Used 2017 FIAT 500X Consumer Reviews

The 500X never stops disappointing

Its been about 6 months with my 500X and there's not a day that goes by that I regret the decision to buy it. I had a few problems once I first bought the car and was received poorly at my Fiat agency and Fiat USA. Ther was never any acknowledgement of the problems (shiftiness, tire screeching, electronic malfunction), instead they just assured me everything was ok. Well it's month six and those problems, sans the electronic, are still there. Add a horrible, annoying and constant rattling from both doors and that's what I put up with daily. I regret not buying a Mazda or Honda.

Unfortunate issues

I owned the Fiat 500 L, which was totalled, and I walked away from the crash, so for that, I was thankful. I had many issues with my car, but for the price and accessories, I considered the 500 X. I had it as my rental car. It already had issues with only 4000 miles on it. The engine was hiccup ping already and some back up camera issues were already there. I had to have my backup camera replaced at 15000 miles and had already changed my brakes at 20000. Hope this helps.

Love this car more than any I've ever owned

I am 58 years old with a chronic pain condition. I was getting pain in my hip and back because my old car was not ergonomic and I had started a new job that gave me a longer commute. I'm a very practical person so I've stuck with Hondas and Toyotas most of my life. I decided to look for a new car, and my top concern was a comfortable, power adjustable seat. I test drove Honda, Toyota, VW, and Chevy. Just for yucks I thought I'd stop by the Fiat dealer, which I passed every day on my way home. The 500 was adorable but uncomfortable for me. The salesman suggested I look at the 500x and when I test drove it, it was the most comfortable seat I ever tried. I had such a bias in my mind against Fiat that I didn't bother to discuss numbers, and went my merry way to try more Hondas, Toyotas, etc. I couldn't get it out of my mind how comfortable the Fiat was, and I loved the look so I went back for a 2nd test drive. Sure enough, still the most comfy seat I had tried. Turned out to be right in my price range. I've had it 2 months and still love it. Back pain is much better. Everybody comments on my car and says they love it. A couple of drawbacks, though. When weather and engine are cold, acceleration is very sluggish. Solution is to use remote start while walking to car, and let it run a couple of minutes before driving, but that does cut into mpg. Also, auto transmission upshifts at 2000 RPM instead of 2500, and hovers around 1500. Sometimes it feels like engine is lugging, though it has never stalled. I can live with those issues, all things considered. I think Fiat markets to young people but they should think about marketing to seniors, as this car is extremely easy to get in and out of, is not too low or high. So many of the Hondas, Toyotas, etc. are downright UGLY this year with huge black grills and weird angles that make them look like a monster. It's nice to have a car that's stylish and meets my practical needs at the same time. I thought I hated driving because of my back pain. Now I love to drive. Freeway mpg as high as 36 with no traffic.

Great value

Any car ,or make will have issues. My Fiat 500x 2016 manual transmission is great. Anything with moving parts will have issues ,no matter what car company you choose. There are many factors involved to rate a car. How the car is being used and driven. The maintenance, and how many people drive it. My Fiat has 35000 kilometers on it and it's bin a great vehicle with minimal issues. Fun to drive good on fuel, and comfortable. My trim is 500X 1.4 lt trekking manual. Not listed in trim option Thank you Fiat!

Manual Makes it Better!!!

Ok...so I had an Abarth...Manual...w 5 speed. But we're having a child soon so I had to trade in w 500x Manual. It comes with 6 speed. Boy ...it shifts better. Smooth. Often I missed my Abarth Exhaust notes. But I'm starting to like this 500x because even though it's the same engine, 6 speed is a lot better for both cars. Clutch is really easy to shift...it is never a chores. I was never a Fiat fun till now. Big Trunk, lots of room interior and driver seat is also comfy. I wish they put CD player. Man i miss it too. Saves gas also even though it runs premium but hey if put 70mph on cruise, you'll get like 32mpg at least. So yes..if you want manual, roomy, big trunk this is the one for you.

