. It's easy to drive in stop-and-go traffic with simple hydraulic clutch that has nice progressive engagement, and a snappy five-speed stick with fairly close ratios. If you're nice, this is a car easily capable of beating it's EPA ratings, especially on the freeway, where I've seen averages approach 45mpg. And even if you're naughty, you're still going to struggle to do worse than 25mpg city which is great fuel economy for a turbocharged car with a close-ratio gearbox being driven inefficiently. With the seats folded you're going to be able to carry plenty of groceries, and even with them up, you can fit luggage for two on a weekend getaway. Yes, the newer Fiats can stream audio over bluetooth and have infotainment stuff, but that's not the point of this car. What this thing is is simple: it's the cheapest performance-oriented turbo car for sale in the US, and it's a real driver's car. Your money is buying not just the 240,000rpm turbo which pushes 15-18psi of boost, but you're getting a forged crankshaft and pistons, with oil sprayers to keep those pistons cool. You get twin intercoolers, an upgraded transmission, and the most notable thing - upgraded brakes (bigger rotors, performance pads). The brakes are among the grabbiest and firmest you'll find in anything for sale for less than $40,000. They are probably the best brakes, period, on a car that stickers for < $20k. All of this makes for a compelling little car that wants you to be happy and have fun. If you look at a grey Yaris, or silver Fit and think that cars like that are a punishment, this is the car you want. It's a pitbull puppy that wants to tear the face off of your coworker's Fiesta. It wants you to take the backroads and have a laugh. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and reminds you to live life and have fun. Now, a final word about these cars: in the same way that they're not boring Honda or Toyota products in the ways mentioned above, they are very Italian in one other way - they need a little TLC. Mine has had a few little things (power window motor needing adjustment, bluetooth software issues) dealt with under warranty. If you look at other reviews, people seem to lose their cool about this stuff, which is unfortunate because it can happen with any car. Especially if you decide to buy a turbo car (any turbo car, not just a Fiat), be aware that maintenance matters a lot more, as does paying attention to things like fluids. Turbo cars like the Fiat may use a little oil (consume, not leak) between oil changes - it's a good idea to keep an eye on it. The sticky Pirelli tires that come on this car from the factory aren't going to last 50,000 miles like the crappy eco tires on the Yaris. But if you love cars, and are willing to spend a little extra effort and patience loving this one, it's get to to 50,000 smiles, guaranteed. update 02.26.2018: my car has not had any significant mechanical faults, but I have had two dealership visits for warranty-related service. The first replaced a leaking radiator hose; this is a fairly common issue with these cars. Not a big deal, just got it repaired and was on my way. The second was an ECU electrical fault whereby the car was throwing check engine lights repeatedly for misfires, etc., when there was no actual mechanical fault. They reflased the ECU after doing a lot of diagnostics to rule out any mechanical problem, and no mechanical problem was found. Fiat service does great work, and they do it efficiently! Beyond that: new tires at 21k miles and 41k miles. New front brakes (wear related) at 37k mi. New spark plugs at 32k mi; really important for a turbo car. Given that it's a performance-oriented car and I am driving with high performance tires, slotted brakes, etc., this car has been really cheap to maintain. :) 2020 update: Just shy of 90k miles now, no major issues to report. Like any turbocharged car, it is important to keep an eye on the oil level (I check it every 700-1000 miles) and top-off as needed. No leaks, no breakdowns, no major issues. The factory-installed battery was replaced this year; it lasted about 5 and a half years from the date of manufacture, so no complaints there. 2022 update: This will be my final update of this car, as I sold it in August. When sold, it had some 120,000 miles on the clock and was still running the original clutch, which I would say is fairly impressive for any car. The vehicle had no major mechanical problems of any kind in the time I owned it and was still blowing cold air on the original A/C and coolant, still rubbing the original radiator, transmission, power steering, belts, etc. The only fault it had developed by the time it was sold was a persistent airbag light related to a failure of a sensor in the seat or seatbelt latch. I had elected to purchase a new vehicle by the time this happened and didn’t end up fixing it, so I’m not sure what it ultimately cost. Nevertheless, my time with this car was mostly free of problems and entirely free of major issues. I can recommend it as a daily commuter car for the kind of person who is okay with checking their own oil and maybe doing maintenance like brake pads, as the car did go through three sets of brakes in the time I had it. It was a good car, never stranded me anywhere, and though I’ve moved on to a bigger and faster roadster, I’ll miss the character this little Fiat had and that crazy turbo soundtrack. While everyone told me it would be unreliable, I feel I’ve proven that to be false and have no regrets about my ownership experience. I even got a pretty good sale price for it, considering the mileage. Definitely better than the Yaris. Thanks for the smiles, Fiat. <3
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Great LITTLE Car
Curtis, 04/20/2016
2015 FIAT 500 Sport 2dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl 5M)
29 of 32 people found this review helpful
If you looking for a sports car this is not what you want. The 500 is efficient, easy to park and peppy with the 5-speed. Plenty of room for 2 and I am a big guy. This little car brakes and drives well. It was not built for acceleration so even with a 5-speed is not fast but adequate. My last car of this size was the Ford Fiesta ST which was more cramped had a horrible ride quality although much faster. The car seems to perform better on premium grade fuel. At a 10 gallon capacity on the tank it will not break your wallet to by better gas and performance is much improved. I had a hick up with the blue tooth system in the car after the install of Apple 9.3 on my phone. I just disconnected the battery cable for 10 minutes and the system reset itself. If you want fun and style this is a great car. Space is limited for more than 2 adults and so is storage. If you need a small car for mostly in town use this a great choice and 2015 brought some great improvements to the dash and radio. I average 36-39 MPG all the time as stated this using premium fuel.
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