Take that, recession! Auto sales have been steadily increasing month after month and fuel prices have been increasing as well, prompting more and more Americans to trade-in their larger, aging cars and trucks for smaller more fuel-efficient models.
I certainly found myself in that category, so after three years and over 57,000 miles, it was time to find a new ride and retire old “Gramma” my venerable 1997 Ford Taurus. With so many new models on the market this Spring, I had my work cut out for me when choosing which car would eventually win me over. Now, some of you may already know which one i’ve chosen, but this is how I came to my car-shopping conclusion:
I narrowed down my choices to a more specific range of cars. I knew I wanted a small hatchback with good value, eye-catching style and a fair bit of amenities. There certainly are a number of cars that could fit the bill, so I figured the best place to start was Ford’s Fiesta hatchback.
Fiesta’s SES trim, with the optional 6-speed automatic, starts at $18,595 and would provide such niceties such as alloy wheels, SYNC voice-activated audio and phone controls and auxiliary input for an MP3 player. Pretty nice, considering i’m coming out of a 15-year-old Taurus with a cassette player that doesn’t even work.
On the road, the Fiesta feels sprightly around town, but at highway speeds there’s a fair bit of road and engine noise. It does handle quite nicely with less body roll than expected around tighter corners. Interior materials seem to be on-par with the rest of this booming segment, but the design of the dashboard and controls is busy and not immediately easy to use.
A solid hatchback, with almost everything I was looking for, the Fiesta drives a hard bargain. However, i’d be breaking my own first rule of auto-buying if I stopped there, so I proceeded to complete my due diligence by visiting my neighborhood Kia dealer.
Kia’s all-new Rio 5-door aims to give Fiesta and competitors a run for their money. The Rio 5-door EX with Convenience Package includes similar equipment to the Ford: alloy wheels, voice activated audio and phone controls, etc. Plus, it adds a rear backup camera and Kia’s industry leading 10-year/100,000 mile warranty, all for just $18,250. Needless to say, on paper the Kia looked to be winning.
On the road though, the Kia is thoroughly disappointing. It’s boy-racer looks and long list of amenities couldn’t make up for a hum-drum driving experience. Based on the Hyundai Accent sedan and hatchback, the Rio has a calm and serene ride, but toss it into a fast corner and the body rolls and the tires howl for grip.
The interior design of the Rio was much preferred over the Fiesta, however the seating position was less comfortable and I struggled to find the right balance, always seeming to either be too close or too far away from the steering wheel and pedals. Interior materials are also on par with segment, possibly edging past the Fiesta slightly with switches and buttons with a more tactile feel.
Not to be dissuaded from my mission to find the right car, I headed across the street to a Chevrolet dealer to try the all-new Chevrolet Sonic. Chevrolet’s Super Bowl ad for the Sonic showed some daredevil stunts including jumping it over a ramp and parachuting from an airplane, but I would need to find out how would the Sonic fare on Metro-Detroit’s highways and boulevards.
The Sonic 2LT with Connectivity Package provided a competitive equipment list with my most sought after features including alloy wheels and BlueTooth and rang the register at $18,255, just $5 more than the Kia. Also, Sonic boasts the quickest 0-60 time compared with the Fiesta and Rio, which promised extra oomph for zipping around town and extra passing power at freeway speeds.
The Sonic does drive well and feels quicker than the competition. I was impressed by the power delivery and tight driving characteristics which backed up the Sonic’s bad-boy looks. Chevrolet says Sonic styling is derived from sport-bikes for a unique look inside and out. I can’t say, however, that I find the styling appealing. The round headlamps and aggressive front fascia seem a little overwrought for me and don’t seem to match the boxy rear two-thirds of the car.
The instrument panel was a turn-off as well. There’s a rectangular digital speedometer flanked by a large tachometer on one side with small circular detail elements above and below, which look like they should be buttons or displays but in reality do nothing. It drives very well, but I feared the car’s styling wouldn’t age as gracefully as the others.
