Review - 2014 FIAT 500e

[FAPTurbo]

FIAT's 500e is an odd vehicle, in that it's one of the industry's better EV efforts and yet it's publicly loathed by FIAT's own CEO.

Though sold only in California and Oregon, a number of 500e's are coming off lease, needing new homes. Unlike many Americans in late 2016 who swore they'd move to Canada, FIAT 500e's are actually following through on those plans, aware of Canada's love of cheap and cheerful compacts.

Juicy Jolt

A couple diminutive expats ended up at a nearby lot, one of which was a bright, juicy orange with a white accented spoiler, air dam and mirrors. Despite being a fairly old vehicle, this colour combination is akin to a Scaramucci-esque botox and bake, turning this familiar 10 year old design into a charismatic creamsicle-coloured cherub.

Though a dated interior, the 500e's cream white dash and matching faux-leather seats spruce the space up enough to take eyes off of the hard plastics. Orange accents on the doors and the seating add a playful, premium flair, albeit once your hand's drawn to them, do you realize this is still an economy car.

Buttons and dials are close at hand and easy to use, and felt relatively satisfying to press, save for the one blank 'dead' button below the climate controls. I wish companies would make the effort to turn dead buttons into something, even if it's redundant functionality.

A single digital display occupies the gauge pod, providing easy to read speed, mileage and remaining power information. Like some other electrics and hybrids, the 500e provides feedback on your driving; green for being energy efficient, red for not. It's not as gamified as Ford's use of green leaves in their system but it works well enough.  

Using manual controls, finding a comfortable seating position for my 6'3 frame was easy, with legroom to spare. The seats didn't feel as if I'd slid into a penalty box, and I felt well supported. Aside from the chunky B-pillars, the seats provided a commanding view of the road, moreso than some other cars I've driven in this class.

Rear space is adequate for a grocery run, and with the seats folded down, the 500e is surprisingly spacious. 

The Cinquecento With Zip

Upon starting the vehicle, an other-worldly digital screech pierced the cabin for over three seconds and my nightmares forever. The sound was similar to someone holding a microphone near a speaker. This apparently was an issue with the head-unit which the dealer promised would be fixed. However, upon looking through some paperwork, it seems attempts to fix the issue had taken place by the prior dealer. Having something like this happen on a fairly new car speaks volumes about FIAT's quality.

But after you hit 'D' on the centre console and hit the road, the 500e's gremlins took a back seat in what is a genuinely fun runabout.  

Acceleration from 0 - 50km/h is brisk, and I found myself taking the right lane at red lights to get the jump on everyone else. While nowhere as visceral as a Tesla's take-off, the FIAT springs forward with just enough brio to put a cheeky smirk on your face, not unlike the one you had when you drove a go-kart for the first time.

Dancing through traffic is a breeze with the 500e's instant torque and diminutive proportions. Zipping in and out of lanes, and around city corners is good fun, despite the hard, mileage-oriented tires and extra 600 lbs from the batteries, as well as the large B-pillar on the left side which creates a sizeable blind spot.

The 500e's steering is engaging enough for most of us, and the car would likely be an entertaining cliffside drive alternative to its Abarth cousin.

Parking the FIAT is simple, with it's small stature and included sensors making it easy to whip in and out of stalls, and in-between cars, even with the blind sports impeding vision. Best of all, the 500e's driver likely won't have to hunt for a spot very long, with plenty of EV-specific stalls in parkades.

With about 150 kilometers of range, the 500e's is suitable for the average Canadian commute of 17km to work.

(Insert Stereotypical Italian Phrase Here)

I didn't have an opportunity to take the 500e on the freeway, nor charge it. Range is a respectable 150km, which is competitive considering a current-year base model Nissan Leaf and standard Smart Electric clock in at 135km and 160km respectively, while the FIAT offers arguably more spirited handling and panache. 

At used prices hovering around $15,000 CAD and fairly low mileages, the 500e makes a great deal of sense as a primary car for people living in or adjacent to a city. 

I have two major concerns:

First, is that FIAT's battery warranty is not applicable in Canada. This means that owners will have to pay out of pocket in the event of issues. Dealers are being fairly up-front about this, however some of their ads promise 'free powertrain warranty' or 'free lifetime engine warranty,' which don't apply to the battery system and while likely from a template, are dubious. 

Second of course, is FIAT's own reliability track record, which reinforces my first concern.

[regfootball]

Nice write up

[G. David Felt]

@FAPTurbo Nice write up, good to get another persons perspective on these little Joules!

So at 6'3" do you consider yourself long body and short legs or long legs short body? Just wondering based on your comment of how you fit in the 500e?

[FAPTurbo]

6 hours ago, dfelt said:

@FAPTurbo Nice write up, good to get another persons perspective on these little Joules!

So at 6'3" do you consider yourself long body and short legs or long legs short body? Just wondering based on your comment of how you fit in the 500e?

i'm a 34" inseam so my legs are shorter, letting me get comfier in compacts.

[G. David Felt]

10 minutes ago, FAPTurbo said:

i'm a 34" inseam so my legs are shorter, letting me get comfier in compacts.

Got it, I am the opposite, 40" inseam. So long legs.

[ocnblu]

Isn't inseam measured from the ground to your taint?  I wear 30x30 pants.

[G. David Felt]

On 8/15/2017 at 5:39 PM, ocnblu said:

Isn't inseam measured from the ground to your taint?  I wear 30x30 pants.

Yes, Yes they do from those fuzzy things called balls to the ground.

So 30x30 we could call you Orbicular or Cubicular then.   jk

[ocnblu]

10 hours ago, dfelt said:

Yes, Yes they do from those fuzzy things called balls to the ground.

So 30x30 we could call you Orbicular or Cubicular then.   jk