Fiat 500C Lounge manual 2016 review

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the owner's manual for the new 2016 Fiat 500C Lounge with specifications, fuel consumption and verdict.

Here's your homework. Go and find me a four-seater turbocharged European convertible for less than $28,000. Continue. I can wait. All week if needed.

For those of you who couldn't make it, shame on you. For those of you who found the Fiat 500C, well done. You passed the test and won a million Internet points that can be spent on what they are good for.

The Fiat 500 has been something of a hit (relatively) in Australia (it's also a hit back home, but Italians appreciate small, fuel-efficient cars) and even though prices went up a year or so ago, they're still on sale. . The volumes are small, but they are enough for local production to sell four variants (not counting the Abarth version), two of which are convertibles.

Price and features

Fiat offers two levels of specifications for both the hatchback and the 500 convertible; pop and living room. Our bright red Lounge manual starts at $25,000 and the Dualogic machine (a much less pleasant choice) costs another $1500. With fewer gears and a smaller 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine, the Pop costs only $22,000. For a convertible, especially with this style, it's a bargain.

Fiat is honest to say that this is not a real convertible - the canvas roof slides back, splits in two and crumple behind the heads of the rear passengers, like the cover of an old school baby carriage. However, the sun shines overhead and that's enough for some.

You'll be lounging (sorry) on 15-inch alloy wheels, listening to a six-speaker stereo, and enjoying amenities such as air conditioning, remote central locking, rear parking sensors, digital instrument cluster, satellite navigation, power windows, power pressure sensors in tires and roof.

The stereo is powered by Fiat UConnect, which is a good thing. The interface is super-simple (there are several different versions of the system) and the only catch is slow TomTom navigation.

The five-inch screen is small and dim (convertibles need bright screens), the targets are small, but it has DAB and decent app integration.

You can add a few options - the $2500 Perfezionaire package wraps some interior elements in leather, adds an inch to alloy wheels, and swaps halogen headlights for xenon ones. Pastel or metallic paint (all but one color) add $500 to $1000. You can also specify the color of the soft top: red, black or beige ("ivory"), as well as several options for interior trim in fabric and leather.

practicality

It's a tiny car, so space is at a premium. Front-seat passengers get a reasonable deal, and even with the roof closed, there's plenty of room for them, except for shoulder room, which is plenty. Passengers in the back seat will be less than thrilled, although once the circulation to their legs stops after about 10 minutes, they will probably stop complaining and just pass out.

There are two cupholders up front and another pair between the front seats to bring the total to four, exactly the same as the number of passengers. There's a small phone slot in front of the front cupholders and a spring-mesh pocket on the driver's side of the console, again a good place for a phone.

The trunk holds 182 liters and has a small opening so only small suitcases will fit. However, larger ones can be fed through the open roof. Looking at this car, you do not expect it to be a truck.

Design

The 500 is definitely a stylish car, as is its Anglo-German competitor, the Mini. In terms of style and size, it's much closer to the original 500 than the Mini was to its predecessors, albeit at a much lower risk. There's actually a bit of meat all around you - unlike the paper-thin original that hugs skin, and the engine is in the front rather than dangling in the back.

On sale, the new 500 is approaching a decade and has now reached what Fiat calls the Series IV. There have been a few subtle changes, but the Nuovo Cinquecento still looks pretty good (and it's funny) given its age. The timeless design does just that. 

The interior has also steadily improved over the years, but still looks bare but isn't actually bare. Of course, none of the technology is particularly mind-blowing (or well-integrated), but the color-matched dashboard and retro 1950s feel suit the car well. There is a strong Bakelite smell in the shapes of the large buttons and switches, but it never smells like Fisher Price.

The interior has a number of cool options, all quite retro, although some border on bad taste.

Engine and Transmission

The Lounge is powered by Fiat's superb 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 74kW and 131Nm. The power finds its way through the six-speed manual we had or the optional Dualogic we would have avoided. Even though it only carries 992kg (tare included…add an extra 20kg for curb weight), it's not a rocket.

Fuel consumption

As we roamed the curbs and headed to the beach for photos, the 500C was consuming premium unleaded petrol at 7.4L/100km. You really have to work with this 1.4 and there is no stop-start to quench its thirst. Fiat claims 6.1 l/100 km on the combined cycle, so we're not a million miles away. In fact, I would even say that it is achievable if you are trying to achieve it very slowly.

Driving

A convertible isn't as fun to drive as a hatchback (or Abarth), but it's aimed at a completely different audience. The clutch and gearbox are light and easy to use, but the steering requires a bit more rotation than I like in my small hatches. It's not like the tires support hard cornering, so the slow steering is a bit at odds with the lightning-fast nature of the rest of the car.

The MultiAir engine, which was highly acclaimed at launch and rightfully so, is still competitive but could be better. The tuning condition in this version is a little low and just doesn't have the pep that other cars have, such as, say, the Alfa Giulietta. It is a bit noisy when you are going but calms down when you get up and travel.

Nevertheless, it is a good and fun city car. You really have to work on the engine to get the turbo spinning, but the long-throw gearbox is a little fun and sits really close to the steering wheel. You can imagine the Romans hunched over the dashboard, bouncing on the cobblestones and ducking between slow moving pedestrians as they honked and hovered away.

It's commendably quiet on the freeway, the lined roof does a pretty decent job of pretending to be a hardtop. The glass back screen helps too - it may be small, but you can see through it, unlike the nasty milky plastic screens of yesteryear.

The roof is down, it's obviously noisy in traffic, but once you're away from the noise, it's good fun. The wind doesn't blow over your head, you can only speak by raising your voice slightly, and it's so quiet that the sound doesn't have to carry far, wherever your passengers are sitting. The roof weds itself over the rear passengers' heads and cuts rearward visibility in half, making it difficult to park the 500C with the roof down. Rear gauges help, and the fact that there's almost no car behind that accordion-style roof.

Not really anything to complain about, but the mirrored glass in the side mirrors swaying is distracting when you're behind the wheel.

safety

Seven airbags (including knee airbags), ABS, stability and traction control, and lap belts for everyone.

The Model 500 received a five-star ANCAP safety rating in March 2008.

Property

Fiat provides a three-year warranty or 150,000 km, plus roadside assistance for three years. Free service is offered through promotions, but limited service is not offered.

The cars aren't much quieter than the 500, and the 500C further increases the relaxation factor. It's not a real convertible, really, but what it loses in the full open air feel it more than makes up for with a little extra survivability, a trunk that holds, you know, a few things, and two (very) random seats in the cabin. back.

You can't fault the value for money, mainly because there isn't a cheaper convertible on the market. There isn't much difference between Pop and Lounge, so if you're willing to go even slower, Pop is probably for you.

Would you prefer the 500C Lounge to a Mini Convertible or a DS3 Convertible? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Click here for more pricing and specs for the 2016 Fiat Lounge 500.