{"id":32518,"date":"2024-04-12T09:27:05","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T13:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32518"},"modified":"2024-04-12T09:27:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T13:27:05","slug":"payne-livin-large-in-the-fiat-500e-clown-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/payne-livin-large-in-the-fiat-500e-clown-car","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Livin’ large in the Fiat 500e clown car"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miami<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The circus is in town. My 6\u20199\u201d media colleague Brian Armstead and I emerged from our wee Fiat 500e to stares in downtown Miami.<\/p>\n

Dude, you\u2019re 6\u20195\u201d, how do you two fit in a Flea-at?<\/em><\/p>\n

Quite comfortably, thanks for asking. With a tall roof, peppy electric motor and plenty of room to splay our legs where the driveline used to be, the 500e is a modern clown car. Fiat has it right. Big brands are falling all over themselves these days to sell mainstream buyers on electric cars. But electrics are niche vehicles for premium shoppers. Tesla Model 3\/Y is for techies, Mustang Mach-E for pony car enthusiasts, Hummer EV for off-roaders.<\/p>\n

Fiat 500e is for fun.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The 2024 Fiat 500e is all-electric with all-iconic styling. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

The wee hatchback might as well have a key chain link on it. This is one adorable accessory. Dressed in red, the cheerful clown scurried through the streets with big LED eyes and a fashionable electric motor under the hood. What, no red nose?<\/p>\n

Of course, fashion these days attracts politics, and the Fiat is perfumed with a marketing campaign promising to save the world. Cloying climate celebrities Bono and Jennifer Lopez have added their names to the circus, and I can\u2019t think of anything more tiresome than dinner with jet-setting millionaire musicians lecturing Americans on how to save polar bears.<\/p>\n

Ditch them at their private airport and take the 500e for a spin around the Big Top. This clown car is a treat.<\/p>\n

Designed for metropolitan streets, our red 500e tester squirted out of stoplights in downtown Miami, its electric motor smooth as an Atlantic breeze. At 20 mph, external music composed by Italian composers Flavio Ibba and Marco Gualdi played to alert pedestrians it was coming. Seriously! Back up, and an electronic safety alert hums. Miami Nice.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
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The 2024 Fiat 500e has the latest Stellantis Uconnect 5 system for infotainment. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With a single-speed electric transmission, the Italian is easy to drive. Heck, you don\u2019t even need to use your left foot. Select SHERPA mode and use the motor for regenerative braking.<\/p>\n

At an A1A intersection on South Beach, I executed a U-turn on a dime.\u00a0Zoot!<\/em>\u00a0Thirty miles an hour went by in 3 seconds, making intersections a breeze to cross. Refreshingly, Fiat doesn\u2019t strain to advertise the car\u2019s long distance driving abilities (ICEs embarrass EVs on refueling time). The pup will scamper around metro neighborhoods for up to 160 miles in SHERPA mode (149 miles in RANGE mode) before its tongue hangs out.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut it in the garage next to your Jeep Grand Cherokee gas car,\u201d says Fiat North American Chief Aamir Ahmed (nice plug for another Stellantis brand there). I drove 140 miles from Naples to Miami and back this year in a gas sedan, a task that would be painful in a 500e. Ditto Detroit to Grand Rapids. Take the Jeep, not the Fiat.<\/p>\n

This is a toy like a sportscar or an off-road Wrangler. Niches are nice \u2014 why does every vehicle have to be a commodity? An electric toaster?<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n

The iconic shape of the 2024 Fiat 500e. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n

The 500 earns its distinction thanks to decades of brand polishing. Sure, the Italian is a healthy 10 grand north of a comparable subcompact Hyundai Venue, but the Fiat oozes\u00a0la dolce vita<\/em>\u00a0with its big peepers, 17-inch wheels and Easter egg shape. There are few cars as recognizable as the 500. Think VW Bug, Ford Mustang, Porsche 911, Land Rover Defender, Mazda Miata. Icons all \u2014 and all aimed at niche buyers.<\/p>\n