2012 Fiat 500 Lounge on 2040-cars

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Fiat Panda Cross is a tiny off-roader for city and country

Fiat already offered its compact Panda in a slightly off-road oriented 4X4 trim, but at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show it's debuting the Panda Cross that takes the style even farther. The Panda Cross is meant to be a utilitarian hatchback that drivers can use in the dirt if the need arises.
The Cross comes standard with an all-wheel-drive system with a standard electronic-locking differential, and for added traction, drivers can lock the diff below 30 miles per hour. Power is provided by either a 1.3-liter diesel four-cylinder with 80 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque or the 900-cc turbocharged two-cylinder with 90 hp and 107 lb-ft. Both engines are mated to a six-speed manual.
On the outside, the Panda Cross gets a new front air dam that looks like drilled metal and fog lights integrated into the front end. The rear is reworked with chrome tailpipes and a bumper painted to look like a skid plate. The interior is a mix of fabric and pleather seats, plus a copper-colored dashboard. The Panda Cross will be on sale in Europe this fall, but don't expect to see it Stateside. Feel free to read more in the press release below.

2015 Fiat 500C Abarth Automatic

"I would not, could not in a tree. Not in a car, you let me be. I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam-I-Am." Why am I quoting Dr. Seuss' classic children's tale in the review of a small Fiat? Well, much like oddly colored eggs and ham, for the 500C Abarth, Fiat has taken something formerly palatable and added a rather bizarre quality – a six-speed automatic transmission. "I do not like an auto trans," I said. "I'd only drive it in a van." What would happen to the 500 Abarth's hilariously charming and flawed character? Isn't an automatic gearbox diametrically opposed to the cheap and cheerful driving pleasure inherent in the scorpion-badged Cinquecento? After a week behind the wheel, I was shocked to find that the auto Abarth is nearly as entertaining as its clutch-equipped counterpart. Driving Notes The Aisin six-speed automatic is beefed up for the higher torque of the hot 500 Abarth, and the final drive ratio is shorter. Despite the Abarth's spicier character, the shifter retains the same PRNDL pattern and piano-black surround as the standard 500. While I laud Fiat for offering a correct shifter layout to the manual-shifting scheme – pull to upshift and push to downshift – that smart move is overshadowed by the lack of wheel-mounted paddle shifters. There's not much else to complain about with the new automatic, because on the road it delivers similar performance to the five-speed manual. Upshifts are smooth and quick in the standard setting, and only get sharper if you push the Sport button on the dash. On top of that, wide-open-throttle upshifts show off the sonorous voice of the Abarth-tuned exhaust. It pops and cracks and belches in a horribly, hilariously anti-social way. I love it. The twin pipes are just as vocal on the rev-matched downshifts. The gearbox isn't as quick to drop ratios as some of its two-pedal competitors, like the dual-clutch-equipped Volkswagen GTI or even the traditional automatic offered in the Mini Cooper S (coincidentally also an Aisin unit). That said, the difference isn't significant enough to count as a major demerit. One minor change with the transmission is the power output. While the manual model has 160 horsepower, the auto drops to 157. Torque, though, is up from 170 pound-feet to 183 lb-ft.

2016 Fiat 500X joins IIHS Top Safety Pick+ ranks [w/video]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the Fiat brand its highest honor for the first time, naming the new 500X a Top Safety Pick+. It's only the second vehicle in the FCA empire, after the Chrysler 200, to score so well on the non-profit's crash testing. The 500X got top marks across the board, ranking "Good" on all the crash tests, including the tough small-overlap test. In fact, the only area where the high-riding Fiat was given a demerit was on its optional crash-prevention system. It only scored an "Advanced" rating, rather than the top grade of "Superior" – vehicles need at least an "Advanced" crash prevention rating to earn a TSP+. Of course, the whole reason we cover all these Top Safety Pick stories is so we can post video of the crash tests. The 500X story is no different, as the IIHS gives us its typical multi-angle, slow-motion peek at the small-overlap test for Fiat's new CUV. Check out the video up top. Related Video: New Fiat 500X small SUV earns IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award ARLINGTON, Va. — The new Fiat 500X earns good ratings in all five of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crashworthiness tests and an advanced rating for front crash prevention. The small SUV qualifies for the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award. It is the second vehicle from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles after the Chrysler 200 to earn the Institute's highest award for 2015. In the most challenging IIHS evaluation, the small overlap front crash test, the 500X's driver space was maintained reasonably well, with maximum intrusion of 4 inches at the door hinge pillar and instrument panel. The dummy's head contacted the front airbag, though it then moved to the left side, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward structure. The side curtain airbag deployed and had sufficient forward coverage to protect the head on the left side. Measures taken from the dummy indicate that injuries to the left lower leg would be possible in a crash of this severity, but the likelihood of other injuries is low. In the moderate overlap test, the only issue was possible injuries to the right foot. There were no problems with the side crash test performance. The vehicle also has good head restraints and seats for whiplash prevention in a rear crash and a good roof strength rating for rollover protection. The 500X has an optional front crash prevention system that earns an advanced rating.