If I had to choose my favourite micro-car, one that looks great and is tremendous fun to drive it would be the Fiat 500.
Yes, I know it’s a bit of a girl’s car but I don’t care, it’s the King of Cute, has a fine pedigree and a real feel-good factor and anyway there is always the Abarth and Ferrari editions for us blokes.
In the right environment which is the narrow streets of Italian and French towns and definitely not the Sheikh Zayed Road where you feel dwarfed and totally intimidated by large SUVs, it is the ideal form of transport.
It has become more of a fashion accessory than a car and there is even a Gucci edition but it suffers from one drawback…it is tiny so all that fun could only be shared by two…until now.
Mini got over that problem years ago and some of them have now morphed into small SUVs and now Fiat are going down the same road with the 500 L (large).
They have taken the lovely little 500 and basically pumped it up into a micro MPV which can carry up to five people.
To be honest, when I first heard they were going to do this I was filled with dread. In my opinion, some of the Mini’s you see on the roads these days are design gone mad. Would it really be worth Fiat messing around with a micro work of art on wheels for the sake a bit more space? Surely not!
Well, if there is a perceived market for it they are going to build it and to be fair it doesn’t look as bad as I expected. It has already proved to be popular in countries where it has been introduced since its 2012 unveiling and now it is in the UAE.
Ok, it’s not got what I would call the ‘wow’ factor but it does have a certain appeal and the more you drive it the more it grows on you.
From the outside it looks like a Fiat 500 with a weight problem and I still can’t decide whether I like the shape or not.
However, what cannot be denied is that it is distinctive and, thankfully, retains a strong resemblance to its little stable-mate with that unmistakable face. Sadly, it was never going to be as cute.
But while I struggled to get my head around the exterior design there was no such dilemma as soon as I got into this car because it is a very, very nice place to be.
It is extremely spacious, well put together and has the same modern, fashionable appeal that has made the smaller car so popular.
The instrument panel is nicely designed, and although there is quite a lot of plastic which makes it child proof it is very nicely done and there is a leather wrapped steering wheel and leather gear lever knob.
The UCONNECT infotainment system works well although the 6.5-inch touch-screen display could do with being a little bit bigger.
There are plenty of driver assists including rear parking camera and sensors, voice command, mobile phone message access, bluetooth and most other gadgets you expect to find in cars these days.
What I really liked was the wrap-around windscreen which gives you superb visibility.
Our test drive car, courtesy of Western Motors in Abu Dhabi, was the Trekking edition, which has a higher seating level to enhance that panoramic view.
The car is powered by a 1.4 litre turbo which has 160 bhp and torque of 250nm and provides surprisingly lively performance via a six speed double-clutch automatic gearbox.
Although this car is classed as a multi purpose vehicle I wouldn’t take it off-road as there is no four-wheel drive.
It is a front-wheel drive car and it handles well in all road conditions with electronic stability control to help keep you on the straight and narrow. Safety is also a priority on the 500L and apart from the driver assists there are seven airbags to protect the occupants in the event of a collision.
Quite clearly, this car was not built for speed as it is designed for family fun but it is plenty fast enough. Although it can’t match the aesthetics of the small Fiat 500 it is far more practical with four-doors and all that space for kids, pets, luggage or all three. Much like the oversized Minis I am not a huge fan but plenty of people will love this vehicle and it is a hint of what is to come from Italian marque with the Fiat 500X crossover next up.
