This really is love story
But seriously, I too am drawn to the 500L, for many reasons. I had a look at some Fords a short time ago, including the B/C? Max ( the new pillarless one - you can see how much I care about Fords
) and I was struck by how tinny they all felt.
Colleagues have Fiestas and I discovered how, when travelling, you can put your fingers at the top of the doors and feel them constantly flexing independently of the body. My Fiat 'van' doesn't fo that. And the sliding rear doors on the B/C Max? felt really tinny when slammed too.
And they may be a good drive but they aren't a great ride for a passenger, and the dashboards with all those buttons ...
. The Fiesta Titanium also has a very annoying red lit strip below the dashboard - horrible!
The 500L feels like it's cut from a solid billet of steel, it feels beautifully built. Now, when you look at the crash tests on YouTube you can see that the body barely distorts when it is smashed. The result is very impressive indeed. Yes, it was engineered to comply with American regs, but even beyond that it looks like one strong car, and it feels like it.
In no way does the 500L feel tinny. And the interior design is lovely to look at, and the driving height and visibility are wonderful, just what I like.
I dare say it will have to be driven on the gearbox though. My newish Doblo has six speeds and a relatively small Diesel motor (1600) and I find I have to play with the gears more than I did in the old car, even though it has far more torque. But the gearbox is good so it is no hardship.
Just an aside, but I had a look at the Vauxhall Adam yesterday. It is a two seater! No room in the back at all, it makes the 500 look like a pantechnicon. Talk about fashion purchases. But then it was never intended for the likes of me
No, the 500L is very good. And thank god it isn't another pointy car with a shark face, unlike so many of the rest. I think bluff front ends on cars are about to return as the fashion for pointy has just about run its course.