2012 FIAT 500 Lounge Philadelphia

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Every model in the 2012 FIAT 500 lineup is impressive, offers excellent style, and is truly a great value. Sitting at the top of the lineup is the Lounge model.  The FIAT 500 trim adds comfort and convenience, with the automatic transmission, softened ride and steering, added chrome, more amenities, and optional leather. Overall, the 500 retains its Italian sense of style that helped make it so popular in Europe. The 2012 Fiat 500 comes standard with stability and traction control, antilock disc brakes, a driver knee airbag, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. Other than the Smart Fortwo, the Fiat 500 is the smallest car sold in the United States. Nonetheless, the high-mounted front seats allow for an impressive amount of legroom even for tall drivers. Dimensionally between the ForTwo and the Mini Cooper, the 500 appears more substantial and less toy-like than the Smart; being nearly three feet longer than the ForTwo helps. Compared to the Mini Cooper, the 500 is six inches shorter, 2.2 inches narrower and 3.1 inches taller. FIAT's 1.4-liter MultiAir four-cylinder makes a modest 101 horsepower, but that's enough to move the sub-2,500-pound hatchback easily enough.

2012 FIAT Lounge Cabin

The FIAT 500 Lounge is larger in the inside than it looks. Once in the supportive driver's seat, the 500 doesn't feel small from behind the wheel. The two front seats are plenty roomy. Visibility is unhindered and aided by the exterior mirrors that feature a blind-spot facet. The 500 will seat four passengers in a modern and artistic interior. Major controls come in black or an appealing eggshell trim, and a glossy dash panel matches the car's exterior paint. The radio, mounted at the top of the dash, is easy to use. The FIAT 500 Lounge includes an impressive list of standard features, in relation to its cost. Inside, the Italian influence is apparent. The 500 greets occupants with a fun, bright, happy and functional cabin. The instrument cluster presents its key data with a gauge-within-a-gauge arrangement. The speedometer is the largest sweep and the tachometer resides inside the speedometer with a digital LCD cluster nestled inside. Bluetooth is standard, and the 500 Lounge offers safety with a 5-star crash rating, sporty performance, fuel economy, technology, cool style and good looks. It features seven airbags, a new 1.4-liter engine with something called MultiAir cylinder head technology, state-of-the-art BLUE&ME hands-free technology and a Bose sound system standard on the Lounge, and a great 5-speed gearbox or optional 6-speed manual automatic transmission that's also fun. 

'12 FIAT 500 Lounge Drive

The FIAT 500 Lounges is powered by a 1.4-liter engine, just as the other models in the lineup do. The largest difference between the Lounge and the other models is that the Lounge comes standard with the automatic. The 500 Lounge also offers much looser and easier steering, another words this is a perfect vehicle for the city. The more relaxed steering makes the whole car feel a bit bigger, but the fixed glass roof in the Lounge has something to do with that, too. The electric power steering delivers good road feel and turns with appropriate effort. There's a sport mode for the automatic transmission that sharpens and delays the shifts nicely, without too much override. Steering effort and throttle mapping change when you toggle the Sport button on and off, and in 500s with an automatic, gear shifts are held longer and the speed of the shifts is reduced when Sport mode is active.

Design of the FIAT Lounge 500

The Lounge model is unique in that it has a chrome rear bumper that adds a touch from the '50s. The front of the FIAT 500, with round halogen projector headlamps and parking lights, combines the family resemblance of other FIAT models sold in Italy, with a modern interpretation of the original Cinquecento. The FIAT 500 Lounge is just shorter than a MINI. The original 500 had a canvas roof that's legendary, and today's 500 features an optional dark glass roof that copies the style.  It's a winning European design that's been brought to the U.S. after four years. The optional sunroof is available as fixed or powered. The rear view is stylized by a chrome license-plate brow, common in cars today, but true to the original Cinquecento that was inspired by a bicycle seat, believe it or not. The ear taillamps are located between the edges of the liftgate and follow the door's vertical cutline. For a contemporary look, the rear glass spans the width of the liftgate and meets cleanly at the pillar.

Summary

The FIAT brand has officially returned to the United States after a 26-year hiatus. The FIAT Lounge offers the 6-speed manual automatic, a fixed glass roof that makes it feel bigger inside, premium fabric seats, Sirius satellite radio, 15-inch aluminum wheels with wagonwheel spokes, and more trim and chrome on the outside. It has the same softer suspension, steering, and body panels as the Pop. There are fourteen exterior colors, as well as fourteen unique seat color and material combination to choose from. Although the 500 is a small vehicle, it doesn't feel small from behind the wheel. The two front seats are plenty roomy. Visibility is unhindered and aided by the exterior mirrors that feature a blind-spot facet. For more on this model visit the official FIAT USA website!

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com