Drove a 2013 Fiat 500 for a week; Love my Yaris even more

[Dark Paw]

Roxy, u ever driven a JDM Vitz RS? Drive one & compare it to the 500. That I think is a better option to compare than a standard Yaris. Stock RS handles very well, better than most other subcompacts.

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by Dark Paw

Roxy, u ever driven a JDM Vitz RS? Drive one & compare it to the 500. That I think is a better option to compare than a standard Yaris. Stock RS handles very well, better than most other subcompacts.

yep. I actually lived in Japan for big chunks of 3 years. I still have more fun driving the 500, even the basic one sold here (Pop). the steering in sport mode is (imo)still better than in the RS, and with that short wheel base it is a blast to drive. interestingly, I never cared for the abarth. the ride is too jarring, and the extra power, for me, just isn't necessary in such a small car.

still, I moved to a yaris because I absolutely needed a little more room and I was no longer willing to have my closest dealer 2 hours away. I can still enjoy driving the yaris. give me a small car and a stick and I can have fun.

[Dark Paw]

Ok kool. Mine's a stick, not very fast in stock trim though I've put a few compatable cars to shame, very fun. I've never driven a 500, can't compare. Hell I fine wanna lol, I'm a Toyota loyalist... Sorta.

[tk-421]

For the record, I've been driving a 2014 Fiat 500 with CVT semi-regularly and it's not half bad. It has a "sport" button that tightens the steering wheel and suspension and shortens the gear ratios. It's also pretty good with gas mileage (comparable to my Yaris).

This is the very first car with CVT that I've ever driven, so I'm not sure if it's unique to this car, but it's pretty much impossible to engine-brake without feeling that I'm wrecking the tranny. Does anyone know if this is common to all CVTs?

[JustPassinThru]

At base, Fiat has always had problems in sturdiness of construction and durability under long-term ownership. All the logo changes, all the "resets," all the image reworkings have left that unchanged - which is what will happen when management invests time and credibility in denying the issue.

Fiat has always been a third-world choice of car. Probably because their manufacturing cost is lower, for whatever reason; and also because they're quick to work with local manufacturing setups and to license government-run manufacturing plants with obsolete and even current products. The Yugo was a restyled 127; the Russian Lada a 124...Fiat sold the Soviet auto commissars the tooling after the 124 was discontinued.

It's the choice of car for benighted people who HAVE little choice of car. In the United States, plenty of dealers went broke trying to sell Fiats to buyers who had VWs, Datsuns, Toyotas to choose among. Fiats came up short then, even when they had front-wheel-drive when Toyota did not; even when they indulged in whimsical styling (Strada) and playful advertising (Strada's manufacturing robots).

At base is quality. Fiat, like Renault, lacked it; and it became so obvious they were forced out of America.

They may have changed but not enough to compete. Sadly, this time they'll probably take what's left of Chrysler down with them.

[ilikerice]

Look what you started CTScott

My wife says my yaris is a money pit... Most expensive and bouncy vehicle she has ever seen... Every time there is another yaris hatch that we pass, she always says, "that yaris looks better than yours, probably rides better too"

granted... it doesn't matter what car I own.. I will find something to do to it that costs more than its worth.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by ilikerice

Look what you started CTScott

My wife says my yaris is a money pit... Most expensive and bouncy vehicle she has ever seen... Every time there is another yaris hatch that we pass, she always says, "that yaris looks better than yours, probably rides better too"

granted... it doesn't matter what car I own.. I will find something to do to it that costs more than its worth.

It is pretty amusing to see how any topic involving one's opinion can turn into a multi-page debate.

[ilikerice]

WHOA.. I agree with most of that, EXCEPT
- SPORTY COMPACT CAR: Hyundai Veloster Turbo
I would think the mazdaspeed3 would beat that any day

personal opinion..

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by ilikerice

WHOA.. I agree with most of that, EXCEPT
- SPORTY COMPACT CAR: Hyundai Veloster Turbo
I would think the mazdaspeed3 would beat that any day

personal opinion..

I had the standard veloster for a while, so I cant comment on the veloster turbo. however, the interior of that car was far better than it should have been for the price.

don't forget, that list is a cost of ownership list, not necessarily "best" car of most fun car. (I added a heading, which I guess I forgot)

[ilikerice]

don't forget, that list is a cost of ownership list, not necessarily "best" car of most fun car.

Ok, that I can agree on. Mazdaspeed3 is amazing for autocross. I hear alot of complaints about chassis not working very well for autocross. Granted, the Velocter is probably cheaper, being the mazdaspeed3 owners are probably grinding thru each and every gear....

Similar to the Dodge neon SRT-4 when it came out. It was the most bang for your buck off the showroom floor.

[Dark Paw]

Nothing beats a Toyota in durability or long term reliability. All manufacturers are catching up in reliability of their new cars, but in the real world where cars age & get rattly, Toyota trumps all. The cars are just well built to begin with.

[roxy1]

I see more and more 10-15+ yr old, 150,000+ mile domestic makes on the road that look decent and are in good running condition. chevy and ford aren't putting cavaliers and escorts on the road anymore.

times are changing. that is a good thing for all of us.

[bentjazz]

All I know is that I've had my Yaris going on 4 years now and zero problems. Zero.....

[ilikerice]

same here, and i abuse the shit out of mine at least once a month, just broke 65k miles last week

[Thirty-Nine]

My Yaris had a couple of issues, but all covered under warranty and all around 23,000 miles.

-Replaced A/C condenser
-Replaced clutch (slipping at 23K; replaced for $40 with TRD unit)
-Fixed some rattles in door pillar
-Replaced rear hatch struts

Other than that, it's been trouble-free and extremely reliable. If it keeps it up, it'll be just as reliable as our 1998 Honda Civics with never had a single issue.

As far as a Veloster turbo, you can read my review here:

http://www.subcompactculture.com/201...ter-turbo.html

I didn't find it all that sporty, frankly.

[jcboy]

This.

http://tsikot.com/forums/ford-cars-t...13/index6.html

some, if not all remarks are in tagalog. basically, the complaints are from a ford owner who loves his fiesta. so it's not like he's a whiner who's just ranting as he pleases.

[428CobraJet]

I've test driven both the 500 and the Abarth. Both in 5speed form. The regular 500 is slower than my Yaris. ..and softly sprung. I would worry how it feels at 100k. The Abarth is much better....but the mpg is in the toilet. I like the interior of either much more than my 09 3 door.

My Yaris feels about as sharp at 106000 miles as it did new. That is very important to me. I dont know any 500 owners approaching 6 digits. On their forums ,the owners appear much more for giving of repairs than we do.
Craig

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by 428CobraJet

I've test driven both the 500 and the Abarth. Both in 5speed form. The regular 500 is slower than my Yaris. ..and softly sprung. I would worry how it feels at 100k. The Abarth is much better....but the mpg is in the toilet. I like the interior of either much more than my 09 3 door.

My Yaris feels about as sharp at 106000 miles as it did new. That is very important to me. I dont know any 500 owners approaching 6 digits. On their forums ,the owners appear much more for giving of repairs than we do.
Craig

Yea, I like the interior of the 500, the Abarth, and all of the MINI models better than the Yaris. However, I'd be concerned re repairs with any of them. That would be enough to chase me away.