Hi, I was until (someone kindly rammed me up the bum while sat at a roundabout) recently a proud multi owner, but she has gone off to the car garveyard that is canvey island!

I already had my eyes on getting one of these anyway, but i'm a bit concerned by some reviews!

My family is not small, me, mrs, 7 yr old, 2 yr old, a bump due in april oh and my mum all have to squeeze in, so it would be the seven seater.

I have just gotton a new job which is a 96 mile round trip daily!!

We don't all get in the car together all the time but it does happen quite a bit and we drive over to europe for holidays (yes we'll need a roof rack)

So what do we think will it work (i really hope it does) and if so which engine??

Thanks for reading

I would have thought the diesel would be the one as its got plenty of torque and with a 96 mile trip every day you shouldn't get dpf regen problems. Plus you would benefit from the high mpg. I FCC you want to go petrol then the twin air, but I think it will be thirsty when fully loaded.

jetlag said:

Hi, I was until (someone kindly rammed me up the bum while sat at a roundabout) recently a proud multi owner, but she has gone off to the car garveyard that is canvey island!

I already had my eyes on getting one of these anyway, but i'm a bit concerned by some reviews!

My family is not small, me, mrs, 7 yr old, 2 yr old, a bump due in april oh and my mum all have to squeeze in, so it would be the seven seater.

I have just gotton a new job which is a 96 mile round trip daily!!

We don't all get in the car together all the time but it does happen quite a bit and we drive over to europe for holidays (yes we'll need a roof rack)

So what do we think will it work (i really hope it does) and if so which engine??

Thanks for reading

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Your family sounds ideal for a 500L - that is what they do best!

With that sort of mileage you should consider one of the diesels.

If you do go petrol I would be wary of the Twin Air and look for the much better tried and tested 1.4 version.

The TA and the larger (and heavier) 500L do not seem to go together well, the engine seems much better suited to the smaller 500. There are a couple of threads on here about (very) disappointing TA fuel consumption.

Thanks guys, was just worried from reviews that a. Fully loaded the engine wouldn't cope well and b. That the kids would be uncomfortable in the third row, will the third row take a car seat ok? Just need my bank loan to come through now lol and then maybe book a family test drive (should give me some answers) again thanks for your help

jetlag said:

Thanks guys, was just worried from reviews that a. Fully loaded the engine wouldn't cope well and b. That the kids would be uncomfortable in the third row, will the third row take a car seat ok? Just need my bank loan to come through now lol and then maybe book a family test drive (should give me some answers) again thanks for your help

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Yes I suppose the only way to be sure would be to get everybody in on a Test drive!

Our 1.4 does pretty well with 4 up (all pretty hefty too) and a fully loaded boot space (and one Jack Russell) on long runs. I will say the sixth gear is too high for some of the longer inclines we encounter on the French Autoroutes though.

That said given your load and mileage I'd be inclined to go for a 1.6 diesel which should cope with most situations..

The Third row wont take an Isofix car seat or one of the newer 'i Size' spec. car seat as far as I know, but may take one designed for belted use. That said I would double check with the car seat manufacturer or FIAT as their use in the third row does seem to be subject to variations depending on make and model of seat and the vehicle.

Thanks for that, just got back from the showroom, they didn't have one in but will do next week so he will call me for a test drive, he said the third row is only good up to 185cm (taller than i thought hmm) and will take car seats (we only use belted ones anyway) i have a brochure and love it even more after seeing a 500l up close!!!
I think it will have to be the 1.6 and maybe the 120bhp model he was trying to tell me the 1.3 would do though, again hmm

I had the 1.3 (5 seater) as a rental car on vacation, we were 4 persons plus baggage for 2 weeks, and the car did great, on the mountain roads and on the highways of Sardegna as well. I couldn't believe it had only 85 HP until I checked in the documents. I think one can live with the small diesel, obviously it is no race car.

For the size of vehicle and amount of people that could be in it, the 1.6 will be the far better one to have. I find the 1.3 95bhp struggles in a Vauxhall Corsa at times, also the 1.3 is incredibly noisy.

