Road Test – Fiat 500L Twinair
My wife bought one of the first Fiat 500s to hit the streets. She was beguiled by its cute looks, funky interior and tiny proportions; it was brilliant for nipping around town. She finally sold it earlier this year and was delighted to get over half the purchase price after 5 years and 60,000 miles. She said she sold it because it didn’t feel special any more; everyone else had one too. So it’s a good thing that Fiat has brought out an all-new version of the 500. The 500L is not a facelifted version of the cute little town car though, it is a mini MPV; there is even a 7 seater model. Fiat’s thinking is that all the young mums who bought the original 500 will now have a brood of kids and need a bit more space.
Fiat has tried to retain as many of the pert retro styling cues of the 500 as possible but, given the oversized dimensions of the 500L, this has proved a big ask. The indefinable wow factor of the original has gone and this car just looks wrong. The sides are too high, the wheels are too small, the front is too flat and the back looks like a slimmed down version of the Fiat Multipla. My teenage daughter mimed pushing two fingers down her throat when she saw it, not a good start. Yet, when you climb inside, suddenly it all makes sense. For starters there is space, lots of it, particularly in the back where three adults can sit in comfort. The estate car style boot is vast too – big enough for a couple more seats in the slightly stretched MPW version. There are lots of practical details in it too, like fold out nets and storage compartments. In fact, the whole car has the feel of a space where people live rather than just sit while they’re driving around. I love the dashboard and the fit and finish of all the materials in the interior. The upright driving position makes you feel like you’re in an SUV and the full length glass sunroof fills the car with light.
As a driving package, the 500 was always compromised by unrefined and underpowered engines, a lack of feel in the steering and all but non-existent suspension. In the 500L, things have simply got worse. The engine line up in the launch version is similar to the 500 – the 900cc 104bhp two cylinder Twinair, a 100bhp non turbo 1.4 and an 118bhp 1.6 diesel sourced from the Punto. The diesel is okay, but the other two feel underpowered in this hefty MPV. I drove the Twinair, an engine that is great fun in the 500, but just feels weedy and decidedly noisy in this car. On a sunny day that huge sunroof means that most of the power is being siphoned off by the air conditioning. The handling is completely lacklustre with no response from the steering; only the ride is an improvement, hardly a magic carpet but at least it’s comfortable.
I’m not sure what to make of the Fiat 500L. It has all the shortcomings of the 500 but it doesn’t have the looks to create the “want one” factor that made the original car such a success. Then there’s the price; a basic model starts at £14,995 and by the time you’ve specced it up to Lounge trim with the decent diesel engine you’re nudging twenty grand. I suppose you can compare it to rivals such as the Citroen Picasso where it fares well because it possesses far more cachet. At the end of the day, the mini MPV is a niche sector that lacks the sales volumes Fiat have enjoyed with the 500. Personally, I think the Skoda Yeti makes a far more convincing case for itself.
Kit Johnson
Related Posts
The Zero Waste Company Introduces New Independent Business Emporium →
Coming up at Trinity →
Put a spring in your step at Penshurst Place ‘Fit for a Queen’ events programme for 2022 →
Comments