Family thinking in Fiat 500L MPW

Occupants of the Fiat 500L MPW have practically a 360 degree view from the cabin

If you can’t see beyond a cute little city car when you think of the Fiat 500 range then listen up…. the Fiat 500L MPW is a whole different kettle of fish.

Fiat is describing the Multi Purpose Wagon as the most compact 5+2 on the market. The two rearmost seats are really only for very smallies though – I, at 5ft 5, had my knees up to my chin and I still couldn’t squish in.

Handily, the foot placement is marked on the floor so if you follow it, there’s no chance of the heavy middle seats landing on your toes. The middle row flips and tumbles to provide access to the third row.

When not in use, the third row of seats easily folds into the floor, giving a large flat loading space.

The individual seats are also easy to pull up when you need to use them, but, understandably, the boot size is greatly reduced.

From the outside, the Fiat 500L MPW is a car that will divide opinion.

It’s a big car, long and tall, and not at all like its 500 sibling. The top half is virtually all glass, giving great visibility all round.

The panoramic sunroof in the Lounge trim test car further brightened the interior

The bottom half, meanwhile, almost looks inflated, with big bug-eyed lights to the front and MPW badges on the sides. Its quirky appearance garnered much attention from passers by.

It’s also a lot narrower than it feels from the inside, making it very easy to park, and to manoeuver around tight, older city car parks. This nimbleness is also aided by the excellent light-steering city mode.

Inside, the cabin is a lovely place to be – comfortable, stylish and practical all at once.

Our test car had a leather and velvet-type contrasting grey upholstery, with the grey colour carried through to the suede dash. I also loved the panoramic sunroof, which opens.

The car had loads of storage cubbies, including a decent sized double glove box, with a ledge separating the storage units; two cupholders in the front; a bottle holder in the rear centre console and well designed moulded bottle holders on the doors.

I also liked the touchscreen uConnect infotainment unit. I found it very easy to pair my phone with it and I liked that when you were streaming music it displayed the name of the track and the artist playing. Sound quality was brilliant.

Legroom in the first two rows of seats was great but an adult passenger would not thank you for relegating them to the third row – anyone taller than 5ft 4in won’t fit and I think anyone of that height would be quite uncomfortable for long journeys.

A family-sized car, the 500L MPW’s family credentials are further enhanced by pull down trays on the back of the front seats.

The cockpit in the Fiat 500L MPW is spacious and well designed

While the Fiat 500L MPW is very much at home in the city, it’s also on for a jaunt in the countryside or a whizz down the motorway.

Our route in the five-speed 1.3-litre 85hp Multijet took us around the city, along the motorway and on bockety really-badly-in-need of resurfacing country backroads and it acquitted itself well on all.

While it wasn’t the fastest at the lights, it was no slouch either, starting off slowly but gaining momentum in higher gears.

It did take its time getting from 0-120kph on the motorway, but maintaining that speed was no strain. The easy-to-use always-on cruise control was also very handy.

The Fiat 500L MPW is very composed on the road, with precise steering and only slight body roll on enthusiastically taken corners and roundabouts. The suspension proved well able to cope with the pothole-littered country routes.

The 1.3-litre engine was adequate with just two adults and luggage on board, however, you did have to push the engine to get it to fun driving territory.

Overall, I think the unusual Fiat 500L MPV is an interesting, economical, spacious family car that drives well and is well equipped.

The Fiat 500L MPW is available now, with prices starting from €23,550. Prices for the top of the range Lounge model I was driving start from €25,875.

Tech Spec
Engine: 1.3-litre 85hp Multijet
Acceleration: 0-100kph in 15.4seconds
Maximum Speed: 164kph
CO2 emissions: 110g/km
Combined fuel economy: 4.2l/100km
Annual road tax: €190

Visit the Fiat Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.

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