new Fiat 500e

C

CuriousGeorge

Well-Known Member
I'm generally not one to dis anybody's (future) car choices, but when reading reviews like this one, I can't help asking myself, why would you want a 500e over an SE?

Essentially the same price, range, charging speed, and size, but less power and torque, and a less-than-stellar reputation for quality along with an underdeveloped/practically non-existent dealer support network (in the US) should you have any issues.

The only thing going for it would seem to be 1) styling (if you prefer it over the MINI) and 2) availability in North America.

Am I missing something?
 
As an owner of 2 FIAT 500 convertibles in the past, I can say you do not want a FIAT. Both dealers in the Charlotte, NC area were incapable of fixing the myriad of issues these cars had. The first one had starter issues that they could not resolve. Both vehicles had numerous electronic issues. The last straw for me was when my clutch failed they informed me there were none in the USA, just Europe. I couldn't believe in 2015 that this was possible from a major Auto manufacturer. My MINI has been nearly perfect by comparison.
 
The 500 is pretty popular in San Francisco where parking is tight and garages are small. I’m not going to pull up specs now but it looks significantly smaller than an F56.

Looks like it gets 150mi of range, I get about 120 in the SE.

I think it looks cool. If my dog fits in the back I would consider it.

Can’t speak to reliability or performance of course.
 
endquote said:
The 500 is pretty popular in San Francisco where parking is tight and garages are small. I’m not going to pull up specs now but it looks significantly smaller than an F56.

Looks like it gets 150mi of range, I get about 120 in the SE.

I think it looks cool. If my dog fits in the back I would consider it.

Can’t speak to reliability or performance of course.
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IMG_1236.webp
 
endquote said:
The 500 is pretty popular in San Francisco where parking is tight and garages are small. I’m not going to pull up specs now but it looks significantly smaller than an F56.

Looks like it gets 150mi of range, I get about 120 in the SE.

I think it looks cool. If my dog fits in the back I would consider it.

Can’t speak to reliability or performance of course.
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It's about a foot shorter, so I could see that being appealing in a tight city environment.

I'm averaging close to 150 miles per charge in my SE, so consider the range equivalent.
 
My kid parked on a narrow street. Told me the S80 was just too big, my SE was fun and selling the E46 325 coupe was an unforgivable sin. I found a base 2010 manual cooper, sold the S80, and there is now peace in the house. I considered a Fiat but after reading a few stories like moofpup's I decided on the Cooper. the clubman even with the extra foot was a contender had the right one come up. The third door seemed nice for the skating equipment.
 
The main thing is that the 500e utilized an air cooled HV battery that lead to premature battery degradation like the Nissan Leaf.
 
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CuriousGeorge said:
I'm averaging close to 150 miles per charge in my SE, so consider the range equivalent.
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I've made no effort to extend range, I just drive "normally" and use regen. I need to figure out how folks like you are getting so much more. If I was getting 150 the J01 would be less appealing.
 
endquote said:
I've made no effort to extend range, I just drive "normally" and use regen. I need to figure out how folks like you are getting so much more. If I was getting 150 the J01 would be less appealing.
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I mostly use my car for commuting. The route I typically follow now is a combination of state highway, interstate (just a mile), and surface streets. Max speed is 65 mph; average speed 30-35 mph. Since I have summer tires, I don't drive when it is below 40 deg F, and it is pretty flat where I live. I am always in Sport mode, but just drive "normally" (i.e., at the speed of most of the traffic around me), and rarely touch the brake pedal.

Of the above, average/max speed*, temperature, and terrain are almost certainly the most important factors; precisely how I drive over a particular route matters much less.

*The route I use now is shorter, but takes a few minutes longer, than taking the interstate instead of the state highway. By keeping my speed down, I don't have to wash my car as often to get rid of the bugs, and it means almost 1000 fewer miles on the car per year.** The increase in average range is just a bonus to brag about to non-SE owners. :)

**I could shave off another mile or so by going through town another way, but that street is in worse shape.

Note that the figures I cite are actual range, not those from the overly pessimistic GOM.
 
I own both a 2023 SE and the 1st year (2013) 500e. 2nd owner ebay purchase $6k! In 2017. My wife drives it to work every day, 36mi round trip and uses almost 2/3 of the battery so, yes, lot if battery degradation. Never been to the shop. One of the most reliable cars I've ever owned.
Fiat is certainly smaller and a lot less sporty, but gets better fuel economy. Trunk is big enough for our two 30 lb dogs with the seats down
 
I rented a Fiat 500 in Italy last year and was surprised how terrible the seating position is. It was a lot of fun throwing it around corners, though, and I'm glad I finally got to drive one.

70hp, though, woof. It was an absolute dog.
 
Donut did some testing on how much horsepower a single horse puts out, and they estimated 5.7 horsepower per horse.

So at least a dozen horses were stuffed into the Fiat 500.
 
teslarati97 said:
The main thing is that the 500e utilized an air cooled HV battery that lead to premature battery degradation like the Nissan Leaf.
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Not so. I used to have a 2015 500e. It had liquid cooled batteries….I remember topping off the coolant once, used the same fluid that goes in ICE 500 radiators.

I really liked that car. Drove 25k trouble-free miles in it. No discernible drop in range. It did not have the same reliability problems that plagued the ICE Fiats. Compared to the Mini, though, the build quality definitely felt lower end.

I like the new 500e—-it retains the charm of the older 500s in a good retro way. Not digging the price, though.
 
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My friend is the GM of a Chrysler dealer here. He told me they are expecting low to mid 40s in Canada for the 42kwh version. He believes only the 42kwh version will make it here.

These cars are pretty popular in Europe but not as popular as the Mini Electric. I was just in France over the weekend and Mini E were everywhere.
 
Alf_W said:
Not so. I used to have a 2015 500e. It had liquid cooled batteries….I remember topping off the coolant once, used the same fluid that goes in ICE 500 radiators.
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This is where things get complicated. The cooling system uses a heat exchanger with the air conditioning, BUT the cooling plates comes in contact with only 1 of the 5 battery cells in the module.

So I guess you can say 20% liquid cooled and 80% air cooled?
 
teslarati97 said:
This is where things get complicated. The cooling system uses a heat exchanger with the air conditioning, BUT the cooling plates comes in contact with only 1 of the 5 battery cells in the module.

So I guess you can say 20% liquid cooled and 80% air cooled?
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By this metric, I wonder what percentage of the cells in our MINI SE (or any other liquid-cooled BEV) actually come in contact with the cooling plates? Could well be <100% in general.
 
The original 500e was bad even for its time, SE better in every way. One was a golf cart and the other a go kart, a massive difference in street worthiness IMO.

The new 500e seems to close the gap a bit, a compelling package for those who like the "cute and small" aspects of this vehicle class - while ignoring everything that makes a MINI actually interesting.
 
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