Fiat 500L 0.9 TwinAir Pop Star 5dr Car Review - May 2013

Ride and handling are vital when it comes to a family car, and the ride in the 500L is quite firm on all surfaces, although it never becomes too uncomfortable, and does help to ensure the car corners well without suffering from excessive body roll. The steering is light and nimble, meaning the car is good around town, and is accurate through corners giving the driver plenty of confidence. The engine is designed more for efficiency than performance, as can be seen by the acceleration from 0-62mph in a gentle 12.3 seconds.

Refinement in the car is one of the main problems, particularly for those who are likely to be making regular motorway journeys, as the engine can be very noisy, especially when it gets closer to the top speed of 112mph. The driving position is very good with plenty of adjustment available and visibility to the front and rear both being excellent, while the centre console controls are intuitive and easy to use while driving.

As you would expect with a car carrying the 500 badge, this version comes with plenty of stylish features with the bold round headlights and narrow grille giving the car a distinctive front end. The colour contrast roof and wing mirrors are also stylish touches, and although the shape of the car is quite upright and square, the black plastic trim helps to distract from this aspect. This version of the 500L comes with alloy wheels as standard, helping to give the car that premium MPV look.

The level of equipment accompanying the car is very good, with stylish touches such as the leather steering wheel with audio controls being a nice touch, as is the touch-screen system that controls the stereo. Cruise control helps to make the car a more comfortable companion on longer journeys, while air conditioning will help to keep the cabin pleasant on warmer days.

One of the key features of the 500L is that it is trying to deliver MPV practicality with the stylish looks of a smaller car, and it enjoys plenty of space in the front and rear to carry four adults with ease. The boot is fairly small when the rear seats are all the way back, but these can either be moved forward for a larger load space, or folded down to offer an even larger space, with the innovative adjustable height of the floor in the boot adding to the practicality.

There are six air bags that come fitted as standard with the car, and the inclusion of features such as traction control and stability control all help to keep the car safe, which has helped the 500L achieve top marks in the Euro NCAP crash safety test. The engines in the 500L have been taken from the Fiat Panda so have been extensively tested, although Fiat doesn't always enjoy the best reliability record.

With the 500L, Fiat are aiming for people who are looking for an MPV with a touch of chic style, which is why the list price of £16,490 is pegged above some similar rivals such as the Citroen C3 Picasso. While the 0.9 litre engine may be small, it certainly doesn't harm the running costs as it enjoys a low insurance group and tax bracket, while also managing to achieve an average 58.9mpg.

Although this is yet to be borne out in the market, the 500L is expected to enjoy resale values of a similarly strong nature as that of the standard 500 with. The car is delivered with a three year or sixty thousand mile warranty and a one year breakdown assistance package.