Transportation

Car Review: 2016 Fiat 500X

Published

9 years ago

May 18, 2015

By Frank S. Washington
NNPA Columnist

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., (NNPA) — It was bigger, taller and barely looked like a Fiat 500 from the side. But from the front it was unmistakably the small Italian import that has had some success during its four years in the U.S. market.

The car had the double headlamps, the trapezoidal nose, signature “whiskers and logo” face and rounded clamshell hood reminiscent of the original Fiat Cinquecento on which it is based. But it was a little different.

The roof was rounded; it had more than five inches of ground clearance, which meant that it was more than an inch higher than a regular Fiat 500. That is because the 500X can be equipped with all-wheel-drive. In effect, it is a small crossover and it went go on sale just before summer began.

It has two engine choices: a 1.4-liter four cylinder engine that made 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque and a 2.4-liter four cylinder that made 180 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque.

At the time of the test drive, fuel efficiency of the 2016 Fiat 500X had not been finalized. But a staffer said that both engines were expected to get more than 30 mpg on the highway.

The smaller engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission and the 2.4-liter engine is mated to a nine-speed automatic, the first in the segment. Given the preference of American drivers, we expect the nine-speed automatic with the larger engine to be the volume leader in this market.

Inside, the car featured a body colored instrument panel and a circular instrument cluster display. It was a really clean look with the UConnect information screen featured prominently and the climate controls beneath.

Our Fiat 500X test car was really spacious. There was only two of us but the car looked like it could carry four adults comfortably. Although most of the roads in Southern California are in very good shape, the test car rode smoothly, quietly and the electric power steering responded to driver input well.

We found ourselves on the Santa Monica Freeway a couple of times and the car never seemed swallowed by the traffic. We had a front-wheel drive version of the 500X with the 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine. It had enough oomph to hold its own on the area’s notoriously swift freeway as well as the surface streets.

About that only gripe we had was at times our test car’s nine-speed transmission didn’t know what gear to choose and was a little jerky about the selection. However, we were driving pre-production cars and we’re pretty confident gear mapping has been finalized and it is smooth.

In a phrase, the Fiat 500X expands the brand offerings and gives it a small crossover, which is a growth segment of the market. Of course, Fiat expects younger buyers but this car is about psychographics more than demographics.

The Fiat 500X offers 12 exterior colors and seven what Fiat calls “interior environments.” What’s more, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ customizing arm, Mopar, has developed 100 accessories for the small crossover that include 30 exterior graphics packages.

There are five trim lines: the Pop which starts at $20,000, the Easy that starts at $22,300, Trekking starts at $23,100, the Lounge begins at $24,800 and the Trekking Plus begins at $27,100.

We had a 500X Lounge. It had 18-inch wheels, a dual pane sunroof, a premium audio system, lane departure warning and forward collision warning. It was $31,100 including the freight charge. That was the other thing about the 2016 Fiat 500X. Yes, it is a small crossover but it had some big car stuff.

It could be outfitted with an eight-way power driver’s seat, there were three versions of UConnect, it has Bluetooth, a navigation system, voice controls, three drive modes, blind spot monitoring, keyless start and stop, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a backup camera. Each trim line had from four to six options.

And there was a choice of 16-, 17-, or 18-inch wheels. The 2016 Fiat 500X was a lot of car in a small but not that small package.

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.

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Bay Area

Former Mayor Willie L. Brown Endorses Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown has announced his endorsement support for Dana Lang for BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes voters from both sides of the Bay, and in San Francisco includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island. Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

“When I met with Dana Lang I asked many questions, then I asked others about her contributions. Getting to know her I realized that she truly understood transportation. At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is more than ready for this job, she is ready to meet the moment!”

Over the past 24 years Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto, CA, and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting transit riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs.

With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to serve as a transportation grants specialist.

During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality — and bringing riders back to BART. She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church, Alameda County supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, District 4 Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes San Francisco’s Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island, a large portion of Oakland, the cities of Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley.

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Bay Area

Alameda County Supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley Endorse Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson have announced their support for Dana Lang for the BART Board District 7 Seat. These supervisors say that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

1 month ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson have announced their support for Dana Lang for the BART Board District 7 Seat.

These supervisors say that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Supervisor Nate Miley acknowledges that, “At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is the person for the job. As a transportation leader, Dana Lang is exactly ready to meet this moment.”

Over the past 24 years, Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Dana Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs. With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from Cal Berkeley Haas School of Business.

She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality and bringing riders back to BART.

She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, Oakland Councilperson Janani Ramachandran, Alameda Councilperson Tracy Jensen, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which covers most of the East Bay, including Oakland, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley. The district also includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island in San Francisco.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Congresswoman Lee Celebrates Federal Green Transportation Investments for California

Published

2 months ago

September 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

OAKLAND, CA — Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) today celebrated the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement of two grants for California to expand clean transportation infrastructure. The DOT announced that Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) will receive over $14 million to install Level 2 EV charging ports at all BART-managed parking facilities for use by customers and community members. The DOT also announced that the California Department of Transportation will receive $102 million for the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project to deploy charging and hydrogen fueling stations for zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles along 2,500 miles of key freight corridors in California, Oregon, and Washington.

The transportation sector is the largest source of U.S. carbon emissions. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 50 percent reduction in carbon must be achieved by 2050—and as much as a 91 percent decrease by 2100—to stay within the globally accepted goal of limiting the planet’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Today, I am excited to announce that BART has been selected to receive this critical federal funding to help expand mobility and end fossil fuel dependence,” said Congresswoman Lee. “It is especially important the first phase of the project will prioritize deployment at stations in or near disadvantaged communities. BART is an essential part of our public transit system, and these funds will improve transit for its riders in throughout the Bay Area.”

By installing chargers at BART stations that are close to multifamily housing, workplaces, medical facilities, schools, and retail, the project will support robust EV adoption across a wide range of socioeconomic groups and road users.

Furthermore, because of discriminatory policies, highways were built near and through Black and brown communities, making these communities much more vulnerable to chronic illnesses associated with disproportionate exposure to air pollution. A reduction in gas-powered cars will be especially beneficial to communities of color and low-income communities who have been disproportionately harmed by infrastructural and environmental injustices.

The West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project will enable the emissions-free movement of goods connecting major ports, freight centers, and agricultural regions between the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada.

On this funding, Congresswoman Lee said: “This funding will go a long way toward not only combatting the climate crisis, but it will create good-paying jobs as well. I thank the Department of Transportation and the Biden-Harris administration for their continued commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment.”

Last year, alongside the California delegation, Congresswoman Lee sent a letter to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging support for the grant application of the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program.