Faults:

Indicator LED went in the dashboard meaning a whole replacement of the dashboard console, luckily it was under warranty.

General Comments:

Great fun to drive, very nippy considering it has a measly 1.1 litre engine. Is sluggish with more than 3 in the car.

With the Abarth kit it has quite a nice stance, but in standard trim it is nice.

Front seats are excellent, not a bad driving position, bit tight in the back, but then again it is a small car. I have sat 4 adults in mine, it was a bit cozy, but the car handled it fine.

Faults:

Speedo cable broke 0.5 miles after purchase.

Clutch cable snapped at 38,000 miles and again at 42,000.

Hand brake cable snapped at 40,000.

Front brakes are very unresponsive and squeal constantly.

The car has been broken into several times.

General Comments:

The Fiat Seicento Sporting is the most fun car I have ever had the chance of owning. The speed and acceleration produced by the 1100cc engine is like nothing I've seen before in a budget car.

The styling on the car is impressive, with the front skirts with fog lamps built in and the alloy wheels. The interior is also worth mentioning with the sports seats, rev counter in the centre of the dash, and the cut away side panels makes the car look very ‘sporting’ indeed. All this topped off with the colour being Broom Yellow.

My main criticism with the car is the security, its very lacking to say the least, it takes a very amateur car thief 20 seconds and a screwdriver to make his entry into the car, leaving with anything and everything you have in the car. Even after fixing the lock back into place, only to find it ‘popped out’ again two weeks later. The solution to this problem is to fit a decent alarm (Toad AI606) and de-lock the car fully.

The brakes are also a little shoddy, but having spoken to the dealer apparently this is common to all Seicento.

Getting any information out of the dealers can be a pain (except when you go in cheque book in hand)

All in all I found my Seicento sporting a very fun car to drive indeed, you can put it into corners at any speed and she is very forgiving. I’m planning on selling it in the very near future, because I can see it costing me more and more money on repairs. The clutch cable keeps snapping less than every 12 months, and according to the dealer, it’s the clutch release baring which needs replacing, along with the clutch at the same time, which will no doubt cost mega bucks.

Faults:

Ticking speedo cable, incurable.

Overheated twice within 3 weeks of owning it.

Independent garage who I bought it from were excellent however and have completely replaced the cooling system.

Recent NCAP safety tests a worry.

General Comments:

Driving: Very stiff clutch makes it tough on the left foot whilst in queues. Excellent position/visibility. Parking is a breeze. Sounds sort of "sporting". Rests happily at around 95mph. Gearbox close, you often have no choice but to brush your passengers' leg to get it into 1st!

Ride: Quite bumpy. Rattles are minimal.

Interior: Very modern, white dials that glow a cool orange in the dark. Rev counter in the middle is a nice touch. No room in the back.

Faults:

Uni directional tyres were put on backwards, interior rattles, steering judders all over the place at anything over 56mph.

General Comments:

Looks Italian, sounds Italian, shame it can't pull the ladies like an Italian,.......... in fact it would have trouble pulling anything over 2lbs, the power is something like a staggering, back snapping 3bhp at the wheels, it's like those wind up cars you used to roll backwards to get them to charge up, looks so small you want to bolt it to your foot and go roller-skating on it, and as for the sporting, part, it is about as sporty as Jo Brand.

Handles like one of the wheels have been removed then put back on then removed again, apart from that it is a superb car and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who can who is brave enough to drive down the motorway looking like a child on a fairground ride.

TA TA

I'm going to sell mine today, after only having it for a week and I'm going to buy a Ford Anglia.

Faults:

Central locking didn't work the day I bought it, even the dealer missed it.

Paintwork flaking off!!!

General Comments:

A lot more grown up than the Cinquecento and lacks the aggression of the little Cinq too. Looks and feels much more refined but I'm sure the engine has lost some of its ooomph.