6 months and still love it

Leased the due to reliability concerns bit so far, no problems. Love the styling. The optional two tone dash and seats are awesome - retro feel and fun. Only con is gas mileage. City driver here and averaging 20mpg. Would 3xpect much better from a new car but pros offset this

500x lover

we have owned this 500x for almost two years. great mpg 25-28mpg city/combination, 32+ on the hwy. 36mog highest. very comfortable seating. great height adjustable driver and passenger seats. no real issues. oil changes/tire rotation only maintenance. only real problem is that the original nexen tires will be lucky to last 30,000 miles

so far so good. love my 500x

first of all .. i bought my 500x july 2015 and this car hasn't give me any problems ANY problems. I had owned mini coopers and they have always given me a headache.

faulty electronics

Extremely upset with this car! Faulty electronics. As I am driving, in the rain, the electronics will go haywire, air bags disable, power steering disabled, can barely get it to stop. It will either shut off or will not let me shut off. I have had it in the shop so many times and it still not fixed. I was on a very busy road when this last time happened. Do I have to die before something is done??

Not bad for the money-it’s great! Dr Tasso Pappas.

We had the pleasure of moving to a metro area. We’ve had many suburbans in Tahoe’s and larger SUVs. Including Jeep grand Cherokee’s. We love those vehicles. But I love the fear. In one of the worst blizzards I’ve seen in the Midwest the Fiat 500 X handled better than anything else I’ve ever driven except a Subaru outback. The interstate was closed 20 minutes after I went down at passing vehicle safely. I’ve never felt more solid in the vehicle. It’s like a cute jellybean with all wheel drive. The front seats are incredibly comfortable and luxurious. However, there’s minimal legroom in the Backseat. The finish is nice and the steering wheel is incredibly comfortable. The motor is a little week for acceleration but does the job in the city. It’s it’s much higher than you think. Compared to its sibling the jeep renegade it’s a much more luxurious and cute car with greater personality. The ride is better due to the difference in suspensions. Because usually get about five to $7000 off the sticker price it’s a great value. I’ll buy another one again once they offer adaptive cruise control

This would be a good car, if it had a good engine!

The 500X is a nice little SUV, with many fine attributes. Unfortunately, it is hobbled by a sluggish engine and transmission. The engine and transmission look impressive on paper, with 180 HP and 9 speeds. But, they fail to deliver. My rental, with only 8000 miles on it, had a bad tendency to hesitate at the worst possible times. Even when the hesitating was not pronounced, there was a noticeable delay between pressing the gas pedal and the car moving. The engine has no torque below 2500 RPM. I experimented with manual shifting and then flooring the accelerator. Below 2500, the engine was weak. Passing situations, where you may be at 45 MPH and want to move in the passing lane with traffic rapidly approaching from the rear, were unnerving. It seems like an eternity before the transmission downshifts, and the engine builds enough torque to accelerate the car. The Sport mode works by holding the RPM's about 1000 higher, but it did not improve the performance much. Generally, the acceleration was either "too little", or "too much", and rarely "just right". I tried moderately accelerating, but the transmission quickly goes into a higher gear, making the accelerating sluggish. Trying to accelerate only slightly faster resulted in abrupt downshifts, and the engine racing towards its red line. This gives other drivers the impression that you are trying to race them, when you are only trying to get reasonable acceleration out of it. An auto magazine found that the smaller engine and manual transmission was actually faster than the larger engine and automatic. This does not surprise me. Other reviews have mentioned the balky transmission, so I don't believe that my car was an isolated case. I am not sure about the hesitation. that is unusual in a modern car. Driving in mountainous areas was a chore, and manual shifting worked best. But there is little engine braking below 4000 RPM, so going down 8 percent grades was a noisy affair. I will leave the other details about the car to other reviewers. First, see if you are going to be happy with the engine and transmission, and then look at the rest of the car's features.

Mostly good, but some serious issues.

