2013 Fiat 500L Officially Unveiled, Without The Cuteness Of The 500 Hatchback

This is the 2013 Fiat 500L, the fourth all-new member to the Fiat 500 family that now includes the Abarth and Cabrio versions. The “L” in 500L stands for “large”, and indeed, measuring 4140 mm long, 1780 mm wide and 1660 mm tall, the five-seater 500L is 594 mm longer, 153 mm wider and 172 mm taller than the standard 500 hatchback.

Fiat says that the 500L boasts the passenger space of an MPV, along with “the feel of a small SUV” on the move, while not losing the efficiency and maneuverability of a B-segment car. First introduced in the 600 Multipla back in 1956, Fiat's “cab forward” design, which pushes the driver compartment as far forward over the front axle as possible to maximise interior space, is once again adopted to fulfil the “large” brief.

To be revealed in the metal at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the Fiat 500L will be launched across Europe in the last quarter of 2012, before the start of sales in the US early next year. Two petrol engines, a 900-cc turbocharged two-cylinder TwinAir and a 1.4-litre MultiAir, as well as a 1.3-litre MultiJet II turbodiesel engine are available from the start, with the possible addition of all-wheel-drive variants later on.

AboutSeow Yaohan

Seow Yao Han strives to bring you the latest and the most comprehensive information on cars available in Malaysia. But it's never easy for him to talk and write cars in this part of the world because what you lust after is often not what you drive home. When the euphoria of test-driving that branded, super-expensive sports car dies down, he just goes home in his less-than-glamorous ride.