The fabulous Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is a brand in its own right. Arguably in some ways the 500 badge transcends Fiat itself – and the Italian firm isn’t daft: it’s spreading that name around new models to capture some of the 500’s verve.
Here’s the next stage of the 500 family expansion: the 500L MPW. You have to wonder whether there were a few wayward translations on the road to naming it, but one of Fiat’s names for it is the “Magic Power Wagon” (no, really). At least, once you’ve finished giggling, the kids will love going for a ride in a car that sounds as though it belongs in a Disney film.
Joking aside, the 500L MPW has an extra 20cm grafted onto the same chassis as the standard 500L, giving it enough boot space for two occasional-use rear seats. They don’t come as standard but can be added for an extra £800 or so to create what Fiat calls a 5+2 layout. The legroom in the two rearmost seats is tight and they’re best reserved for the smallest children in the car. They also reduce the five-seater version’s 560-litre boot space by 70 litres when folded flat. With them raised the remaining luggage space is negligible, as with most seven-seat cars.
This is the smallest seven-seater you can buy at just 4.35 metres long and 1.78 metres wide (excluding the mirrors). Its high roof and shoulder line make it look bigger than it is, but you’re certainly glad of the slimline dimensions when it comes to urban driving. It’s surprisingly nimble as you dash into side streets and to be honest it doesn’t feel like a people-carrier at all… until you fill it with screaming kids.
While the third row of seats is, well, cramped, there’s much better news from the middle bench seat. There’s acres of space for heads, shoulders, knees and toes, with a driver of more than six feet leaving plenty of room behind him even for adult legs. The seats are unusually soft and comfortable in an age of increasingly firm padding, and – despite the rather odd-looking ‘inscription’ style upholstery graphics – the front five seats are very likeable.
Similarly, the chunky steering wheel with ‘squircle’ design leather, and the solid ancillary stalks behind it. The clutch for this 1.6-litre diesel model is sprung just heavily enough to offer appropriate resistance but lightly enough to make low-speed ratio-shuffling a breeze for your left leg. The gear shift itself is notchy; more so than some rivals, and takes a slightly firmer and more committed push to locate a cog in the widely-spaced gate.
Any family car needs to be practical and the 500L MPW delivers in spades. There are upper and lower glove boxes, and although the former’s lid hinge mechanism is a little primitive, together they offer loads of storage space. On top of these two are shelves and bins of various shapes and sizes that would be fit for loose change, receipts and gadgets. Not so practical on this higher-spec Lounge model is the fact that you can’t see the cruise control stalk because it’s behind the steering wheel. It’s not difficult to use ‘blind’ but it does take a bit of trial and error.
This 104bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine is hardly a powerhouse, but it does offer useful punch from around 1,900rpm on the stylish rev counter up to about 3,200rpm. Given that it was almost brand new during the test you can expect it to loosen up a little at both ends of the rev range as the odometer spins on. There’s a more powerful 1.6 diesel, but it’s best to avoid the low-powered 1.3, which really struggles to pull the MPW’s mass.
The 500L MPW, silly names and small flaws aside, has an endearing quality about it. It does a job and it feels cheerful, which makes it a relaxing and pleasant car in which to take the kids to school, parties or the beach. Like the 500 hatchback it’s highly customisable and handy touches like the movable boot floor, in-boot hooks, additional 12-volt charging sockets and large tailgate lip ‘seat’ make it a real-world star.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Model: Fiat 500L MPW 1.6 MultiJet II Lounge, price TBC.
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel producing 104bhp and 236lb.ft
Transmission: six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels
Performance: Top speed 112mph, 0-62mph in 12.2 seconds
Fuel economy: 62.8mpg
CO2 rating: 117g/km
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