Fiat 500L - five hundred by five

It's time for bold decisions in the automotive world. The world is moving fast, people are changing their expectations and needs, and car manufacturers need to keep up with these changes. Often you have to do something out of the ordinary. Lamborghini announces an SUV, a Jaguar can be bought as a station wagon, a hybrid can be found in a Ferrari, and finally a diesel under the hood of a Porsche. We do not always accept this with joy, but the motives are clear - who does not go forward, he retreats.

Today I am at the presentation of the 500L model, which confirms the above thesis - we need to develop and sometimes even surprise the market. Fiat is trying to do this at a special moment - exactly 5 years after the presentation of the Fiat 500 and 55 years after the debut of the historic 500. The modern 800 has proven to be a great success, convincing more than 110 buyers from countries around the world within five years. And is there any point in its new version? Of course, just look at what BMW is doing with its MINI, which keeps coming out in new body styles.

It's just that MINI is not a cheap car, but now we have an alternative! The 500L is the latest addition to the range of fun and super trendy if not very practical 500s - bigger, roomier and even taller. The letter "L" is associated, of course, not only with the Big. It is also Light (light) and Loft (open). What does it mean? By lightness, the Italians understand the ease of operation of the car and its environmentally friendly engines, and by openness - an extremely bright, glazed interior and the possibility of assembly and readiness for personalization with the help of the special Lineaccessori collection from Centro Stile Fiat design.

Longer adventure with ""

To be precise, this is not the first time we see an enlarged “five hundred”. Fiat presented the model in March this year at the Geneva Motor Show as a preview of its fresh offering to meet the new needs of potential customers. Some might complain that the "L" model will get in the way of their excellent line of cars for young and dynamic people, but common sense suggests that such a variation is a great idea to continue the adventure with this model. What is it about?

As a young man looking for dynamics and a bit of imagination, we choose, for example, the 500 model with a 100 hp 1,4-litre engine. The adventure with the model is very pleasant, the car is used for everyday driving, trips to university or to work. Then we get acquainted with the girl - we go together, we ride together, etc. At this point, we rewind the tape for several years - we are the head of a family of four with a dog that does not fit into the small body of the 500 model. And here comes the rescue in the form of the Fiat 500l. The family will fit, luggage too, the dog will not splatter the windshield, and we can freely recall the times of youth and carelessness, because this is actually the same, peppy Fiat.

It's true that we'll be waiting for our copy, because while orders could be placed as early as July, the 500L model, made in Europe at the Serbian plant in Kragujevac, will only be available in the last quarter of this year. Despite complaints from purists who see unusual (compared to the original) proportions in the new body, the 500L is still the quintessence of Italian engineering and approach to city cars. It's no secret that the Italian Fiat is one of the few manufacturers capable of creating a really great and enjoyable city car. It's the same with the 500L - it's surprisingly spacious inside for a car of this size, the driver sits a little higher, acres of windows provide excellent visibility and lighting, and the number of interior configurations (1500!) makes you dizzy.

engines

One of the three engines will land under the hood. We can choose between two petrol and one diesel unit. The weakest will be the 1,3-liter Multijet diesel with 95 hp. For those looking for more power, there's a tiny 0,9bhp 105-litre engine. or a 1,4-liter unit with 95 hp. So far this is not pampering, but maybe someday we will see more powerful engines under the Abarth brand?

Fiat will offer more powertrains in the near future. In the first half of next year it will be a more powerful 1,6 horsepower 105 diesel, and by the end of 2013 we will also see a turbocharged CNG version. Automatic transmission enthusiasts will also have to wait until next year when an automatic transmission will be available with an 85 hp diesel engine.

First contact

To be honest, looking at photos of the 500L, it's hard to fall in love at first sight. As one of our readers wrote in a comment on the first photos, the 500L looks like you've been eating pancakes. Live, the car does not look exhausted, and in the heavily glazed center, the driver already feels quite sporty.

The Fiat 500L combines features common to different classes. This is not a typical station wagon, but there is room for a lot of luggage. This is also not a bulky van, but even five passengers will get to their destination quite comfortably. Fiat even talks about two-meter passengers - well, I just checked two meters. There is indeed plenty of room up front, but at the back, the head rests against the sunroof blind, and the knees rest against a hard storage compartment behind the back of the reclined front seat. You can sit diagonally, but if a two-meter one sits in the middle, the journey will not be pleasant. So let's say that the story of the basketball team is a funny allegory that is close to true - although the car is only 4,15 m long, 1,78 wide and 1,66 m high. The luggage compartment has space for 400 liters of luggage. For this class of cars, this is a good result. In addition, the driver and passengers will find in the cabin a lot of convenient compartments for storing things that are in high demand in our time. After all, all these gadgets in the form of mobile phones, tablets, keys, wallets, bottles of drinks and toys have to be hidden somewhere.

First ride

For a test drive, I decided to choose a car with the weakest gasoline unit. It will probably be the cheapest, and therefore the most popular. This engine is quite enough for everyday driving - it is pleasant to collect from low speeds, it is not noisy and even when driving fast it burns no more than 8 liters / 100km. However, I recommend that the dynamic driver consider more powerful engines.

What struck me most was the level of comfort offered by the new model. The 500L suspension takes care of all the bumps, even muffles the ride on the “cobblestones” and at the same time does not let you down when cornering faster! A very good compromise!

We must not forget about the very good equipment of the car with the touch interface of the on-board computer at the forefront. For the first time, it has been integrated with all key vehicle functions such as the navigation system, infotainment system and vehicle diagnostics. Everything is based on a large 5-inch touch screen with a built-in satellite navigation system. In addition, the presence of USB, Bluetooth and AUX connectors allows you to connect many external devices.

Summation

Who is the Fiat 500L for? On the one hand, this is a car for everyone - because it is quite versatile, but at the same time it is not for everyone - because its unique style will appeal more to the individualist than the person who prefers to blend in with the crowd. Of course, this model is aimed at those who want to feel the atmosphere of the 500th model, but simply because of the size of the family, they cannot afford such nonsense.

Will the 500L be successful? This will also depend on the price, which we do not know yet, but which could start somewhere from 55 PLN 15.550. We only know that on the Italian market prices will start from the full amount of “Friday”: euros.

Interestingly, the Italians are as confident in the success of the 500L as they were with the 500 model, will the SUV be a 500XL or even a 500XXL, for example? And why not? Recently, Fiat started working with Mazda to release an Italian version of one of the Japanese crossovers. However, we will have to wait for that. Maybe even five years in a row. In the meantime, I keep my fingers crossed for 500 liters - the world belongs to the brave.