SHOW CARS

A new entry into the hotly contested multi-purpose vehicle market in Europe, the 500L is considerably bigger than its siblings, much in the same way the original, pioneering 1956 Fiat 600 Multipla was compared with the Seicento that spawned it.

The 500L is to the 500 what the Mini Countryman is to the Mini Cooper: a stretched, larger version of the donor car, yet based on the same platform. The 500L (L stands for Large) will be 23.4 inches longer, 6.0 inches wider, and 5.6 inches longer than the smaller 500 and 500C models. Speaking of Countryman, the 500L is within a couple of inches of that hatchback: the 500L is 1.3 inches longer, 0.3 inches narrower, and 3.9 inches taller than that car.

Underhood, there shouldn't be any surprises: Fiat claims that the car will feature its TwinAir twin-turbocharged two-cylinder engine, MultiAir four-cylinders, and a diesel when it goes on sale in Europe. It would seem likely that the American market 500L will only get the 1.4-liter MultiAir inline-four-cylinder engine from the 500, which produces 101 horsepower and 98 pound-feet of torque in that car. Considering that the 500L is designed to hold more people and things than the smaller car, we'd imagine there will be more power on tap, perhaps from a version that borrows the turbocharged I-4 from the 500 Abarth. That engine produces 160 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque.

With the new Fiat 500 representing the first vehicle from the Italian automaker to arrive on North American shores since 1982 (1985 if you count the Pininfarina 124 Spider), there’s definitely a chance the L model will make it here too, though with US Fiat sales so far having fallen short of estimates, it might be a while before you see the L in North American showrooms.