Inside the Fiat 500: Fixed glass roof or opening Skydome...

The European Fiat 500 is available with an optional fixed glass roof or power sliding panoramic roof called a Skydome. With either version, the sheet metal in front of the roof is glossy black and blends in with the roof to make for a smooth appearance.

The fixed glass roof is about 5 mm thick with a light transmission of 16% and energy transmission below 19%.



The sliding roof has a thickness of 4 � 0.2 mm, light transmission of 19 � 2 % and an energy transmission of less than 19 %. The roof has an opening/closing time of 5 � 2 secs.



A sunshade is provided to adjust the light intensity inside the car. It is manually operated on cars with fixed glass roofs or opened and closed electrically on cars equipped with the sliding roof.

In cases of emergency or maintenance, it is possible to open/close the glass panel manually by removing an access plug and using a provided crank.



Additional safety and technical specifications

Fiat designed the sun roof to meet a very stringent criteria, guaranteeing that it can handle even the most demanding operating conditions. Here are some interesting facts:

The raising of the front panel (due to the aerodynamic effect while moving) towards the outside at a top speed of 113mph (180 Km/h) is less than or equal to 2 mm.



The stresses on the roof panel measured/calculated while driving over cobbled streets does not produce vibrations or noise that adversely affect driving comfort. If the sun roof has to be closed manually using the emergency key, the force required (tightening torque) is less than or equal to 8 Nm.

The black panel in front of the sunroof blends with the roof and makes for a smooth appearance. A nice design touch.

The bonding of the rear glass section is technologically treated like a windshield, not allowing water penetration into the passenger compartment under any circumstances.


Source: Fiat Auto SpA

Inside the Fiat 500: Automatic Climate Control

Automatic climate control is optional on the European Fiat 500. It is a sophisticated unit that is usually reserved for premium cars, but is perfectly in keeping with the 500's high end style.

While we don't know what equipment will be offered on the North American 500, it's probably safe to assume it will offer a similar option. With that in mind, let's take a look at how the system works...

The system on the Fiat 500 implements an �equivalent temperature� climate control strategy. A number of sensors register the indoor and outdoor temperature and evaluate the feeling of thermal well-being perceived by the passenger, i.e. the energy exchange between the human body and the passenger compartment, which is affected by the humidity, the temperature and the flow of treated air.

All these parameters are measured constantly and used to adjust the distribution, ventilation and mixture constantly. This regulates the air flow to the air vents and the fan speed, so that passengers in the car enjoy the sense of thermal well-being they requested (when setting the temperature).

The result is a constant climate, even if the outdoor conditions change; to make sure that the air issuing into the car reaches all corners of the passenger compartment, the system can be adjusted to one of five combinations.



The customer can also modify the temperature gradually, by half a degree at a time, until it is comfortable for him. The knob allows an adjustment of 28�F/16�C.

Manual settings always have priority over automatic settings. They cause the �Auto� LED to go out, and the setting is memorized until the control is annulled. Every time the system is turned on, it will return to the status memorized when it was turned off, except for the �MAX DEF� function, which is canceled.

It is also possible to turn the system off manually, de-activating the climate system completely.


Source: Fiat Group Press