Fiat 500L Test Drive Review

Date: 17 September 2014

Fiat's bid to offer more practical cars is gaining ground with its five-seat mini-MPV 500L shifting more than 7000 units last year. To keep up the momentum, Fiat also now offers a Trekking version with the Traction+ system, to stop wheelspin in certain conditions, and a more powerful version of its trusty 1.6 diesel engine.

The new 120hp 1.6 adds 15hp to the 105hp model and you can taste the difference. Faster to 62mph (10.7secs vs 11.3secs) and with more responsive steering, it will be a useful addition for drivers who often carry more people and/or luggage and do longer commutes. Despite the extra power, official economy and CO2 are only slightly dented at 61.4mpg and 120g/km (versus 62.8mpg and 117g/km).

The variant brings the 500L's diesel engine offering to three, but is expected to remain a niche player with only 10-15% of diesel sales compared with 30% for the 105hp 1.6 and 60% for the 85hp 1.3.

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