This job has taught me to expect the unexpected, and I must
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
admit the Fiat 500L was unexpectedly good.
Don’t get me wrong. Way before slipping behind the wheel of a 500L I was already impressed by the regular 500 after experiencing it in almost every flavour, but the 500L is an altogether different kind of car. Compared to that little champ the L totally lives up to the alpha portion of its new alphanumeric nameplate, it’s Large.
That’s the first surprise. Sure you can see it’s going to be larger than the wee little 500, but just how much larger it is inside is shocking. Rear seat room is fabulous for two and possible for three while headroom is lofty all-round, my tester’s stunning
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
panoramic sunroof making it as close to an open-air convertible as this class gets.
Once you lift up the unexpectedly heavy liftgate there’s a surprisingly sizable loading area behind those 60/40-split rear seatbacks too, good for 654 litres (23.1 cubic feet) of gear when they’re upright, which incidentally is a lot more luggage space than even the biggest full-size sedan on today’s market. If that’s still not enough you can lay them flat (or at least almost flat) and cargo carrying capacity expands to a surprising 1,690 litres (59.7 cubic feet), turning this little runabout into a veritable mini-minivan. Fiat provides a hard moveable shelf at the base of the cargo floor that can be
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
raised upward to make the load floor flush with the flattened seatbacks, a solution that works perfectly as long as your cargo isn’t too tall. If you need more height, simply keep the load shelf in its lowest position and flip each rear seatback entirely forward and out of the way in a single flowing movement, allowing more floor to ceiling height. Like I said, the 500L delivers a number of unexpected benefits, its overall passenger/cargo flexibility just one more.
The cabin’s unexpected quality and luxury was another surprise. I loved the leather-wrapped steering wheel, as its beautifully detailed stitching and high-quality hides made it look and feel as if it was pulled from a premium car. Visually framing a classy set of black- and white-backed gauges that integrate a bright-red
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
LCD multi-information display at centre, the wheel spokes feature redundant buttons for phone and voice-activation commands on their left front and cruise control on their right front, while finger actuated buttons on the rear of each spoke manage audio controls.
The infotainment system these connect with uses a gorgeous high-end full-colour touchscreen for bright, clear legibility, and it’s filled to the brim with all the features you’ll likely want or need, while just below is a user-friendly three-dial HVAC system with set-it and leave-it dual-zone automatic functionality. I liked the way Fiat integrates most of its various functions within each of the system’s three dials for a nice neat layout, and the controls are very high-quality premium-level dials, although I didn’t like the way the digital temperature readouts never stopped
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
flashing. Hey, it can’t be perfect. Just below the HVAC system is an interface housing a USB plug, auxiliary input and SD card slot connecting through to a truly kicking Beats Audio system.
All of these features come together in a cabin that not only looks upscale, but really is. The soft touch dash pad is really nice, and matches the soft door panel inserts and armrests, padded centre armrest, and beautifully detailed perforated leather upholstery. The front seats are very comfortable, with a button on the side of each lower cushion for heat and another one for the powered lumbar support, which works very well. A funky stubby-shaped handbrake is an unorthodox bit of kit that kind of embodies the entire car in miniature, while a handy set of twin glove boxes reminds just how useful this spacious vehicle is.
As
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
you’ve probably guessed, my nicely equipped tester wasn’t a base model, but rather came fitted out in top-line Lounge trim. The trim levels are as follows: Pop starting at $19,995, Sport at $22,995, Trekking at $24,295, and Lounge at $25,995, with all models needing $1,695 added to the MSRP for freight and pre-delivery prep.
The base Pop model features the 500’s trademark body-colour dash, a multi-functional tilt and telescopic steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, Fiat’s Uconnect 5.0 display audio and infotainment system with Bluetooth phone connectivity, plus power windows, locks with keyless entry and powered mirrors, the latter items wide-angled for better rearward vision, as well as air conditioning, cloth upholstery, bright-finished exterior door handles and exhaust tip, 16-inch steel
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
wheels with covers riding on 205/55R16 all-season tires, an engine block heater, active front head restraints, hill start assist, tire pressure monitoring with display function, traction and stability control, ABS-enhanced four-wheel disc brakes, and all the usual airbags along with an unexpected driver’s knee airbag.