I think the car is way to small and possibly also underpowered for your needs. It seems like it's only for occasional use to me. When fully loaded with 7 people it will have hardly any boot, and be very slow no matter what the engine choice as there is no powerful engine available.

You may deem it to be fine but if you do then you possibly didn't check out the alternatives properly and don't know what you're missing.

I'd be amazed if the 3rd row has ISOFIX.

I'd suggest a real 7 seater car or if fold out one that has some sort of boot when the 3rd row is in use. What about the seat alhambra (http://cdn2.autoexpress.co.uk/sites...v/public/lt-alhambra-5-boot.jpg?itok=w7zfXxGD), ford s-max/galaxy or ssangyong rodius? All full size MPVs with powerful engines available.

500L said:

I think the car is way to small and possibly also underpowered for your needs. It seems like it's only for occasional use to me. When fully loaded with 7 people it will have hardly any boot, and be very slow no matter what the engine choice as there is no powerful engine available.

You may deem it to be fine but if you do then you possibly didn't check out the alternatives properly and don't know what you're missing.

I'd be amazed if the 3rd row has ISOFIX.

I'd suggest a real 7 seater car or if fold out one that has some sort of boot when the 3rd row is in use. What about the seat alhambra (http://cdn2.autoexpress.co.uk/sites...v/public/lt-alhambra-5-boot.jpg?itok=w7zfXxGD), ford s-max/galaxy or ssangyong rodius? All full size MPVs with powerful engines available.

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There is some logic to what you say. It's often forgotten that when you invoke the third row you lose a huge amount of boot space which may not be an issue on day to day journeys but on longer trips like holidays, or even just driving to the airport very much can be.

I would take issue though with suggesting the Sangyong, I don't think I have seen a more truly ugly car I am truly not a badge snob and actually really like the Korando (which has a much better design pedigree) - but the Rodius looks like it wasn't designed by just one committee but rather three of them.



I'd consider the Seat or the Ford though.

500L said:

I think the car is way to small and possibly also underpowered for your needs. It seems like it's only for occasional use to me. When fully loaded with 7 people it will have hardly any boot, and be very slow no matter what the engine choice as there is no powerful engine available.

You may deem it to be fine but if you do then you possibly didn't check out the alternatives properly and don't know what you're missing.

I'd be amazed if the 3rd row has ISOFIX.

I'd suggest a real 7 seater car or if fold out one that has some sort of boot when the 3rd row is in use. What about the seat alhambra (http://cdn2.autoexpress.co.uk/sites...v/public/lt-alhambra-5-boot.jpg?itok=w7zfXxGD), ford s-max/galaxy or ssangyong rodius? All full size MPVs with powerful engines available.

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I also see what your saying but the majority of miles will be covered by me on my work commute, i don't want a van type car and i need a good mpg so the 2.7 ssangyong is no good to me, i'm also of an age where i want a bit of style still.
The boot thing is an issue, a roof box for family excursions will be a must!!! We have a zafira courtisy car at the moment so have been testing things using the rear 2 seats in that and it worked well. The zafira is a 1.8. And has plenty of go.
Also my 1.9 multi was a 115 and worked well for us so surly the 1.6 120 will be just as good if not better??
I don't think i'll ever find something that ticks all my boxes but i think this comes close, i do appreciate your input and i will take another look around

The Zafira is a better drive than the 500L is also a consideration regards to handling and ride.

JimbbobW1977 said:

The Zafira is a better drive than the 500L is also a consideration regards to handling and ride.

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Yebbbut... it's got no soul or character... and there is thousands of 'em out there.

It's also what 28k new?

JimbbobW1977 said:

For the size of vehicle and amount of people that could be in it, the 1.6 will be the far better one to have. I find the 1.3 95bhp struggles in a Vauxhall Corsa at times, also the 1.3 is incredibly noisy.

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The 85bhp 1.3 fitted to the 500L is not noisy for a diesel. I have the same engine in my Alfa MiTo and you'd be hard pushed to know it's a diesel on the move. It doesn't shake the cabin or vibrate through the pedals & steering wheel like the bigger diesels (like the one in the Multipla) & is (I believe) significantly revised over the 75 & 95bhp older versions.

