The Blue&Me hands-free communication feature allows drivers to make calls, play music and drive without ever taking their hands off the steering wheel.
And the reasons vary.
Gas saver You can get about 40 MPG. (Believe me, I happily drove all over Btown just to confirm it.) A nurse who commutes from Delano to Bakersfield picked up a Fiat a few weeks ago and never looked back, Moran said.
Compact size You can fit this baby anywhere. How’s that for parallel parking or getting stuck in bottlenecks?
Peace of mind A bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty for four years or 50,000 miles.
Safety The Fiat may be small but it’s protected. Sales and leasing consultant Jorge Kassas said it comes with seven airbags, including seat-mounted side ones for added thorax, pelvic and knee protection.
Price It ranges from $15,500 to $28,000, depending on the model, including the 500 Pop, 500 Sport and the higher-end 500 Lounge. (I test-drove the 500 Lounge Breast Cancer Awareness version, which meant a portion of sale would benefit this cause. Not bad for a pearl white, pink-striped “Barbie car” — as my teenage son described it.) It also comes with Bose speakers and a feature that can read your text messages on some phones — but that’s my geeky two cents. Another feature I enjoyed was the placement of the music channelchanging and volume buttons. They are right behind the steering wheel, just where your hands typically rest. For the folks who like to listen to music, and I am one of them, this is a nice and safe way of doing it. I could go on about the Fiat’s great features, but I think the best way to learn about the vehicle is to meet one of the trio of experts. Kassas, for example, left a lucrative job in the finance industry to sell Fiats. And what does the college grad have to say about the job change? He is 10 times happier. See what I mean?
You can never go wrong with a Bose speaker system. Turn it up and just feel the vibration.
It’s all in the details: Five best features about the Fiat 500: Media center, Blue&Me Handsfree Communication, great gas mileage, being No. 1 in its class in safety and being trendy/fun to drive.
City and highway mileage and price tag: 36 city and 45 highway.
The Fiat is perfect for: Everyone with up to four passengers as primary or secondary transportation.
What makes the Fiat 500 stand out from others: Trendy, attractive and unique.
Target customer: 16 to 100 years old.
Three words the define the car: Fun, economical and reliable.
What you like most about the Fiat 500: Gas mileage, all the safety features and how comfortable the seats are (the most comfortable seats ever!). Source: Andrew Moran, sales and leasing consultant, Fiat of Bakersfield
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