The second-rung Sport model adds surprisingly large 17-inch alloys on 225/45R17 all-seasons, fog lights, body-colour side mirror caps, a leather-like vinyl-wrapped instrument panel, deep-tint sunscreen glass, the leather-wrapped steering wheel I mentioned before, a chrome-and-leather shift knob, the aforementioned heated front sport seats with lumbar support, automatic climate control, satellite radio, a 115-volt power outlet, a remote garage door opener, a front centre console, a rear armrest with an integrated cupholder, and a sport suspension.
The
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
third-grade Trekking model gets unique front and rear fascias with body-colour accents, special wheel arch mouldings, satin bodyside mouldings and door handles, bright front door sill scuff pads, a painted instrument panel, and upgraded premium fabric upholstery.
Lastly, my tester’s Lounge trim adds the leather upholstery and front passenger seat lumbar adjustment I spoke of before, plus a six-speaker stereo, rear parking sonar, backup camera and, on the outside, chrome side mirrors and chrome bodyside mouldings. That’s a lot of extras for the money, making the 500L especially good value.
Out
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
on the road the surprises continue. First off, outward visibility is excellent in any direction. The car’s double A-pillars aid forward sightlines, raising confidence in heavy inner-city traffic. That’s where the 500L feels most at home, zipping from stoplight to stoplight and lane to lane on its way from one side of town to the other with surprising speed and stability, its 1.4-litre, DOHC, 16-valve, turbocharged Multi-Air four-cylinder as peppy as needs be. The engine makes an unexpected 160 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, while power goes down to the front wheels via a standard six-speed manual or as-tested optional six-speed dual-clutch automatic, the latter with lightning quick sporty yet smooth shifts. The difference maker off the line is the engine’s amazing tractability, revs only needing to reach 2,500 rpm in order to extract all 184 lb-ft of torque, more than ample for a 1,476-kilo (3,254-lb) vehicle, while it reaches maximum horsepower at
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
only 5,500 rpm allowing great highway passing power. Really, there’s always power on tap no matter the speed you’re going. Also surprising, the 500L’s handling is quite good for such a tall, narrow car.
What didn’t surprise was the 500L’s fuel economy, which was expectedly very good. Transport Canada estimates 8.0 L/100km in the city and 6.0 on the highway with the manual or 8.7 city and 6.0 highway for the auto, while premium is recommended for lower emissions but not required. If you’re planning to compare these numbers against a similar 2015 model, keep in mind that the Canadian government changed its fuel economy rating system from an extremely outdated two-cycle process that was never even remotely accurate to a much more realistic five-cycle testing method, so it won’t be an apples to apples comparison. That in mind, the 500L’s
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
Transport Canada rating will increase for 2015, even if its actual real fuel economy won’t change at all.
Right about now you might think the 500L comes about as close to perfection as anything out there, and you’d be right in believing that the little car impressed me to bits. Truly, it works for me in just above every way, other than styling. But hey, that’s just me. People buy hairless cats after all, so I suppose enough consumers will warm up to the 500L’s odd looks to make it a success, right? OK, perhaps I’m not being fair, because I know a number of people who think it looks great, and some that call it adorable. I’m guessing that its styling has turned more off than on, however, because the 500L is so good at everything else there should be one on every corner.
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
Then again its sales aren’t too bad for an all-new model most have yet to hear about. At the end of last month Fiat had already sold 2,189 500Ls here in Canada and close to 10,000 in the U.S., not quite half the number of little 500 coupes and convertibles it’s sent down North American roads this year, but still pretty decent overall. I’m pretty confident that if you take the time to drive this car and then play around with its many useful, convenient features, you’ll probably fall head over heals and want to take it home just like its thousands of new owners have. It’s a car that will no doubt surprise you, and I’m quite certain a car that will keep you smiling long after the honeymoon phase of ownership is over.
After
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
a weeklong drive and the usual research it takes to put a review like this together, the little 500L surprised me yet again. Take a guess where it’s built? Most who know that Fiat is an Italian brand based in Turin would likely guess somewhere within the boot-shaped country, but that would about 700 km from the truth. The 500L is actually made in Neckarsulm, Germany, seven and a half hours north of Turin via the A81.
Yes, the Fiat 500L has been one wonderfully unexpected surprise after another. I highly recommend you check it out.
©(Copyright Canadian Auto Press)
