In Palm Beach

We made it to West Palm Beach!  I can positively confirm that the 500 is a wonderful car to drive cross country - 1400 mile trip in two days.  No back aches or stiffness.  It was a comfortable and economical drive.  The trip computer did register 40 to 42 mpg on the trip.  The first half of the trip was 42 mpg but the Smoky Mountains dropped it to 40 mpg.  The higher speeds driving through Florida assured that the fuel economy would not return to 42 mpg.  One thing I noticed on the whole trip - the wind from passing semi-trucks did not disturb the composure of the little Fiat 500c.  I have driven much larger cars that were often pushed by the drafts from the trucks.  Crosswinds did not disturb the car either.  The impression of driving was that of a much larger, very solid and stable automobile.

Which is Bigger, the Jaguar or the Fiat 500

On my way to Florida I stopped at gas station in Kentucky.  I parked my car and when I turned back to look I noticed something that seemed to be an optical illusion.  The Fiat looked like it had a bigger interior than the Jaguar I parked next to.  So the question in my mind is which is bigger?  The Jaguar is the "X" Type which is the small four door Jaguar but we usually don't think of them being smaller than a Fiat 500.  The "X" type is based on the Ford Mondeo (Contour in the U.S.) so it shouldn't be smaller than a Ford Focus.  Truth ids the Fiat is tall and is mostly interior volume.  I have been in a Jaguar "X" type and they sit low and are not known for being spacious.  But the Fiat is a bit narrower and definately shorter.  So if you are not the driver or the front seat passenger, the Fiat is smaller.  I have also noticed this wierd size phenomena with the Toyota Yaris which is about the same size as the Fiat 500.  The size prioty on the Yaris is for interior volume and when parked next to mid-size cars the Yaris appears to have an interior that may be larger also.