Page 12 - ElectriCar Magazine

’’
It s the rare car that s actually been improved by its conversion to electricity
Its tiny size, zippy handling, and an EPA range of 123 miles, the 500e is a fine city car, as long as you don’t need to go anywhere else. The interior is cramped, with an awkward driving position
and a rear seat that is best reserved for short people and short distances. On the upside, it is a bit snappier, smoother, and quieter than the 500. The fuel economy of 112 MPGe
and speeds from zero to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds. The 500e is sold only in California and Oregon.
The 500e is spunky or “torquey” and should be a mainstream term.
It’s got fun acceleration and can peel out pretty nicely if you want. Though,
it does not compare to the BMW i3
in that regard neither in quickness
or handling. When you step on it quickly, handling is a bit wobbly. Still, the 500e beats the pants off of a gas powered car anywhere near it in price.
Unfortunately, Fiat didn’t do much to take advantage of the potential for one pedal driving by-way-of regenerative braking. It’s similar to the Leaf in that regard again, and maybe even worse.
10
Style is always a subjective matter, but for my part, I’ll say that I love
the cute look of the Fiat 500e. And
I think the mix of cute and sporty make the 500e a great buy for the more masculine or feminine types.
The 500e’s weakest point is pretty obviously its interior space. The back
The EPA rates the 500e’s fuel economy at 112 MPGe in combined driving. Importantly, the 500e boasts a
123 mile range and
a 4-hour recharge time
seat is tight. The front seats are okay, but certainly more on the cozy side of things and the trunk is tiny. This pretty much eliminates the 500e as
a family car. It’s an excellent car for a childless bachelor or bachelorette. It could even be the best option for a young college kid, quite affordable,
a lot of fun, stylish, and cheap to operate; just not a lot of space, which most college kids don’t need. We were told at the dealership we visited that individual weekends with good deals on offer saw sales of 40 plus cars!
The navigation system gets the job done and that’s in general with the 500e, unless the job entails regularly transporting more than one other person or a bit of cargo.
Overall, it seems that the positive and negative are as follows:
If you were in the market for this price range and if you are younger and childless, you would probably be debating the 500e vs the Leaf or eGolf.
It’s hard to find a vehicle that combines driving enjoyment, fuel efficiency and a fashionable look at a rock-bottom price, but that’s exactly what the 500e has promised. In fact, it promised even more than that, touting the style and driving experience
of a standard Fiat 500, plus a fully electric motor and zero emissions.
The Fiat 500e is only sold in California and Oregon. Another issue is that new electric car competitors
ElectriCar Magazine