They must have heard my thoughts. The hubs and I have begun poking around for a new car. Our two vehicles have a combined mileage of over 325,000 and we are thinking it's time to look for a new one. So, when the folks at Ken Garff FIAT in downtown Salt Lake City reached out and asked me to review the new FIAT 500L, I was happy to do so. After all, who wouldn't want to drive around a new car for a couple of weeks? In our car buying lifetime, we have purchased (2) cars from Ken Garff and while they weren't FIAT's or from this particular location, we have never had anything bad to say about the experience.
So, here goes, my first ever car review.
I have to admit, before pulling up to the dealership, I had no idea even what the FIAT looked like. My car brain of the 70's still thought of the FIAT Spider. FIAT? Do they even make those anymore? The small little FIAT 500 won me over immediately, appealing to my small sporty red car fetish. It's that roll back roof that got me. I think the interior is adorable too.
Just imagine the top down, hair blowing in the wind. But alas, while the dreaming of scooting around in this cute little car is fun, this popular small sized car is not what we are looking for. It would probably make for some pretty uncomfortable road trips that the hubs and I are fond of taking.
So, we opted to try the 500L instead. It's the larger 4 door version and actually feels like a small SUV. I don't mind telling you that I was pleasantly surprised with this car. At first look this was not a car I thought we would consider, but after driving around in it for a few days, there are many things about it I really came to enjoy.
The rear hatch has a very spacious cargo area that would easily hold a family size amount of groceries, suitcases or the family pet. It has a movable floor allowing for a configurable two-tier system that makes it great for versatile storage situations. You can fold the seats down and gain a ton of room. In it's normal position the rear automatically closes with a cover keeping the contents out of view and there's a nifty utility storage area in the floor.
During my time behind the wheel, the ride for me felt solid and was smoother and quieter than I had expected it would be. I would not say this a car has a ton of power. It is quit spunky though and did the job of passing when I needed it to and handled well on an excursion we took to Snowbird. While I did not check the gas mileage, the company tells me that the twin speed transmission provides as much as 15% better fuel economy. I wasn't shy about driving it all around downtown and to Snowbird and did not need to fill the tank for the entire two weeks of daily driving.
The interior is spacious and my 6'1″ tall hubs had no complaint about the head room. I didn't measure, but there was a good 4″ inches above him. Plus, check out the sunroof that goes from front to back. I found the seats (also heated) comfortable with plenty of thigh length, so you don't feel like you're sliding off. They had great adjustment options including adjustable lumbar support. I was able to adjust my seat nice and high. Those on the short end of life will really appreciate this. The front has a little window on the side which makes for very little, if any, blind spots. For me the interior fell short on the arm rest. I found it slightly high at first but my sales rep., Paige, showed me how it adjusts for two different heights and I was able to put it into a comfortable position.
My favorite feature on the car was the hands free system. The steering wheel has radio, phone and cruise control and the center console included a back-up camera, hands free phone and navigation maps – I loved it. Yes silly me, I couldn't resist calling myself on the phone to take the picture below.
It also has an amazing Beats Audio System that sounds like you're at a concert. It makes you want to crank up the stereo and sing along to your favorite tunes and enjoy the ride. I'm thinking I looked pretty crazy driving down the road doing just that.
Overall, if you are in the market for a car of this size, put it on your test drive list and give it a try for yourself. I think it's a good one to consider and I have added it to my list of possibilities.
Guess what!? I have a special offer for you. You know I wouldn't go to all this finger breaking typing if I wasn't able to score a little something for our loyal readers! The folks at Ken Garff Fiat of Salt Lake City, located on 198 East 500 South would like to give you a test drive offer. Be one of the first 15 people to go take it for a spin yourself and make sure to mention Coupons4Utah and they will give you a FREE $50 gas gift card just for driving it!
So whatcha waiting for. Go visit my new friend Scott and his crew and check out this great car and get yourself an awesome weekend freebie.
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Posted by Joani
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