By Miles Downard *
What happens when a product is successful? Well, the manufacturer attempts to ride that wave of success through an evolutionary-type process to keep driving sales. This isn’t a concept limited to products; movies are a great example. Die Hard was followed by five sequels. The Godfather had three parts. Those vampire movies were a whole saga of their own.
Similarly motor manufacturers zoom in on their successful lines and find ways to evolve. Fiat completely rocked the small car world with the reincarnation of the 500; a cute, retro little thing that did its utmost to live by the philosophy of its predecessor.
Such was the 500’s success that Fiat couldn’t help their greedy little hands, the result of which is the 500L (or Lounge).
On the outside
The Fiat 500’s retro styling and diminutive size just work – and it really does pay homage to the original 500 from the late 50’s. The Lounge on the other hand is more of a bus than a cute little city runabout and unfortunately the 500’s proportions don’t translate well into a bus-sized housing.
On the inside
Fiat say there are three dimensions to the L – all of which start with the letter L. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to guess that one of those L’s stands for ‘Large’, encapsulating functionality and space, which it really does well.
The next is ‘Loft’. Thanks to its ‘wide, open and luminous dimension’. The Fiat 500L easily accommodates five passengers that are 2 metres tall, with their luggage, without ever compromising passenger room. Suffice to say that the Fiat 500L boasts the best passenger volume index in the segment.
The last L is ‘Light’. The sense of space is further enhanced by the massive piece of glass that extends across the entire roof, creating a light and airy cabin.
With all the L’s out the way, there are some other bits that Fiat feel are quite clever too. Like the ‘Cargo Magic Space’ luggage compartment solution that allows the boot to be adjusted in three levels; to separate fragile objects from heavy ones, clean objects from dirty ones and wet objects from dry ones, for example.
The final bit of magic is in the seating arrangements. Each individual seat can be adjusted on every axis using 8 different modes, including ‘Fold&Tumble’ which hides the seat in the floor for flat loading.
Behind the wheel
There is one choice of petrol engine in the 500L range; namely a 1.4 litre naturally aspirated four pot that’s good for 70kW and not very many torques. Drive is transferred to the front wheels via a six speed manual gearbox; an item that gets full use as you stir about trying to find a gear that will provide some oomph.
The on-road capabilities are even more disappointing. Where the 500 is nimble and able to dart about the road with purpose and poise, the 500L lumbers about with little resolve.
Verdict
I struggle to see an instance where I’d recommend the Fiat 500L. There are better MPV’s out there that aren’t touted as quirky or innovative and therefore offer better value for money; Fiat’s own Qubo for example.
Perhaps if you’re an eccentric that’s had the benefit on inheriting granny’s fortune, and you need a car that can carry 2m tall adults while storing your luggage on three different levels, but also need your car to occasionally double as a van, the 500L is just the car for you.
Price: R257 990
Engine: 1368cc four cylinder petrol
Power: 70 kW
Torque: 127 Nm
Acceleration (0-100km/h): 12.8 (claimed)
Top Speed (km/h): 178
Consumption (l/100km): 6.2 (claimed)
Service: 3yr/100 000km maintenance plan
* Miles is the editor of BizNews Motoring
