Having dominated its segment, across Europe, for five years, here comes the new Fiat 500L.
The roomiest 500 of all is now even more full of technology and has even more character and personality. These characteristics combine in the three distinct versions of the car: Urban, Cross and Wagon, offered with a choice of petrol and diesel engines to delight different people and serve their individual needs.
All three share outstanding safety features and a flexible internal configuration, enabling customers to create up to 1,500 internal customisations. The 500 style is even more obvious in this updated version, on which 40% of all components are new. The Fiat 500L combines all the style and excitement of the Fiat 500 with the spaciousness and functionality of an MPV.
The new Fiat 500L is designed to reinforce the family feeling of the model. The exterior style expresses all the distinctive elements which have characterised the model throughout its history, ever since its iconic 1950s forerunner. The most obvious visual links are the “moustache and badge” combo set on the trapezoidal nose, the upper headlights with chrome-plated elements and the lower cluster, now with LED daytime running lights, which pick up the graphics of the two “zeros” in 500. These elements ensure that this new car is clearly identifiable as a Fiat 500L, even in the dark.
The revised front bumper with signature trapezoidal trim and the chromed “studded” three-dimensional lower grille mesh give the car an elegant look. At the same time, the chromed strips, which direct the eye to the wheel arches, convey toughness, resulting in the new Fiat 500L looking even more expressive. The chromed inserts at the rear underline the 500 family feeling and horizontal trims reinforce the car’s presence on the road. The fog and reversing lights are now in the underside of the bumper, increasing their effectiveness.
The new Fiat 500L is available in ten pastel or metallic colours and with three types of roof: body-coloured, glossy black or white or matt black, giving customers a choice of no less than 36 colour combinations. The colours available are the new Denim Blue, Sicilian Orange and Donatello Bronze, Bossa Nova White, Hip Hop Yellow, Darkwave Black, Minimal Grey, Heavy Metal Grey, Beatbox Green and Pasodoble Red.
The interior of the new Fiat 500L is completely new, starting with an updated dashboard to give a more high-tech and iconic look. The passenger compartment offers comfort, convenience, versatility and is filled with light, while being rich in distinctive 500 touches, such as the bright “500” signature on the dashboard.
The area behind the restyled multifunctional steering wheel, now with added chrome accents, has an updated design with two circular instrument gauges on either side of a 3.5-inch colour graphic display. This combination of new steering wheel and dashboard improves the visibility of the instrument cluster, which is further enhanced by white backlighting. The driver also benefits from an innovative TFT colour digital display, with a full set of useful information.
The new Fiat 500L displays an innovative wraparound glazing concept to improve its now class-leading visibility and ease of parking, thanks to its glazed A-pillar. Available as a fixed panel or electrically opening, the 1.5m2 optional panoramic glass roof of Fiat 500L means that occupants can enjoy a light, bright passenger compartment.
While the top section of the dashboard conveys a fresh personality, the lower part focuses on convenience with new, larger storage compartments and the introduction of new comfort features, such as the central armrest. The gear lever has also been redesigned and placed higher up for greater driving comfort.
Internal space is top of its class, thanks to the passenger compartment’s generous length. Boot volume with the rear seat in the forward position is 455 litres for the Urban and Cross models. The boot on the Wagon offers up to 493 litres when the two additional seats are folded. With the rear seats folded and tumbled, capacity rises to 1480 litres for Urban and Cross and 1509 for the Wagon.
The new Fiat 500L will be priced from £16,195 OTR for a Fiat 500L Urban 1.4 95hp Pop Star, with first deliveries taking place from September.
