SA Road Tests

Welcome

It struck me one day that people who love cabriolets, convertibles, roadsters, drop-tops, sports cars - call them what you will - are probably less concerned with who made them than with how they make their drivers feel. It's rather like motorcycles; there is an indescribable unity with Nature, a one-ness with the road and a bonding with the elements - the sun on your skin, the breeze through your hair and the living sounds of the open road.

That's why I decided to copy and paste all my cabriolet reports into a single folder where drop-top fans can find them all without having to scrabble through endless menus.

I have to warn you that it took a while to warm to the cabriolet phenomenon - convertibles are mostly loved, hankered after and driven by women, so we guys find them hard to appreciate. For that reason, you may find some of the writing a little tongue-in-cheek, sceptical or even downright chauvinist. What can I say? I'm male and I can't help it. Just bear with me though, because I believe that the stories still contain valid information that will hopefully help you make an informed buying decision.


*To read one of our road tests, just select from the drop-down menu that appears as you hover your cursor over the folder's title.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports, so even if you're looking to buy second-hand, you have an idea of what it cost originally.


We soak up sunshine in Fiat's funky 500C

More than just a classic rerun

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday October 20, 2010

The majority of South Africans are extremely conservative and have unreasonably long memories. Most will buy at the higher end only from the German Big Three or at more affordable prices, VW and Toyota. And woe-betide any manufacturer that ever went through a bad patch with servicing or reliability problems. Misfortunes of five, fifteen or forty years ago are repeated darkly as having happened to a close relative "just last week."

Left: It is Elle MacPherson - she owns one of these

Having told many of you that you would never buy a Fiat 500 because of being a boring old stick-in-the-mud, let's look at who might. In our launch report of March 31, 2010 we gave you some ideas; those who owned an original perhaps, or those who love cuteness, but definitely those independent buyers bored with all the same old stuff out there.

Don't get the idea that this Cinquecento is simply a rehash of the original, because it's far from that. First, it's somewhat bigger, seating four fully-grown people in reasonable comfort and boasting a 182-dm³ boot that's about average for small cars. The rear seat cushion splits 50:50 to extend loading space. Second, it's been designed by modern engineers and built using high strength steels with up-to-date technology. It has EuroNCAP5 certification to prove it. It just looks remarkably familiar and like Michelangelo's perfectly proportioned statue of David, it appears to be the same size as the original.

It also boasts all the usual modcons and safety kit including ABS, EBD, ESP, ASR, HBA, anti-submarining front seatbelts with dual pretensioners and load limiters, and seven airbags. ISOFIX child seat anchors? Got 'em too. Convenience items include the usual air conditioning, radio/CD unit with USB, electric windows, trip computer, remote controls for music, voice commands and phone on the decently fist-filling leather covered steering wheel, front fog lamps and remote central locking with autolock as you drive away.

The workstation is very retro, especially if you order the Ivory Environment package. It feels like being in the original except for the modern music centre and controls, if you can get around the "Irish" of that statement. Our test car was fitted with the more modern looking Black Environment option, so the choice is yours. 

A short stick for the six-speed gearbox juts up from a tower housing the window controls and a swivel-out oddments tray that gets in the way of the driver's left shin if left open. The ambience is rather like being in control of a small bus or MPV, a feeling reinforced by the rather high driver's seat that, even on its lowest setting, feels a bit high. There was still a fist's-width of space between the roof lining and the top of my head though and one gets used to it.

What else on the inside? There is no lid on the glove box, so you need to keep things tidy, but a scattering of small dishes and compartments including the one on the central tower and a box under the front passenger's seat, should accommodate most of your flotsam. 

A large dash button labelled "Sport" connects with the electronic throttle valve control system, so you can choose between decent performance and boredom. It also sharpens up the electrically power assisted steering criticised by some as feeling dull, although most mere mortals are quite happy with it. It's like having two-thirds of the MiTo's DNA program, with the so-called 'normal' position best reserved for slippery conditions.

On the road, gearing is well spaced with sixth suited to relaxed cruising and economy. At 120 km/h, the rev counter reads about 3 300 rpm, a little less than average for a naturally aspirated 1400. A quick shift down to fifth is usually needed to maintain momentum up hills.

The 500C's true calling is open top, wind in hair and sunlight on face, oneness with nature and it is tribute to the original design that this is achieved with no more ruffling of hair than would be found in many an upmarket convertible. This is more than your usual all-or-nothing removable top, though. It doubles as a sunroof, opening either front section only or full length, so you get two functions for the price of one. The main difference between this one and the folding cloth top of old, is that the 2010 version opens at the touch of a button, by means of cables and an electric motor.

Never mind nostalgia, cuteness or independence of thought: Fiat's 500 has done retro more convincingly than other players, providing a modern interpretation of an old theme more stylishly and more affordably. And if your thoughts lightly turn to springtime as well, then why not?

The numbers

Price including CO₂ tax: R200 080

Engine: 1 368 cc DOHC 16 valve four cylinder

Power: 73,5 kW at 6 000 rpm

Torque: 131 Nm at 4 250 rpm

Zero to 100 km/h: 11,5 seconds

Maximum speed: 182 km/h

Real life fuel consumption: about 6,9 l/100 km

Tank: 35 litres

Warranty: 3 years/120 000 km

Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km

Service intervals: 30 000 km



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

My articles appear every Wednesday in the motoring pages of The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles most months of the year (press cars are withdrawn over the festive season - wonder why?) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police. Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so I do actually exist.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously.