Today on CarCostCanada, check out Trevor Hofmann’s review of the Fiat 500L, one of the smallest compact crossovers on the market. It might be small on the outside, but the 500L is much larger inside…

2014 Fiat 500L Road Test Review

This job has taught me to expect the unexpected, and I must 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 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 Read Full Story
Since 1949, the Abarth name has been closely associated with exceptional performance. Carlo Abarth founded his eponymous Photo: Fiat company in Italy that year to build racing cars. When it was time to…

2014 Fiat 500 Abarth Road Test Review

Since 1949, the Abarth name has been closely associated with exceptional performance. Carlo Abarth founded his eponymous company in Italy that year to build racing cars. When it was time to choose a logo for his organization, the fiery Italian chose the scorpion because it was his zodiac sign.

Abarth's team quickly became one of the most successful in Italy with drivers like Tazio Nuvolari, one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, in its cars. Like so many racing concerns of the day though, money eventually got tight, so Abarth turned his attention to road cars to help make ends meet. He came up with a performance kit for the Fiat Topolino, one of the most popular cars of the era. It worked, Abarth got paid huge, and when Fiat introduced the 500 in 1959, Abarth saw an opportunity to duplicate that success. Thus was born the Fiat 500 Abarth.

Over the years, Abarth's collaborations with Fiat increased. So much so, the conglomerate bought Abarth's company in 1971, Read Full Story
Thanks to U.S. federal fuel efficiency rules and California’s zero-emission vehicle mandates, auto manufacturers are building an   ever-increasing variety of electric and hybrid vehicles these…

Fiat CEO tells potential customers not to buy the 500e

Thanks to U.S. federal fuel efficiency rules and California's zero-emission vehicle mandates, auto manufacturers are building an ever-increasing variety of electric and hybrid vehicles these days. But that doesn't necessarily make all such vehicles profitable.

In the case of Fiat's electric-powered Fiat 500e, the company loses $14,000 on each car it sells, prompting company CEO Sergio Marchionne to issue a request to potential U.S. purchasers: Please don't buy it.

At a recent conference Marchionne decried the U.S. federal and state mandates that push manufacturers to build electric cars, saying that Tesla Motors was the only company making money on electric cars thanks to the higher price of its Model S sedan.

He said he hoped to sell the minimum number of 500e cars possible, and not one more. "I hope you don't buy it because every time I sell one it costs me $14,000," he told the audience at the Brookings Institution. "I'm honest enough to tell you that." Read Full Story
Fiat-Chrysler’s Automobiles’ recently announced five-year strategic plan has its share of winners and losers – the to-be-discontinued 2014 Maserati Alfieri Coupe Concept (Photo: Maserati)…

Alfa Romeo and Maserati plan multiple new models

Fiat-Chrysler's Automobiles' recently announced five-year strategic plan has its share of winners and losers - the to-be-discontinued Dodge Grand Caravan and Avenger being two examples of the latter - but for fans of Italian sports cars it looks like a bonanza.

The bonanza stems from aggressive development plans for the company's Alfa Romeo and Maserati marques. Between them, the two Italian sports car builders have been given the go-ahead to develop something like 14 new vehicles. To get the development rolling at Alfa Romeo, FCA has set aside 5 billion Euros - nearly $7 billion US - to fund a skunk works staffed by 200 of the brightest engineers from throughout the various FCA companies, with that number growing to 600 by next year.

The skunk works has been given significant autonomy and a mission statement to develop up to eight new models worthy of the Alfa Romeo name. Key attributes demanded of the new models include advanced powertrains, perfect 50/50 weight balance, Read Full Story
As part of its five-year product plan, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles announced that it will be axing the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016, 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan (Photo: Dodge) and adding a plug-in hybrid to…

Dodge to cancel Grand Caravan in 2016

As part of its five-year product plan, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles announced that it will be axing the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016, and adding a plug-in hybrid to the Chrysler Town & Country minivan lineup.

The move will mark the end of a 30-year run of building two minivan models at the company's Windsor Assembly Plant, and will also mark the end-of-the-line for Canada's most popular minivan: In 2013, the Grand Caravan outsold the Town & Country by more than five to one.

Chrysler brand chief Al Gardner says the company wants to reduce internal rivalries between Dodge and Chrysler by making the brands more distinct, positioning Chrysler as a mainstream brand and Dodge as a sportier performance brand. Clearly, a minivan doesn't fit into this sporty image.

In additional to dropping the Grand Caravan, Dodge will also cancel its Avenger sedan, which competes too closely with the Chrysler 200. For its part, Chrysler will add a full-size crossover and a Chrysler Read Full Story