However, if I were going for the 7 seat MPW version, I'd only pick the 1.6 Multijet, as fully loaded it'll have more power in reserve. The 120bhp version is rare as it was launched later, but there are plenty of 105bhp versions around.

500L said:

I think the car is way to small and possibly also underpowered for your needs. It seems like it's only for occasional use to me. When fully loaded with 7 people it will have hardly any boot, and be very slow no matter what the engine choice as there is no powerful engine available.

You may deem it to be fine but if you do then you possibly didn't check out the alternatives properly and don't know what you're missing.

I'd be amazed if the 3rd row has ISOFIX.

I'd suggest a real 7 seater car or if fold out one that has some sort of boot when the 3rd row is in use. What about the seat alhambra (http://cdn2.autoexpress.co.uk/sites...v/public/lt-alhambra-5-boot.jpg?itok=w7zfXxGD), ford s-max/galaxy or ssangyong rodius? All full size MPVs with powerful engines available.

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Seems like a slight exaggeration 'way too small' and underpowered. It's not like it's a regular Fiat 500 with a 1.2 engine. I agree there won't be much of a boot when all 7 seats are in use, because it's only meant to be an occasional 7 seater, but with only 5 seats being used the boot is fine.

Also, the 1.6 Multijet and 1.4 Turbo Petrol are more than powerful enough for the size of the car - gone are the days of sticking massive engines in cars just for the hell off it - Fiat can get 170bhp out of a 1.4 petrol so why would they need to fit a bigger engine - it's not just about engine size, it's also about bhp, torque & usability too.

Difficult one for you though I'm sure. Seems such a waste having to buy the gigantic XL model for commuting, but of course I can see your predicament as you definitely need a lot of space!

Would a regular 500L + a hire car for the times you need 6+ seats work at all? You'd have buckets loads of space with a normal one even with five up.

Sorry if that doesn't seem helpful but am just trying to offer a different viewpoint. Would save you a little bit and be a lot easier to park!

I have the 1.3 Diesel (standard, not MPW) and this weekend had the car with 4 large (don't tell my partner that I described her as large ) adults and a full boot (hockey kit, so not particularly light) and it managed very well on the motorway and travelling a fair distance too. I averaged just over 42mpg for the journey, which isn't bad considering a lot of those miles were travelling at 70mph (maybe a little more at places....possibly)

I test drove the MPW 1.3 before buying this car and apart from the extra length, the car doesn't seem to handle much differently.

If you are doing long commutes, if you can manage to average around 50mph plus, then you will get great consumption too (50mpg+)

Hope this helps a little

42mpg I would find to be disappointing - I had my 2.0tdci 163bhp estate fully loaded up and on a long journey it was doing well over 50mpg.

The 1.3 diesel 95bhp is very noisy in a Corsa, and a lot noisier than the old 1.3 75 & 90bhp multi jet 1 series which were quiet for Diesels. We had the 1.3 90bhp in a Mito and that was quieter than the multijet 2 series.

Yorks500L said:

I have the 1.3 Diesel (standard, not MPW) and this weekend had the car with 4 large (don't tell my partner that I described her as large ) adults and a full boot (hockey kit, so not particularly light) and it managed very well on the motorway and travelling a fair distance too. I averaged just over 42mpg for the journey, which isn't bad considering a lot of those miles were travelling at 70mph (maybe a little more at places....possibly)

I test drove the MPW 1.3 before buying this car and apart from the extra length, the car doesn't seem to handle much differently.

If you are doing long commutes, if you can manage to average around 50mph plus, then you will get great consumption too (50mpg+)

Hope this helps a little

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I must admit I get more than 42mpg out of my 1.4 Fire fully loaded on long journeys. (Don't tell my wife I described her as 'fully loaded'. Nearer to 45/46. I would disappointed given the higher cost of the vehicle and fuel for that result.

That might have something to do with the average speed of over 60mph for the trip