2012 will marks the official return of Fiat into the United States with their adorable little Fiat 500 that will hit the dealership in the coming weeks. With the Fiat’s MultiAir 1.4 liter engine under its hood, you can expect to get the top notch fuel economy numbers. While the EPA ratings for the 500?s reach 30 miles per gallon in the city and 38 mpg on highway aren’t bad, but it is not what exactly people hoping for.  

To compare, you can pick the much larger C-segment entries such as the Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Cruze, or Ford Focus that are capable to achieve 40mpg or higher. Moreover, the 30/38 mpg EPA rating for the Fiat 500 is only for its five speed manual transmission, while cars with six speed manual transmission might achieve 27/34 mpg.

However, with the prices starting from $15,995 for the entry level Pop model, I think Fiat won’t have too much trouble for moving their Fiat 500s out of their showrooms and dealerships. Beside that, most of the people who purchase the Fiat 500 will be doing so because of the style more than the frugality.