So, onto my fourth drive, the Fiat 500. Normally compared with cars like the Mini Cooper, Smart ForTwo and measly Scion iQ, I felt the Fiat was more comparable with other slightly larger subcompact hatches. Unlike the others, the Fiat is only a three-door, which means rear-seat entry and exit is more difficult and promises less rear passenger space. Indeed, the Fiat is more of a 2+2 rather than a full five-seat small car.
At $18,050, the Fiat trumps all of the others for lowest price of admission, including the optional alloy wheels, spare tire (that’s right, folks, optional spare…) and 6-speed automatic transmission. But, whereas all of the other cars must be optioned up to include things like BlueTooth, the Fiat offers it as standard on all models, which means I could stick with the base model Pop instead of optioning for the more expensive Sport or Lounge trims.
On the road, the Fiat soaks up bumps quite nicely considering it’s got the shortest wheelbase here. Highway cruising is surprisingly effortless and zipping around town is quite a hoot. The 500 offers the least amount of horsepower in the group with just 101. When compared to Fiesta’s 120, it doesn’t seem like much less, but the Sonic and Rio both offer 138 from their four-cylinders.
Cinquecento, as it’s called in Europe, also offers the least amount of cargo capacity, the narrowest cabin and only 34 miles-per-gallon highway with the automatic transmission. Not the best, considering both the Fiesta and Rio each get nearly 40-mpg highway.
Styling of the 500 can simply be described as polarizing. You’ll either love it or hate it. Frankly, I love it. The clean, European design is both retro and contemporary inside and out. Interior ergonomics are great, although some controls take some getting used to. For example, the seat-back recline levers are located inboard rather than outboard. The seating position itself is comfortable though, as you sit more upright than in the other cars which makes it feel like driving a larger car.
I was able to find a comfortable driving position right away, unlike in the Kia and all controls felt well placed and easy to find, even on the very first time behind the wheel, unlike the Fiesta.
Much like the Sonic, the 500 has a somewhat non-traditional instrument cluster, however with a different spin, literally. There are two gauges, speed and revs, that work concentrically to one another, with the speedometer on top and the tach working just within it. Centrally located is the car’s trip computer system, which Fiat calls the Electronic Vehicle Information Center or EVIC. This digital display shows time, date, temperature, fuel level and engine temperature and can be configured to show all sorts of vehicle data such as average and instant fuel economy and multiple trip counters. It is all very neat and easy to read and operate, a win for the Fiat!
All four of these cars would undoubtedly provide me with more than just basic transportation, better fuel economy and would ultimately be more reliable than my aging Taurus, but which one should I choose. I took a few months to think it over, pouring over tiny details and spec sheets, but the one that just kept calling to me was: The Fiat 500! Specifically, in Espresso with a two-tone ivory and dark brown interior.
So, you’re probably asking yourself: How does the car with the least amount of passenger space, horsepower, MPGs and cargo space win my hard-earned cash? Well that’s simple, it’s the car’s charm! From the very first drive, I must say I was hooked. The car is cheerful to drive, cheerful to look at and it’s the only one here I found myself WANTING to own. The other three are great cars, but Cinquecento also offers something none of them can, and that’s exclusivity, at least for now.
Introducing: Giuseppe! My brand new 2012 Fiat 500 Pop
The Fiat brand only a year ago re-entered the U.S. auto market, a result of it’s partnership with Chrysler Group, and for that reason the car is bit unique. Fiat aims to sell many more and is bringing different variants to the U.S. market in the next few years to bolster sales. The Abarth high-performance model should be in showrooms this summer, an all-electric version sometime in 2013 and a version of the new 500L (“L” stands for large) that was shown at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.
When Fiat left the U.S. auto market in 1983, it left a bad impression with some consumers for poor build quality, unreliability and rusting body panels. So, buying in with a new 2012 model does require some blind faith. So far, my 500, which i’ve lovingly named Giuseppe, seems to be very well built and wouldn’t you know it, i’m averaging better miles-per-gallon than estimated.
I’ve had Giuseppe for less than a month, after picking him up on St. Patrick’s Day, and so far have put on only about 700 miles. I couldn’t be any happier with my decision, but stay tuned for regular updates as I plan to let my readers know just how far a little blind faith can take me.
