Driving a Deathtrap

By Leo Graziani on July 20th, 2009

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Chrysler and Fiat have merged, and they will likely bring the Fiat 500 to the North American market. And why not? Cheap cars with great fuel economy is the way to go; who wants to drive a big gas guzzler these days? But wait… wasn’t the 500, er, not the best of vehicles?

My earliest memory of the Fiat 500 goes back to 1986. The family was on vacation, visiting relatives in the south of Italy for the summer. One day, we were on the way to my aunt’s cottage outside of our hometown, and we all pile into her 500. To say that it was a small car is an understatement. It’s the size of a thimble, and there were at least four people crammed in the back seat that day, even though two of us (my sister and I) were pretty small. Seat belts? Don’t make me laugh.

One thing you have to understand about Italy is that there are no laws. For anything. Ever. Especially driving. If you cross a street and make it to the other side, say a prayer to la Madonna, because it’s a miracle you’re alive. Now imagine driving on those same maniacal roads in a tiny rattling deathtrap of a car.

That said, I want a cinquecento.

Now why in the world would I want this thing? The car I remember wasn’t sturdy, didn’t handle well, was made from cheap materials, was prone to rust much earlier than other cars, and was generally a hunk of junk. And the country was loaded with them. I mean, there’s a reason they used to say that “Fiat” stood for “Fix it again, Tony.”

But in the 23 years since then, the car and the company have improved. The 500 is no longer the horrible little car it was. It’s been redesigned, it’s made from better materials, and I imagine that feeling of your life being in peril every time you get inside one isn’t there anymore; unless you’ve got a bad driver, and that’s a whole other story.

So why would I want it? I’ll give you three reasons: fuel economy, pricing and features. This is still speculation at this point, but it’s a pretty good bet that the 500 will be at least as good on fuel consumption as any comparable subcompact car; some estimate it might get over 40 mpg. It also wouldn’t surprise me to find this car in the $15,000 range. It’s a nice small vehicle, which will make it easier to maneuver and a snap to park. Plus you could probably fold it up and stuff it into the trunk of a Yaris with room to spare.

If you go over to the Fiat 500 site, you can play around and build your own Cinquecento. The build-your-own disclaimer says that the features seen there are only for the Italian market, but we can hope Chrysler brings over many of them. It doesn’t say anything about prices, but get a load of all the customization options. I never wanted racing stripes or an Italian flag decal on my car before, but I sure want ’em now.

And there’s the fourth reason I want this car: heritage pride. I can’t help it. It’s supposed to arrive next year; which, now that I think of it, might be right on time for the World Cup. If Italy takes the championship again, it’ll be even sweeter to drive around, honk the horn and be obnoxious in THAT car.