2014 Fiat 500L Living

Fiat has unveiled the seven-seat MPV version of its mini car with the official 500L Living name badge for the European market. This model is not yet on U.S. Fiat price lists, but it is expected in spring 2014 under the 500XL badge with a larger engine and optional automatic gearbox.

Much about the new 500L Living is directly derived from the successful 500L series, but a few key additions join the length stretch that puts two mini seats in the third row for the first time. The most notable are the multiple two-tone pastel plus white or black paint schemes and an in-dash espresso machine for fresh coffee.

The Lavazza coffee-maker promises individualized lattes, using a similar one-cup system best known from the Keurig K-cup series. The Fiat’s coffee maker reclaims some of Italy’s pride for inventing modern coffee practices… but then largely missing the boom in café culture epitomized by Starbuck’s global rise.

The expanding Fiat 500 line wants to avoid the same mistake of letting the premium city car segment Dodge Grand Caravans from just $20,000 and some base seven-seat crossovers from $25,000.

Fiat is betting these competitors cannot match its quirky flair, brand image and unique European styling.

Exterior

The 500L Living sucks the last of the charm from the Fiat 500 styling cues that also try to invigorate the 500L’s boxy, front-drive and tall-roof proportions.

Despite the Fiat Panda name being unique and highly approachable for small families, the 500 name is judged by Fiat as the best bet for re-launching the brand in the critical American market. It hopes the mini 500’s charms can lend the same magic as the MINI prefix does ahead of all the line extensions from the German competitor.

The 500L Living shares many front panels with the 500L and only deviates with much larger rear doors and a pronounced rear overhang. The overall nose graphic is slightly more refined with premium-inspired lower and middle grilles. The middle horizontal air slot now features a single body-colored piece inside versus the sportier technical treatments in the 500L and 500L Trekking.

The bumper shape is more rounded with fewer styling creases, but retains the odd staggered lamp design that puts a round headlight in the top corner of the grille and the indicator in a round bumper body outward of the main lamp.

The lights and overall proportions create a vehicle with the same quirkiness that sets the 500L apart on U.S. roads. It is not a sporty look by any means, but the large, low glasshouse and low floors are practical for a family-mover.

In profile and in the rear three-quarter angle, the rear of the 500L Living stops being cute and starts being a seriously nerdy wagon. The extended rear overhang that made room for mini back seats leaves the 500L Living with a narrow and high-roof appearance that lacks poise and premium-price appeal. Comparisons to the Ssanyong Rodius are not usually a vote of confidence in a car’s style.

Where the Fiat loses to the Mazda5 for swoopy low-van proportions, it wins on the cool paint finishes that dramatically enhance the car’s appeal.

The major options are for two-tone paintjobs that blend pastel yellows, easter-egg blues and bright reds with a black or white roof. There are 19 exterior colors available and 11 two-tone configurations. Paired with the tinted windows, the two-tones are about the only place the 500L Living’s exterior design seems to match its city-chic mission.

2014 Fiat 500L Living – (Italian Market) Exterior Features:

• 16-inch glossy grey alloy rims
• 16-inch black alloy rims
• 16-inch white alloy rims
• Optional 17-inch glossy grey alloy rims
• Optional 17-inch white diamond-finish alloy rims (not compatible with snow chains)
• Optional 17-inch black diamond-finish alloy rims (not compatible with snow chains)
• Metallic paint finish
• Metallic paint finish/two-tone white
• Metallic paint finish/two-tone black
• Optional pastel paint finish
• Optional pastel paint finish/two-tone white
• Optional pastel paint finish/two-tone black
• Pastel paint finish/two-tone white
• Pastel paint finish/two-tone black