Model Year | 2015 | 2017 | |
Model | Fiat 500 | Volkswagen Golf / GTI | |
Engine | |||
Transmission | |||
Drivetrain | |||
Body | 2dr Hatch | 2dr Hatch | |
Difference | |||
Wheelbase | 90.6 in | 103.8 in | -13.2 in |
Length | 139.6 in | 167.5 in | -27.9 in |
Width | 64.1 in | 70.5 in | -6.4 in |
Height | 59.8 in | 57.2 in | 2.6 in |
Curb Weight | 2366 lb. | 2901 lb. | -535 lb. |
Fuel Capacity | 10.5 gal. | 13.2 gal. | -2.7 gal. |
Headroom, Row 1 | 38.9 in | 38.4 in | 0.5 in |
Shoulder Room, Row 1 | 49.4 in | 55.9 in | -6.5 in |
Hip Room, Row 1 | 47.9 in | 0.0 in | 47.9 in |
Legroom, Row 1 | 40.7 in | 41.2 in | -0.5 in |
Headroom, Row 2 | 35.6 in | 38.1 in | -2.5 in |
Shoulder Room, Row 2 | 46.4 in | 53.9 in | -7.5 in |
Hip Room, Row 2 | 42.6 in | 0.0 in | 42.6 in |
Legroom, Row 2 | 31.7 in | 35.6 in | -3.9 in |
Total Legroom | 72.4 in (over 2 rows) | 76.8 in (over 2 rows) | -4.4 in |
Cargo Volume, Minimum | 9.5 ft3 | 22.8 ft3 | -13.3 ft3 |
Cargo Volume, Maximum | 30.1 ft3 | 52.7 ft3 | -22.6 ft3 |
2015 Fiat 500 Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2015 | 2dr Hatch turbocharged 160hp 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Rear seating is very cramped, and the ease of entry/exit is poor. Think of the rear seats as emergency seating- like a Porsche 911, and you get the idea. No one will want to travel across town in the rear seats. Forget a road trip entirely. see full Fiat 500 review |
2015 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Roomy in front but narrow. With two people in front you're bound to rub shoulders or arms when using the arm rests. see full Fiat 500 review |
2015 | 2dr Hatch 101-horsepower 1.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
I would not put anyone on the rear seats. Maybe very short people for short distances. see full Fiat 500 review |
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Comment | |
2016 | As I've noted before (when reviewing the e-Golf), the seventh-generation Golf's front seats are shaped and padded to provide nearly ideal comfort and support in daily driving. The CX-5's driver seat also fit me well, but not quite as well as the Volkswagen's. Compared to other compact hatchbacks and its ancestors, the current Golf has a roomy rear seat. I can sit behind my 5-9 self with about five inches of air ahead of my knees. Unless unusually tall people populate both rows, the amount of space should be beyond adequate. Compare the Golf SportWagen's rear seat to that in the CX-5, and a funny thing happens. On paper, the Mazda provides about 3.5 more inches of legroom. When sitting behind myself in both vehicles, though, I had about half as much space ahead of my knees in the CX-5. I've noticed in the past that VW measures rear legroom very conservatively, and apparently they continue to do so. The Golf's interior is roomier than the official specs suggest. Plus its rear seat passengers get air vents. The Mazda's do not. This said, I'm not entirely comfortable in the Golf SportWagen's rear seat. To me it feels overly reclined. In neither the GSW nor the CX-5 is the degree of recline adjustable. It is in some compact crossovers. see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review |
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2016 | 2dr Hatch turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD |
Difficult ingress and egress see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review |