Model Year | 2013 | 2016 | |
Model | Fiat 500 | Chevrolet Cruze | |
Engine | turbocharged 1.4L I4 OHC-4v 135 hp@5500 150 lb-ft@2500 |
turbocharged 1.4L I4 DOHC-4v 153 hp@5600 177 lb-ft@2000 |
|
Transmission | 5-speed manual | 6-speed shiftable automatic | |
Drivetrain | FWD | FWD | |
Body | 2dr Hatch | 4dr Sedan | |
Difference | |||
Wheelbase | 90.6 in | 106.3 in | -15.7 in |
Length | 139.6 in | 183.7 in | -44.1 in |
Width | 64.1 in | 70.5 in | -6.4 in |
Height | 59.8 in | 57.4 in | 2.4 in |
Curb Weight | 2477 lb. | 2870 lb. | -393 lb. |
Fuel Capacity | 10.5 gal. | 13.7 gal. | -3.2 gal. |
Headroom, Row 1 | 38.9 in | 38.9 in | 0 in |
Shoulder Room, Row 1 | 49.4 in | 54.9 in | -5.5 in |
Hip Room, Row 1 | 47.9 in | 53.2 in | -5.3 in |
Legroom, Row 1 | 40.7 in | 42.0 in | -1.3 in |
Headroom, Row 2 | 35.6 in | 37.3 in | -1.7 in |
Shoulder Room, Row 2 | 46.4 in | 53.2 in | -6.8 in |
Hip Room, Row 2 | 42.6 in | 51.9 in | -9.3 in |
Legroom, Row 2 | 31.7 in | 36.1 in | -4.4 in |
Total Legroom | 72.4 in (over 2 rows) | 78.1 in (over 2 rows) | -5.7 in |
Cargo Volume, Minimum | 9.5 ft3 | 14.8 ft3 | -5.3 ft3 |
Cargo Volume, Maximum | 30.1 ft3 | 14.8 ft3 | 15.3 ft3 |
2013 Fiat 500 Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Comment | |
2012 | Few seats fit everyone well. For me, the "sport seats" in the Abarth were short on both lateral and lower back support. The seatback reclines in steps, and none of the detents was quite right. Try to relax, and you'll find that the headrests are hard and uncomfortably shaped. see full Fiat 500 review |
2013 Fiat 500 Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2013 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
I like to drive small cars, but I am a large man. (6'3" and about 290lbs.) I love the seating position of the Fiat, as it sits higher, so I don't have to bend down as far to get in, as on the Mini Cooper or the Miatas I used to drive. The driving position is more upright, which I find more comfortable as well. The base model (Pop) seats are comfortable, though I would like to have the leather seats of the "Lounge" model. Ride quality is very good. There is no harshness and I easily rate it better than the Honda Civic I traded for it (2006) and many other, larger cars I drove. It is also one of the quieter cars I've owned. see full Fiat 500 review |
2013 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
Front seat very nice for money.. see full Fiat 500 review |
2012 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
Great room in front seat, and I'm tall at 6 feet. There are still enough inches above my head to wear a hat. I think the comfortable adjustable seats could accomodate anyone. I bought the cloth seats and I prefer them to the leather seats in my other see full Fiat 500 review |
2012 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Really comfortable driver's seat, but the armrest is annoying. see full Fiat 500 review |
2013 Fiat 500 Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2013 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
As previously mentioned, I would not want to use my rear seat on a regular basis. It is tight in back, and I think of it as emergency seating. see full Fiat 500 review |
2013 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Yeah, don't try to ride in the back if you are as big as me. But my kids 8 & 11 fit just fine. My family of 4 has taken the Fiat on several small family trips. I wouldn't drive with them more than a couple of hours each way, as they start to get antsy, but the kids love the car for short trips. see full Fiat 500 review |
2013 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
Rear seat is what it is..Small but bigger then you think.. I'm 5'9 and there is still leg room behind me..But for any real distance I would think it's better for kids.. This isn't really a "Con" as your buyig a small car for fun and mileage not leg room... You think this is small try a mini-Cooper back seat see full Fiat 500 review |
2012 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
Rear seat is pretty small, but no smaller than most little cars. The seats do fold down for cargo. see full Fiat 500 review |
2012 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
One more thing. Rear seat comfort was obviously not a big selling point, nor a necessary feature. But one piece of it was worse than it had to be: the rear seat headrests. The artful circular shape and limited adjustment made the rear seats even harder to use; the headrest would tend to jab passengers in their spine. A better solution which was more even with the seat back would really have helped here. see full Fiat 500 review |
2012 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
Forget about the rear seat unless you are carrying around people who really like you, or people with really short legs. There's plenty of room up front, but not so much in the back. I usually leave the seats folded to expand the cargo room. see full Fiat 500 review |
2012 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
if you need to regularly have adults sitting in the rear seat this may not be the car for you. the rear seat is fine for kids or even small adults occasionally. see full Fiat 500 review |
2016 Chevrolet Cruze Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Comment | |
2016 | The old Chevrolet Cruze, like the Ford Focus, had a rear seat on the tight side even by compact sedan standards. According to the specs, the new one has only gained a few tenths of legroom. But the improvement feels much larger. Chevrolet claims that rear knee room (not a standard spec) has increased by two inches, and this aligns much better with my perceptions. Some competitors, including the Honda Civic, continue to offer more rear seat space. But the new Cruze's back seat could be the most comfortable in the class for two average-sized men. With a position well above the floor, the rear seat cushion provides much better thigh support than the typical sedan, much less the typical compact sedan. The Civic has a lower rear cushion and insufficient foot space under its front seats, squandering its on-paper legroom advantage. Up front the Cruze has comfortable seats (though, like those in the Civic, without adjustable lumbar support) but shoulder room typical of a compact car. The Civic has two more inches of shoulder room and feels more like a midsize sedan in the front seat. Both cars have good driving positions with reasonably compact instrument panels. In L and LS trim, the new Cruze has a 14.9-cubic-foot trunk, nearly identical to that of the new Civic and about as large as you'll find in the class. But the LT and Premier have a compact spare tire that reduces cargo volume to 13.6 cubic feet. Still pretty good. Next year both cars will also be available as hatchbacks. see full Chevrolet Cruze review |
None of our members have yet commented on the seat room and comfort of the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze.