Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
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.
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
After
Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
Yes, the Fiat 500L has been one wonderfully unexpected surprise after another. I highly recommend you check it out.
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