There are many things I love about this car, but I want to focus on the reasons why I am slightly regretting my purchase. The first is the terrible road noise at freeway speed, it's not bad if you have the radio on. But if you are talking to a passenger it can be a bit annoying, and taking a call on the Bluetooth system, don't even bother while going down the freeway because the person on the other line will just tell you that there is too much background noise to hear well. As for safety, I was really happy at the ratings it received. Unfortunately because of the pillar side airbags being so chunky, it leaves way too much blind area not just while making turns but can leave a pedestrian invisible at the pillar as you approach. To correct this I have to constantly move my head left and right to see around the pillar. I've never experienced so many close calls in any other car. And if you do have to break hard, get ready to veer left or right (that's part of the surprise, you don't get to know which direction it will take you). Even if you hold the steering wheel perfectly straight while moderately or heavily breaking you will veer sharply and there is nothing you can do to prevent it. Then we have the transmittion, it does not matter if it is in auto or semi-auto, it lags something terrible. Sometimes when you slow down and then begin to accelerate, it can take up to three seconds to react and downshift for any power at all. 4th and 5th gear changes are always clunky and late, leaving you to lurch about. If you are in auto and briefly (as in less than a seconds worth) press hard on the gas, it will down shift into second regardless of speed and take nearly half a minute to get back to the proper gear. This leaves you looking like a proper knob who is trying to race other drivers while you are at maximum revs. The final issue I have is that a warning light came on for the fab to be serviced (owning the car for only seven months). The dealership said that it needs an update and they would contact me in another month if it is available by then. In the meantime I get a pinging warning when I open the car door, start the car (which leaves a warning in place of the speed for 30 seconds annoyingly), when I turn off the car and again when I open my door to get out. And I have to deal with this obnoxious feature for at lease a month while they work on an update. I can't fanthom why in the world this is an issue in the first place.

MY NIGHTMARE

Make sure when it spends time in the shop (WHICH IS OFTEN) the STEALERSHIP gives you the same car to drive not a billboard to advertise for them. I purchased a NEW 2017 FIAT 500x Trekking car on 01/17/2019 from Peake Chrysler in Sodus NY 14551. By 01/21/2019 the FIAT is at the dealership with no heat... They ordered a part for 01/22/2019 replaced it and it’s still not working right, now they tell me they have to order another part which is due in on 01/23/2019 and their not sure that’s going to work. What to do ??? I'm about to take the plates off it and bring back the key and tell them to keep it... The car has 349 miles on it and so far it’s been at the STEALERSHIP as long as I’ve owned it....

Avoid this car!

I can't tell you how disappointed I am with this car. I was so excited to get it. It looks cool and has a lot of nice features, but quality-wise, it is very poor. Road noise is excessive, I am on my 3rd sunroof so far in the first year due to it being loose and rocking and rattling in the roof. I am on my 2nd air conditioner unit due to it smelling like mold. I think water somehow gets into the system and molds in there, so when it is turned on, it smells like mold/mildew. It is a fun car to drive, but the seats are pretty hard, so it is terrible for long road trips. My old van was so much more comfortable. I tried to get the lemon law on this car but Chrysler basically denied any problems. I have had this car in the dealer at least 2 1/2 months of the time I've had it. Too bad I bought it rather than leased it. Now I am stuck with this lemon. I would stay far far away from this car and Chrysler in general-they are the worst!

FOOL ME 1X SHAME ON YOU FOOL ME 2XA SHAME ON ME

Where should I begin? I purchased a FIAT 500L in 2012. The car was a disaster. I took it to the dealership many times. The last thing that did was to stop in the middle of the highway. When I brought it for service. Guess what had happened? the clutch BURNED. BURNED!!!! YES. Brand new car and the clutch burned. I freaked out in the middle of the highway. I had to get out and the next day I took it immediately to Rick Case FIAT. They had to give me a rental because the car was unsafe to drive. Well.. maybe I should've thought about it more carefully, but I loved the look of the FIAT so much that I decided to get a new FIAT instead. Because the other one ... well you know what happened. The clutch BURNED. So I decided to lease a 500X thinking it was a "much better" version of the old one and thinking this one was not going to have any problems at all. Well....WRONG! I leased this car on September of 2015. I had taken this car about 5-6 times already. The last 3 times for the same exact reason. The car is simply unsafe to drive. I do not feel safe in that car. I am scared of driving it and for something bad to happen to me. I will NEVER purchase a FIAT EVER again. I am so disappointed, upset, and simply can't believe how awful my experience has been with FIAT.

