This morning I drove the new Fiat 500e, which just arrived in Brasil. I hd read a few quite favorable reviews from the UK and elsewhere, but I had b=never seen one in real life.
The facts: This is built in a newly refurbished Mirafiore factory dedicated only to BEV's. Although labeled 500e it has zero in common with the last one. The new only is slightly larger (how could it have been smaller?) and has all the bells. and whistles one could want.
So, my test drive:
The driver position is very comfortable and most controls are accessible on the steering wheel, including adaptive cruise control and lane assist. As with all non-Tesla systems there are a few extra steps. The car uses a nice non-key-key that must be in a designated pockets in the center console. One also must press the start button. All the controls work but seem to be like most non-Tesla systems, just a bit fiddly. The voice activated navigation works perfectly, but requires answering a three part address question (what city?, what street?, what number? at least in the Brazilian Portuguese version. Perhaps it can be simplified with familiarity.
Driving this tiny car is an absolute blast! I'm still thinking of buying it even though I'd need a second car for passengers or any more groceries than a couple of bags.
Most amazing to me is that the lane assist plus adaptive cruise control saw bicycles and avoided them, maneuvered around a couple of delivery trucks and was competent driving in the midst of the chaotic central Botafogo Rio de Janeiro traffic. That the car is TINY makes all that slightly more plausible.
There are nice clear range and energy graphs, plus a three mode driving choice including Sherpa (turns off a/c etc to maximize range), Range (one pedal driving, so regeneration) and Normal which emulates ICE. I drove in Range, If one gets too close to anything there is a loud buss and a Red terror symbol, this one cannot be ignored. Parking, Turing in very tight surrounds is trivially easy. I was a bit surprised when I drove into the very, very crowded dealership garage, did a U-turn and then parked in the tight assigned place. Much of that is far easier because the car is tiny, but excellent cameras, sensors and alerts make it really easy.
As a city car this one is the best I have ever seen, and that includes a Honda N-360 (a classic ancient Japanese kei-car) I once had in Bangkok. The slightly multi-step automatic function are nearly identical to those of the Volvo XC40. They work well, but add unnecessary steps for those fo us who have driven a Tesla.
Comparing this to a Renault Zoe or Nissan Leaf is about like comparing a 1964 Ford Mustang to a Mustang Mach-E. I do not know the other tiny competitors from Honda etc, but this one seems hard to beat. Admittedly mine was an Ikon, a fully equipped trim level, but there is no lower trim option in Brasil.
I really want the Designed-in-China new small Tesla. Until then I will be pleased if I can find a way to pack a few grocery bags in the Fiat 500e.
The facts: This is built in a newly refurbished Mirafiore factory dedicated only to BEV's. Although labeled 500e it has zero in common with the last one. The new only is slightly larger (how could it have been smaller?) and has all the bells. and whistles one could want.
So, my test drive:
The driver position is very comfortable and most controls are accessible on the steering wheel, including adaptive cruise control and lane assist. As with all non-Tesla systems there are a few extra steps. The car uses a nice non-key-key that must be in a designated pockets in the center console. One also must press the start button. All the controls work but seem to be like most non-Tesla systems, just a bit fiddly. The voice activated navigation works perfectly, but requires answering a three part address question (what city?, what street?, what number? at least in the Brazilian Portuguese version. Perhaps it can be simplified with familiarity.
Driving this tiny car is an absolute blast! I'm still thinking of buying it even though I'd need a second car for passengers or any more groceries than a couple of bags.
Most amazing to me is that the lane assist plus adaptive cruise control saw bicycles and avoided them, maneuvered around a couple of delivery trucks and was competent driving in the midst of the chaotic central Botafogo Rio de Janeiro traffic. That the car is TINY makes all that slightly more plausible.
There are nice clear range and energy graphs, plus a three mode driving choice including Sherpa (turns off a/c etc to maximize range), Range (one pedal driving, so regeneration) and Normal which emulates ICE. I drove in Range, If one gets too close to anything there is a loud buss and a Red terror symbol, this one cannot be ignored. Parking, Turing in very tight surrounds is trivially easy. I was a bit surprised when I drove into the very, very crowded dealership garage, did a U-turn and then parked in the tight assigned place. Much of that is far easier because the car is tiny, but excellent cameras, sensors and alerts make it really easy.
As a city car this one is the best I have ever seen, and that includes a Honda N-360 (a classic ancient Japanese kei-car) I once had in Bangkok. The slightly multi-step automatic function are nearly identical to those of the Volvo XC40. They work well, but add unnecessary steps for those fo us who have driven a Tesla.
Comparing this to a Renault Zoe or Nissan Leaf is about like comparing a 1964 Ford Mustang to a Mustang Mach-E. I do not know the other tiny competitors from Honda etc, but this one seems hard to beat. Admittedly mine was an Ikon, a fully equipped trim level, but there is no lower trim option in Brasil.
I really want the Designed-in-China new small Tesla. Until then I will be pleased if I can find a way to pack a few grocery bags in the Fiat 500e.
