Rear bumper - US or Euro

[Minuszka]

Photos of the expected rear bumper of the US model have been shown on this site recently. I found the Euro more elegant and appealing. The US look might be sportier, but the other was so nice with the silver strip.
What are your thoughts?

[txdesign]

I agree, for the base model they should have left the Euro version and saved the sportier bumper for an S model or the Abarth.

[sketch]

I quite like the US bumper, actually.  A friend from overseas (and 500 Abarth owner) came to me the other day and said that lots of European 500 owners are going to be mad that they didn't get the US bumper! :P

[Rusty]

Would anyone happen to know exactly what US safety requirements are that require these changes like the extra reflectors and things like that?

[sketch]

The only difference between the US and Europe that I know of is that the US requires side-facing retroreflectors, front and back.  Other than that, it's just a change for a sportier look.

[Fiat500USA]

 The interesting thing is the European 500 is slated for a makeover in 2012. I wonder what that will look like? They may get our rear bumper after all!

[ophidia31]

But havent most pictures been of the sport version (told by the wheels)? Maybe the normal Pop/Lounge could have different bumpers?

[sketch]

I could be wrong, but I don't think the Sport has a different bumper from the Pop and Lounge in Europe, saving the distinction for the Abarth.

[Fiat500USA]

This photo really throws a curve ball at us.

I have another photo I'm not at the liberty to publish that is also very curious. It is a hybrid Abarth/sedan bumper and you can read a description here.

[sketch]

Whoa!  I guess this is the Lounge and/or Pop, as opposed to the Sport we were shown a few weeks ago?

[ophidia31]

Fiat500USA wrote

This photo really throws a curve ball at us.

I have another photo I'm not at the liberty to publish that is also very curious. It is a hybrid Abarth/sedan bumper and you can read a description here.


http://fiat-500-usa-forum.965414.n3.nabble.com/file/n1887068/Fiat_500_Test_Car2.jpg

Thanks for that, I knew there were pictures you posted originally when pointing out the reflectors that have been retrofitted to the pop/lounge bumper. Only reason I brought that point up in my post above.

[ciddyguy]

ophidia31 wrote

Fiat500USA wrote

This photo really throws a curve ball at us.

I have another photo I'm not at the liberty to publish that is also very curious. It is a hybrid Abarth/sedan bumper and you can read a description here.


http://fiat-500-usa-forum.965414.n3.nabble.com/file/n1887068/Fiat_500_Test_Car2.jpg

Thanks for that, I knew there were pictures you posted originally when pointing out the reflectors that have been retrofitted to the pop/lounge bumper. Only reason I brought that point up in my post above.

If you look closely at this photo just above that Chris showed, I wonder if that isn't a Euro mule with the reflectors/side marker lights retrofitted, just up front, I can't tell if there are any retrofitted to the rear wheels although it kind of doesn't look like they exist there but the grill looks more Euro, check out the lower grill, that's the sport trim, but the images Chris posted of the official US Sport exterior, the lower grill assembly is different and the rear reflectors are definitely there. The Euro Sport has a one piece grill with the fog lights at the ends, the US version, the fog lights have their own grill segment, separated by the bumper, glance at the header image above in the blog, that's the US version and note the differences.

If I recall from the UK web site and specs mentioned here, the fog lights are only standard on the Sport, not the Pop or Lounge, whilst the Pop and Lounge get the skydome, the Sport does not although it gets AC standard as Is I think the Lounge but how they'll be set up here, we'll know next week.

[ophidia31]

I understand the differences between the sport and pop/lounge models Euro or otherwise. I brought up that fact because if the pictures are correct, when he posted the front bumpers and showing the bumper and wider lower grill for a US pop/lounge in that link from april, it would look off to have a rear bumper that would match better to the US sport front bumper and than to have the same rear US sport bumper with a different bumper up front. I would think that if the US pop/lounge bumper is in fact a revamped Euro bumper, then there is the possibility for a revamped rear bumper that would be better suited to match the front US bumper than the US rear sport bumper. This of course is all hypothetical because we dont even know anything about the exterior of the other models besides the sport because those images from that april blog post may have been scrapped a while ago.

[Fiat500USA]

This is a big mystery. Could be a mule just testing the side markers like ciddyguy says or who knows.  

But check this out. Man, this isn't getting any easier!

[ciddyguy]

Fiat500USA wrote

This is a big mystery. Could be a mule just testing the side markers like ciddyguy says or who knows.  

But check this out. Man, this isn't getting any easier!

Well I guess we'll just have to wait then, it's only 4 days away... :-)