2016 500x fiat engine locked

I got this car after trading in my Nissan Maxima. Dealer said it was a great car reliable good on gas so forth. After having a car for less than 6 weeks the car completely shut off on the interstate. The brake locked car would not start. Take it to the dealership dealership has a minute to diagnose it. They tried to say it was an electrical problem. And truth I don't think they know. Now they're saying the engine has locked up. No problems with car until I had an oil change. If I were you I would not get this car. This car needs to be recalled. It is a safety hazard to anyone and their family. It will shut off at high speeds. Will not start and horrible weather. What's even worse is Chrysler will not own up to the fact that this is not a great car this car is deadly. I almost lost my life. Sat in 90 degree weather until a tow truck came to get me and the car. Was not even offered a rental car. Please do yourself a favor and do not get this car.

Traded in a Honda

I’ve had this car for 4 years with no issues. More fun & more style. I don't miss my CRV at all. I live in Chicago so 4x4 is required and my 500x stands out from all the other SUVs that all seem to look the same. The Uconnect system is easy to use with great features. Love the quality of the leather interior (10 times better quality than the Honda) and all the hi tech safety features. This car has a personality - love it!

Worst car ever!

I bought this car in December 2015 , 2016 fiat 500x , a month later my nightmare started, I can’t not count how many times my car is being at the dealer , always is a new problem , electrical problems , motor mount are awful, air conditioning, it was one time my car was at the dealer for two month , ah counting also every time with a rental car , I’m very upset and sad with my car , it was the worst purchase ever, I do not recommend it ,they devalued so bad , I did call fiat to get an advise and see how can I get rid off my car and they told me will be something that I have to resolve with the dealer, I went back to the dealer and they didn’t help me at all, I’m desperate with this car , paying every month for something that I know is a piece of garbage!

Best build fiat

Terrible! Problems from the beginning!

Stay away. My car has had issues since the beginning. Constantly has issues with the electrical system that make it undriveable. Fiat was unable to fix it even while new and under warranty. Avoid Fiat. They do not stand behind their vehicles, and the quality just isn't there unfortunately.

Unbelievable amount of issues

Let's see where to start, the car was completely fine until about 35,000 MI. Then the engine had to be replaced due to a recall because it was burning through oil. Then the front axle just fell off, got it back for a week then had a drive mode unavailable issue. It wouldn't shift take it back to the dealer $900 computer part fix. Week later same error is popping up and we have to take it back to the dealer. Not to mention the front door handle just falling randomly off. The car still doesn't even have 50,000 miles, stay away from Fiats I would never recommend one. Update at 60k miles: so when they replaced the engine it seems like they didn't do a proper job of securing it so all the engine mounts went bad, engine mounts are very cheap but the dealer refused to take responsibility and the labor on taking the engine out ended up costing us like another $900. These engine mounts magically went bad nine months after they replaced the engine, they claim that they weren't bad when they checked it. There's no way engine mounts went from 100% fine to busted in less than 7,000 mi and 9 months. Also, now the trunk latch doesn't work anymore the rubber popper fell out along with the switch that makes the connection to move the trunk, there is no interior release or a way to do it from the key fob so the trunk just will not open anymore. It's about a $500 repair if you take it in or if you buy the whole assembly for the Chrome bit in the back like $200.

Don't bother!

Stay away from this car! FCA had to buy it back as the BCM (Body control module) could not be programmed. Was a headache dealing with FCA.. Horrible customer service.. I will never purchase ANY vehicle that falls under the title or umbrella of FCA. DO NOT waste your money!

After 2 years

Unless it has been improved on the road noise is very annoying on some surfaces. My son and I have done some work on upgrading that issue with sound deadening material and it has helped but still annoying. When stopped at a traffic signal I have to put the transmission in idle because of the annoying vibration from the engine.

Small crossover that thinks its a small car

After my wife's 500c was wrecked we looked until we found an absolutely loaded 500x. The car doesnt have a ton of power but the 2.4 revs high and mated to the decent 9 speed auto it makes it a lot of fun to drive. The steering is pretty numb but you can whip this car around pretty good. The handling of the car is good for being a but top heavy. The gas mileage isn't out of this world maybe average at best. The interior is nice front seats are comfortable and supportive and the controls are well placed and easy to use. The car is an absolute blast in the snow. Turn off ESC and put it in sport mode for a lot of fun. I'd reccomend it to anyone looking for a small suv/crossover that stands out. Deffinatly a lot of Italian flair.

