2012 Fiat 500 Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Read before buying a FIAT by Joss

Feature availability

This car is just outright fun. Small. Nimble. Peppy. One of the best exhaust soundtracks I've heard. It's my work vehicle. I commute about 70 miles per day in traffic that can never be predicted. While I've owned more and less powerful cars in my long history, this one struck a balance. The gas mileage is steady at about 29/mpg and I always run in sport mode.

Safety & braking

I hope to warn people that this vehicle is DANGEROUS. I had an accident on March 22, 2013. A vehicle in the right lane crossed in front of me while making a u-turn. I was traveling at 30mph and had no time to react. I t-boned a Ford Escape. The other driver was cited. The AIRBAG did not deploy and the SEATBELT failed. I struck the steering wheel with my chest enough to dislodge the wheel. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital with significant compression damage to my sternum. Damage to the vehicle is, so far, estimated at $13 thousand. They are estimating 6 weeks to get parts and repair. The engine will not start and they are hoping it is just a crank sensor problem. Take this into consideration. Safety is paramount in a vehicle this size. I will never, from this point, allow my child to ride in it.

I hope this helps someone.