The (nuovo) Fiat 500 thread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > The (nuovo) Fiat 500 thread

Francis Baconator: Jul 11, 2008; Thanks for the avatar man!

Elephanthead posted:

Is there any reason fiat won't be using the world engine four banger? In turbo form if gets well over 200hp.

Somehow, I think that would be too easy and too logical for an Italian marque.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2010 01:43

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 18:39

Francis Baconator: Jul 11, 2008; Thanks for the avatar man!

VideoTapir posted:

That is a load of crap.

Agreed. That's some blatant GM-league badge engineering and the epitome of an anti-halo car.

They'll sell about 5 of them to all the ballers out there who only look at the badge on a car and not what it's attached to.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2011 16:41

Francis Baconator: Jul 11, 2008; Thanks for the avatar man!

KozmoNaut posted:

Imagine some douche wannabe player showing up to a party or something and flashing his keys everywhere, "ooh, he's got an Aston, he must be loaded". Perhaps he succeeds in picking up a chick who thinks she's hit the jackpot and bagged a totally loaded dude, she's set for life and all that.

And then they go outside and see that piece of crap.

"Wanna go for a ride in the Aston, baby? "

I think I'd laugh more if said player used a line like, "James Bond drives Aston Martins. Mine's outside, want to go for a ride?" Que disappointment as she steps outside and the valet pulls up in his Toyota runabout. She may have never seen a single Bond movie, but she'll definitely know he never drove one of those.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2011 19:00

Francis Baconator: Jul 11, 2008; Thanks for the avatar man!

eames posted:

Now that you mention it, I�m 99% sure that Bond will drive a Cygnet in the next movie.

I wonder how much Aston paid for that to happen...Clearly, the producers of that movie are in league with ~~low~~high-rent ballers.
:q:

# ¿ Mar 26, 2011 23:03

Francis Baconator: Jul 11, 2008; Thanks for the avatar man!

leica posted:

I've always wondered about the Kizashi, I've seen a few and they look nice, but I've never heard or read anything about them. If they're made in Japan they should at least hold together well long term.

I own a 2010 Kizashi SE AWD. Incidentally, I just picked up a 2011 Suzuki Equator Sport (yes, very much a Frontier). If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you. Without getting into specifics, I've been very satisfied so far with 6,700 miles clocked, moreso than the Acura TSX I had. Previous to both, I had an '09 Suzuki SX4 with the Touring package. Yeah, a lot of Suzukis, but they're a good bang for the buck and have never done me any wrong.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2012 01:18

Francis Baconator: Jul 11, 2008; Thanks for the avatar man!

leica posted:

Do they offer the Kizashi with a manual?

I owned a Swift GT and Samurai back in the day and I loved them both, so I have a soft spot for Suzukis. The SX4 is definitely on my radar for a future used car purchase, since Suzukis tend to depreciate big time, it should be a great used deal in five years or so. If the Kizashi holds up I'll be looking at those too.

They do offer the Kizashi with a 6 speed manual - people say they don't exist but I've seen them at the dealer. However, they don't equip a manual on any AWD Kizashis, only FWD. The other difference, which is pretty minor, is that the automatic Kizashis are detuned to 180hp and the manuals have 185. Typically, you see the manuals on the GTS trim, which is the highest, but I've seen them on base and SE trims too.

I know it's blasphemy to say it, but the CVT on my Kizashi makes very good use of the powerband. So much so, I prefer to let the computer do the work since the manumatic doesn't seem to wring the power out quite as well (I do miss a manual, but the wife insisted we go auto). From what I understand, the CVT is a Jatco, like those equipped on Nissans and the much-hated Caliber, however, this one is pretty well-programmed, except for rare, brief lugging when you starting from a complete stop. It probably doesn't mean much to you, being in Florida, but when in FWD mode, the Kizashi handles extremely well, IMO, though it improves in AWD mode, obviously.

Going from a Kia to an SX4 would probably be like night and day for you. Unfortunately, I went from my SX4, which was very good, to a TSX, then to the Kizashi (which has a superior quality interior IMO). As a result, when I cross shopped the SX4 and the Kizashi, I had to go for the one with the higher-rent interior. I've owned SAABs, Jaguars and multiple Acuras, but the quality and thoughtful touches on this car trumps them all. Hopefully, I don't sound like a paid shill, but I really do believe it's a good cost to quality proposition. With any luck, I'll still enjoy it this much thousands of miles later. BTW, the Samurai was badass...wish I could find another unmolested one.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2012 05:18

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 18:39

Francis Baconator: Jul 11, 2008; Thanks for the avatar man!

PT6A posted:

Not to get this thread even further off-topic, but why does manual+AWD seem like such a poisonous combination to every manufacturer other than Subaru?

In all fairness, my old SX4 was pretty sweet. It had a manual tranny and was equipped with a dual rocker switch for AWD as well as 50/50 lockout.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2012 14:05

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