Osnabrueck

You guys remember when the iMac became an overnight sensation in the late 90s? The multicolored clear plastic motif became all the rage - shortly thereafter several other computer makers "me too'ed" and copied the style, as if to say "Hey guys! We're young and hip too. See?"

The problem with Fiat, is that there's nothing young or hip about the brand in the slightest. This car feels like a day late, buck short attempt to glom-on to the success of the New Beetle and Mini Cooper.

Accessorizing and "individualization" has been a strong undercurrent in car-land recently, especially when it comes to anything that's supposedly youth market. Problem is, you put the cart in front of the horse when you're punting for a brand and a car that nobody loves to begin with.

This car would have been an also-ran 4 years ago.