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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

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

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it vain to say you want this on your car just because it looks so freaking great...

Really hoping this is either standard or an option on the Prima model

Gavin

Rusty said...

Cool post chris, details on these features/options and differences between models were hard to find for me. I definitely look forward to similar posts in the future that might help me with choosing options once the 500 gets here :)

Fiat500USA.com said...

Anonymous said...
Is it vain to say you want this on your car just because it looks so freaking great...

Really hoping this is either standard or an option on the Prima model

Gavin


Hi Gavin,

If you like it go for it! The beauty of the 500 is you have the freedom to choose what you want, simple or extravagant but always sophisticated.

Fiat500USA.com said...

Rusty said...
"Cool post chris, details on these features/options and differences between models were hard to find for me. I definitely look forward to similar posts in the future that might help me with choosing options once the 500 gets here :)"

Hi Rusty,

Glad you liked it. I have more stuff like this so keep an eye out.... One thing I'd like to mention is I have info on the European cars and there could be differences in what we get and how things work.

Still, I think knowing about the Euro car is a good foundation and will help us when it comes time to order our cars.

Terry said...

Hi Chris,

Do you know if the climate control (or ventilation system as a whole) is
equipped with a pollen filter?

Terry

Fiat500USA.com said...

Terry said...
"Hi Chris,

Do you know if the climate control (or ventilation system as a whole) is
equipped with a pollen filter?

Terry"

Hi Terry,

Yes, in Europe the 500 has a pollen filter.