2017 FIAT 500 Review

Standard features for the base Pop trim include 15-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, keyless locking/unlocking, air-conditioning, full power accessories, cruise control, cloth upholstery, a height-adjustable driver seat, a 7-inch color driver information display, 50/50-split folding rear seatbacks, a tilt-only leather-wrapped steering wheel, and Fiat Chrysler's Uconnect infotainment interface with a 5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, voice controls and a six-speaker Alpine audio system with an auxiliary audio input and two USB ports (one for mobile device integration, the other for charging). The Pop convertible also comes with rear parking sensors and a windscreen that fits between the rear seats.

The luxurious Lounge trim includes all of the above, plus chrome exterior trim, foglights, a fixed glass roof, rear parking sensors, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, automatic climate control, heated front seats, leather upholstery and satellite radio.

At the top of the Fiat 500 food chain is the performance-focused Abarth. It includes the foglights and parking sensors from the Lounge and adds a turbocharged engine, 16-inch wheels, a rear spoiler, sportier suspension tuning, upgraded brakes with red-painted calipers, a performance exhaust system, distinctive exterior and interior styling tweaks, premium cloth upholstery, a leather-wrapped shift knob, a sport steering wheel and front floor mats.

Some of the Lounge's extra features can be added to the Pop and Abarth as options. Other popular options include a sunroof for coupe models, 16-inch (Lounge) or 17-inch wheels (Abarth), a six-speaker Beats Audio sound system with a trunk-mounted subwoofer, a navigation system, and a variety of Mopar-branded exterior and interior styling enhancements.

Two engines are available for the 2017 Fiat 500, both of which send power to the front wheels.

The Pop and Lounge trim levels receive a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 101 horsepower and 98 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard. In Edmunds performance testing, a Fiat 500 (with the no-longer-available manual transmission) went from zero to 60 mph in 10.4 seconds, a laggardly time for the class. An automatic-equipped 500C was even slower in our testing, needing a sloth-like 12.4 seconds to get to 60 mph.

The Fiat 500 earns EPA estimates of 34 mpg combined (31 city/38 highway) with the manual, but opting for the automatic cuts efficiency to a humdrum 29 mpg combined (27 city/33 highway).

The Abarth model's 1.4-liter turbocharged engine makes 160 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque with the available five-speed manual transmission. With the six-speed automatic, those output figures change slightly to 157 hp and 183 lb-ft of torque. In Edmunds testing, a manual Abarth coupe sprinted to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, while an automatic Abarth convertible did it in 7.5 seconds. The Abarth's fuel economy is estimated at 30 mpg combined (28 city/33 highway) with the manual and 27 mpg combined (24 city/32 highway) with the automatic.