It’s an OK car

Bought a 2016 500x Easy with only 40k miles on it. Shifting is really rough, especially with those first few gears, like throw your head back into the seat kind of rough. Also rough downshifting when braking. Other than that, the car was awesome. Cute, spacious, and very up to date with technology. I unfortunately returned it to the dealer because I had a 2013 Ford Focus before the Fiat and it had horrible transmission problems so I was too paranoid with the Fiats hard shifting and didn’t want it to become a problem later down the road. I hear there’s a software patch for the shifting but I also hear it only makes it more bearable and doesn’t fix the problem entirely. Not saying it’s a bad car but do your research!

Superb performance!!!

I bought this car new in 2016 and have only taken it to the shop for oil change, Have driven it for 31,000 miles already and I truly recommend it specially for newer generation. Well recommended!

IN LOVE WITH MY CAR!!!

I've only know Fiat's my entire life. My first car that I learned how to drive on was a 2014 FIAT 500 Pop and it was the best little car I have ever had. The only complaint I ever had with it is that sometime my 50 mph was not the same as other cars' 50 mph. I had to upgrade to the 2016 FIAT 500x and I'm absolutely in love with it. I did quite a bit of research on it before purchasing and was prepared for it to be a "rough riding car" as the review said. It certainly does rattle a bit due to the motor mounts holding the engine in place and yes – the automatic transmission does have issues with low power shifts. Other than that, its a fantastic little car that – with time – you learn about its little quirks and can tell when it needs something fixed. 10/10 would recommend!!!

Dependable

Liked reliability and accelerating when necessary. Manual transmission no problems.

Best safety features

My 2017 Fiat 500x lounge with 14000 miles. It has been a good reliable car with no issues, it looks great and i love the safety features offered to the driver. Other manufactures advertise the forward collision avoidance system but fail to give the details, some work up to 19mph and some only start above 37 mph where fiat gives you up to full speed, and i have read it in the owners manual, be aware most car salesmen have no idea on the numbers and just tell you that it has it. Overall fun car to drive and its been reliable.

Fiat 500X

I do love my 2016 Fiat 500X Trekking. I love the heated seats real leather seats, steering wheel sunroof, adjusted driver seat, the safety side mirrors and the smooth ride. I have had many compliments on this car its classy. It's a pretty blue suv.

We have only had problems.

Are we enjoy how the car looks and the interior amenities that come with the 2016 feet at 500 X AWD Trekking plus we have a literally only have issues. So much has needed replacement under the warranty and now they were 2000 miles off of the warranty our field dealership is saying the drivetrain needs to be completely replaced. Plus they should also come into account when thinking about buying an Fiat There’s not many mechanics can service them because of where their parts come, and they’re more of a specialty car. So expect to only go to your Fiat dealership wherever the nearest one might be to you. We’ve owned this car for just over a year and we’ve been to the fiat dealership 7 times to fix various issues.

Love at first sit

I bought my FIAT 500x Lounge gently used. I was actually in the dealership to look at the Jeep Renegade, but the specific one I had come in to see had sold. I noticed the FIAT and asked if I could test drive it. It was love at first sit. I have a bad neck and back, and it is hard for me to comfortable in a vehicle. The 500x is hands down the most comfortable seat I have encountered. The sporty look, quality of the trim and awesome sound system are just icing on the cake for me. I will agree that the transmission is a bit 'confused' at times. However, I have learned to drive it so it shifts quite smoothly. It just takes some getting used to. It rides incredibly smoothly on the freeway. Not the quietest car I have ever driven, but also not the loudest. The road noise is perceivable but not distracting. Overall the FIAT 500x Lounge offers a smooth, solid and sturdy ride with great visibility and plentiful features. I love my FIAT!

Practical and cute

Very practical and nice compact SUV. Very different from all the Start Wars creases and inlets of modern SUVs.

AVOID !!!!!

They are turds on wheels. Constant issues one after another.

A good car

I love my little Fiat X, It does really well in the snow. I did have to buy snow tires (but that was during the year Utah had an atmospheric river.) It did really well traveling through the valley, I commute 40 minutes, and I am grateful it did well. My only frustration was the key fob battery died every year, had to replace it often. My battery needed to be replaced but that was standard for a car that old. I would recommend this car.