Visiting stores in Peabody today, we spotted signs being erected for a brand new Fiat dealership – and it was open for a look-around! Owned by Kelly, who also have local Nissan and Infiniti dealers that my colleague Christian has been happy with, they said they would also be carrying Alfa next year (and a third as yet unnamed Italian brand). They also said the current location is temporary and they will be relocating … to EXACTLY OPPOSITE to MINI of Peabody! That’ll make for some interesting comparison shopping next year.
Meanwhile, Margaret and I of course had to check out, and sit in, the little car …
Like MINI, the car has many cute design cues, though it’s certainly less “unusual” inside (traditional speedometer location for example). What was immediately clear though was how cramped this car is!
Initially I sat in the passenger seat, and I was short by about 2″ of headroom … the sales guy said that it was due to a subwoofer under the passenger seat (nice to have a subwoofer) – but he later said that without the sub, the seat is just as high(?)
The car also had a sunroof which perhaps further limited headroom. On the passenger side, there’s no height adjustment either – so I got in the drivers side to see if it was better, and it was. Now, I just about had enough headroom, so long as I reclined the seat more than I like to do; and the seat was again as low as it could go.
I’m not particularly tall (5’10”) so apparently Fiat owners will either have to be short, or laid-back 😉
Apart from limited headroom, the car felt narrower than my MINI (though admittedly I’m driving the Audi so it was a comparison from memory); rear seat room is laughable, making even the MINI convertible seem luxurious.
Pricing, for the lower-powered 1.4 litre model, seemed close to MINI, perhaps a little less ($19K-$20K).
It will be interesting to see if a similar active community forms around the Fiat 500, and I will certainly head back to check out Alfa if/when it turns up next year …
M&I / GBMINI 