One car, two reviewers, two totally different points of view. Campbell Spray and Siobhan O'Connor each drove a Fiat 500C (O'Connor actually bought one - her second 500!) and they came up with these diametrically opposed reviews.
We invite you to weigh them up and draw your own conclusions
It might be paying homage to the style of the original 1957 Fiat 500, says Campbell Spray
, but this is no "car for the people, by the people". Rather it is an elitist toy that starts (in South Africa) at R197 600.
To be fair, my daughter thought the car "rather cute" but didn't really want to be seen in it and definitely didn't have enough room to sit in the back behind any decent-sized person in the front. The folding roof is rather fun and can be engaged at any speed up to 60km/h.
Yet I found the car noisy, flimsy, difficult to load and the suspension system bone-crushingly hard and not suitable at all for a gentle drive through town or in the country.
Yet of such things are personalities made. And the sliding fabric roof has its uses. When my son and I visited the hardware store last Sunday we had to get a three-metre drain pipe - and the only way to bring it home was out through the roof.
Of course the car, as with most Fiats, is very economical and clean and, through the start-and-stop system, 113g/km of emissions is achievable. The 500C has a 74kW, 1.4-litre petrol engine that delivers 0-100 in a claimed 11sec and an advertised top speed of 182km/h - and you wouldn't want to go faster!
There's also a lot of safety equipment on board but there was still something not real about the whole thing. A lot more style than substance. It might add to the gaiety of the nation but it really isn't a great car.
BUT...
I'm not the greatest driver in the world, argues Siobhan O'Connor
, and have regularly been teased for driving into kerbs, forgetting to put oil in the engine and water in the windscreen washer.
So, when I started driving my first Fiat 500 two years ago, it was a moment of "Eureka" - suddenly I could fit into spaces. I felt more competent in my 500. Bus-driving bullies no longer bothered me; I felt like I belonged, in my cool little car.
Parking has never been my forte and my spatial awareness wouldn't exactly set the world alight, but getting into impractical spaces started to feel like a cinch.
I could fit anywhere and this gave me particular joy when dudes in their five-litre cars or high flyers in their SUV's had difficulty getting into spaces that I found a doddle.
STRONG POINTS
Then along came the Fiat 500C Cabriolet. I never feel like it eats petrol. The 500C incorporates the company's recently introduced Start & Stop system - so don't be afraid if, like me, you think it's cutting out at every stop.
When you shift to neutral while stopped and release the clutch, the engine switches off - and starts again when you select a gear. It's a handy way to save petrol, particularly in traffic.
The 500C also incorporates all the strong points of the basic model: top safety features, space for four adults and (I was quite surprised) generous luggage space.
If you try to open the boot while the soft top is down - and, believe me, I've done it - the top will automatically slide back up out of the way so you won't damage the car.
Also, if you are driving with the soft top down and it starts to rain, you can press a button and the roof will close, as long as you are doing less than 60km/h. Very handy to avoid frizzy hair - not to mention protecting the leather trim!
'TOO CUTE'
When I started driving with the top down, my hair blowing in the wind, I felt like a bit of a poser, but you do get used to the lovely air on your face!
What I really couldn't fathom were all the stares from both men and women. I was thinking: "Wow! I must look good today."
But it quickly became apparent that it wasn't me but the car that impressed. Each time I stopped at traffic lights people seemed fascinated, rolling down their windows for impromptu chats.
Men would reminisce about the late 1950's model and women got a little over-excited saying: "Wow, your car is too cute - I want one."
And the Italians just can't get enough of the Fiat 500C. Recently I was in Italy to interview Hollywood starlet Amanda Seyfried. In her new movie, "Letters to Juliet", she drives through Tuscany in a Fiat 500C.
I was excited that she was driving around in "my" car so I asked her what she thought of it. I was intrigued when she told me, "I'd totally ditch my Audi for a cute little Italian Fiat."
So, if it's good enough for Hollywood, it's good enough for me. - Irish Independent
Tell us what you think - is the Fiat 500C impractical and overpriced or is it the ultimate in retro chic?