When Fiat purchased Chrysler back in 2011, it not only provided the struggling and recently removed from bankruptcy automaker a lifeline and new vision forward, but it also provided a gateway for Fiat to re-introduce its vehicles to the US and Canadian markets for the 1st time since 1984.
The first Fiat to cross the Atlantic was the 500, a small sub-compact vehicle that filled a glaring omission in the Chrysler offerings. Sales of the 500 have tailed off since arrival, having sold about 44,000 units in the US and just under 6,000 units in Canada through the first 9 months of 2013. Fiat dealers have been asking for a greater variety of vehicles to sell since a one model dealership offers limited growth potential. With both of these factors in mind, Chrysler/Fiat introduced the Fiat 500L to the North American market at the Detroit Auto Show in November.
Much as the Mini Countryman is to the Mini Cooper, the Fiat 500L is essentially a stretched out 4 door version of the 500, or to put it differently it’s a Grande Cinquecento.
AT FIRST GLANCE
There really aren’t too many mass produced automobiles anymore that look distinctly different from everything else out there. That certainly can be said though about the 500L. This compact wagon with its distinctive moustache-styled grille has some resemblance to the original 500, but it’s 6 inches taller, 27 inches longer, 6 inches wider and just plain different than the 500 or just about anything else out there for that matter.
Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is truthfully a matter of subjective opinion and personally, I’ve been struggling since the moment I first sat in it to decide which side of that equation I’m on.
Inside the 500L, it’s quite apparent that this car is more about La Dolce Vita than it is Imported from Detroit. One gets the feeling pretty quickly that the designers were looking to build a car aimed at those who consider themselves to be more modern and youthful. The interior actually bears a lot of resemblance to the 500 with round buttons, a 3-spoke steering wheel and a more fluidic overall look and feel.
The parking break was in a difficult to reach spot, since you had to lift up the centre arm rest to reach it. I found the seat warmer button location, located on the door side of the seat to be a bit misplaced as well. I also had tremendous difficulty with the information display found in the driver console, since the sequencing of buttons, located on the centre console were not easy to figure out.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
There are some things about driving the 500L that North Americans will take some time getting used to.
There is a tremendous amount of glass in the 500L, especially if you opt for the top of the line Lounge trim and its absolutely massive panoramic sunroof. In addition, the 500L is built with a unique A-pillar that actually has two smaller sections sandwiched around more glass instead of one singular section. The end result is that you quickly get the sense of being in somewhat of a panoramic fishbowl. I initially found this to be awkward but eventually the feeling dissipated and then I found myself really loving the sensation it offered. My wife also commented that this was perhaps her absolute favourite aspect of the car.
The 500L is powered by the same 1.4L turbocharged engine that is found in the 500 Abarth, putting out 160hp and 184 lb/ft of torque. On the Abarth it’s agile, but on the 500L it’s OK. My tester came equipped with the European double-clutch automatic and I disliked how on rapid acceleration it tended to rev too high before switching, and it took longer than expected to get up to highway speed. A traditional six-speed automatic is coming and for anyone looking for an auto transmission, I’d suggest you wait. Once on the highway, the midrange power of the 500L was actually quite good.
Handling on the 500L is surprisingly decent. While the available terrain I had to drive on during my week in it certainly couldn’t match anything near Fiat’s Turin, Italy HQ (nope, not even my drive over the Burlington Skyway on the way to Niagara), I did have a few occasions to zip around a nearby chicane and found the set up to be sporty enough to keep a bit of fun in an otherwise family oriented vehicle.
ECO FACTOR
Earlier I mentioned my frustration with the driver console information display, and a big part of that frustration came from the fact that no matter what I did, I simply couldn’t find how to pull up my instant or average fuel economy while driving. I was told by my Chrysler Canada PR contact that it was there, and he offered to show me when I headed down to AJAC Test Fest for the day, but we never were able to connect (my fault). There may well be a way to pull up the info, but if it requires a lot of struggle to find it – and this was the first time in 3 years that I couldn’t locate such a readout – some reconfiguring needs to be considered.
(NOTE: Since writing this piece I did manage to hear from Bradley Horn, who is with Chrysler Canada and he advised that the fuel efficiency as well as other readouts and displays are accessed through a control knob at the end of the turn indicator. Admittedly I hadn’t thought to look there and I appreciated his efforts to let me know.)
That said, I can only offer to you what is provided by the manufacturer which is a combined rating of 7.5 L/100 KM or around 31.5 MPG, which is not as good as other cars in its category can offer.
FAMILY FACTOR
The interior of the 500L is deceptively large. Whereas the original 500 had a token back seat, the 500L, with its 27 inches of extra length offers plenty of legroom for up to 3 passengers in the 2nd row. Cargo room is also family-friendly with up to 21 cubic feet of cargo room available with rear seats down. Similar to the Honda CRV, there is a two-tiered storage option when the 2nd row is up and while it offers flexibility, I would suggest not putting anything heavy on the top row.
FOR THE TECHIES
The most noticeable input on the 500L from the Chrysler side comes from the U-Connect infotainment system. One of the more user-friendly OEM systems out there, it pairs relatively well with the 6.5” touchscreen.
One very interesting discovery came due to the fact that my press vehicle was equipped with the Beats premium sound system. When I attempted to put in a CD to test out the sound quality, I was perplexed to discover that it didn’t come with a CD player. The upgraded system came with available USB, Aux and SD card inputs, but no CD. I was told by Chrysler Canada PR that there still is a CD player available on the lower end trims, but it had me wondering what an ‘ole fuddy-duddy like me who still likes his CD’s is to do if he wanted to buy an upscale trim on the 500L. Once again, the impression I took away was that this car was targeted for an audience younger than my 44 year old self.
SUMMARY
While I wouldn’t go so far as to say the 2014 Fiat 500L is going to be either a love it or loathe it car, I think it’s fair to say that opinions on this will be rather wide spread.
Fiat and Chrysler have brought to North America a funky and uniquely styled vehicle that offers a distinctly Euro-chic imprint. This is a car that will appeal to those who want to appear avant-garde or who simply love to stand out. My thoughts are this is a car far better suited to the urban experience than the rural one, and in that aspect it likely will do quite well.
Priced lower than the Mini Countryman, it will also appeal to value conscious buyers. With pricing ranging anywhere from $19,995 to $25,995 (CDN), it will compete well against the Countryman, the Kia Soul and Rondo who will likely form its most direct competition.
While there is indeed conflict inside of me as to how I ultimately feel about the 500L, even after taking it through the Enviro Dad Test Drive process, I can certainly look beyond my feelings enough to see that there’s more than enough within this car to bring it a new legion of fans, and ultimately greater success for Fiat Dealerships across North America.
BY THE NUMBERS (Out of 10):
LOOK/DESIGN:
EXTERIOR 7.0
INTERIOR 8.0
DRIVE: 7.5
GREEN FACTOR: 7.5
FAMILY FACTOR: 8.5
TECHIE STUFF: 8.0
VALUE: 9.0
(MSRP AS TESTED – $29,145)
OVERALL: 8.0
Leave a Reply