500 to a 500L - What did you learn afterward?

[eedwards]

Hello,

I bought my Green Pop in October 2012 and have loved every minute of my time with it. However, I have recently begun thinking about trading for a 500L. My kids are bigger now than when I bought the 500 and I find that I need more space more often than I originally thought I would. I wish I could keep the 500 and just buy the 500L, but that is not possible for me.

Have any of you that bought a 500L after having had a 500. Why did you change and what are the pros and cons that you have discovered afterward? I know that it is a bigger car with lots more room, but missing some of the fun of the little 500, but what are the things that you found out that surprised you or changes that you did not see coming when you swapped for the "L"?

Thanks!

[lammie200]

I rented a 500L a few weeks back. I liked it for the most part. Seems to handle well and has plenty of power and pick up. The driver seat has much more adjustability than the 500's seat. I was a bit surprised by that. The driver seat armrest is not integrated well for ergonomics when using the shift stick though. I was unpleasantly surprised by that.

[FSTCS6]

I own one of each and love them both. The L is a more civilized machine than the Abarth, less road noise and a smoother ride.....of course it is also considerably bigger inside and the sunroof adds to the feeling of light and space.

Of course they are completely different machines so comparing them is not entirely fair but if you're looking for reassurance that the L is a capable machine I'll vouch for it. There a few odd things about the L, one of which is the cupholder to seat ratio.....the regular 500 seats four and has five cup holders, the L seats five and has three cup holders....go figure, lol.

[X19]

We have one of each as well - 2012 500 Pop and 2014 500L Trekking - love them both. 500L does not feel like a 4-door 500 - probably because it isn't - but it does feel like a FIAT. You can tell they are from the same mindset and company.

[superchan7]

I haven't actually owned a 500, but I have test driven both a regular and an Abarth.

I now own a 500L (or, rather, my wife and I do), and I can guarantee it will not deliver the cheeky driving fun that the 500 does. It's a totally different car.

That said, it is more offbeat and will deliver a more cheerful experience than, say, a Toyota RAV4. As far as operation goes, it's a normal modern Fiat with a bigger body that sort of apes the 500's styling cues. The ride is Euro-firm which doesn't appeal to everyone, and the interior is much more stylish than any Japanese or German competition. Build quality is better than in the 500, but not up to Honda standards. The DCT is a little sluggish when you're just loafing around town, but the handling behaviour is surprisingly alert and not lazy in any way. If you've accepted Fiat as a brand, the 500L makes a fine car for small families.

I wish people would avoid comparing the 500 to a 500L. It's irrelevant; they are completely unrelated. I don't understand why Fiat wants to turn "500" into this kind of brand identity...why not 600 for the bigger car? There is nothing "500" about the L, but then again there is nothing "500" about the 500 either since its smallest engine is 900cc.

[ALadies500L]

I own one of each and love them both. The L is a more civilized machine than the Abarth, less road noise and a smoother ride.....of course it is also considerably bigger inside and the sunroof adds to the feeling of light and space.

Of course they are completely different machines so comparing them is not entirely fair but if you're looking for reassurance that the L is a capable machine I'll vouch for it. There a few odd things about the L, one of which is the cupholder to seat ratio.....the regular 500 seats four and has five cup holders, the L seats five and has three cup holders....go figure, lol.

Actually if you look deeper into the 500L there are 5 cup holders for 5 people ... there is one in the rear drivers side door two in the center console and one in the rear passenger side door and one in the rear arm rest. which still makes no sense because if you have 5 in the car then you cant use the cup holder in the rear ...

otherwise I absolutely love my 500L ... and love the additional space it offers ... pick up in a manual is fantastic! which ever you get tho I would suggest a throttle module to give It that extra pep

[Timothy Allen]

I traded my Fiat 500 Pop in the spring for my Fiat 500L that I have now. I loved the 500, but it was a little too small for me. I find that I love all of the storage in the 500L. There are little hidden pockets and stashes all over the place in there. About the only thing I miss is the cool style of the dashboard. I loved the single round dial look of the 500, the 500L has a more standard dash. Still, I love it, and have not regretted my purchase once.

[Loraura]

When I test drove the 500L, i found the cockpit very awkward. Maybe because I am not very tall (5'4''), compounded with test driving a manual transmission model, I felt like in order for my feet to work the clutch the steering wheel was right in front of my chest with my elbows bent at 90 degrees, sort of like driving a clown car...

In the end we ruled out the 500L as an option due to the gas mileage, so I didn't bother test driving an automatic to see if it felt better.

[eedwards]

I appreciate your responses to my question. I still would rather keep my 500, but what most of you found with the "L" is what I would guess from having looked at them. I have done some test driving in the past few weeks and I still find the interior to be unique amongst cars - it has a similar character to it as the 500 so you can really tell it is a Fiat. That is a flavor that I like.

I suppose once the stop-sale is lifted, there will be some awesome discounts as they have had on the regular 500. It will take that to get me out of my 500.


Of course, I welcome any other insights that can be offered by others who have moved from 500 to 500L.

[superchan7]

...the L seats five and has three cup holders....go figure, lol.

Don't forget, that rear armrest/cupholder costs extra on most trims!

The bottle holders on the rear doors aren't the best, but they will do as long as your drinks are covered (as they always should be for travelling).

[ophidia31]

Having the 500L as a loaner for about a week now, I think I can give a review for it. At first when they gave me the keys, told me what spot it was parked and I was upset when i saw it. The exterior, I dont like it. Never did, never will. But, Im not everyone and apparently people at my work like it, so, yeah. But, Im rwally an interior guy and if I dont like it, thats the biggest deal breaker. Im a guy, who when just lah-dee-dah cruising, likes to put my left arm on the arm rest of the door panel and have my hand at the bottom of the wheel. They should move that stuff in towards the driver a little bit. Its like the grand canyon between the drivers seat and the door panel. Even the window switches seem like a stretch in terms of placement.

Speaking of placement, lets talk about the ignition switch, foglight and doorlock buttons. The placement of the ignition switch is horrid. The steps you have to do in order to start the car annoyse me everytime I have to do it. Have to put the key into the ignition, which isnt a normal up/down configuration, then take your hand off, and position it so that you have the grip to turn the key to start. In the regular 500, switch is up down configuration and can insert and start in one fluid motion. Also, it is placed very close to the windshield wiper stalk. Normal, this isnt a problem if your driving in constant rain scenarios, but if there is a drizzle or a splash, a quick up of the stalk to clean the window has you hitting the key almost every time unless you think about moving your hand to miss it. Theyre cross country in terms of normal reachability.

Next are the fog/doorlock buttons.Though, you normally wouldnt need to have the lock switch anyway, all the doors dont unlock on first press and I havent found anything in the menus to change this like you can in the regular 500. So if you forget to hit unlock twice, then you have to hit the button in the car or hit unlock twice on the fob. Same with the foglight button. My only beef with that is is should be closer. But what I DO like about the fogs on this car is you can have them on without the headlights turned on. Cant do that in the 500.

Moving into the center of the car, what is up with this parking brake handle? A simple one like the 500 would have done just fine. Dont need to grab onto a frying pan. Plus, this center armrest is in the way as well. When putting on your seatbelt, you run into it because the seatbelt is directly under the armrest. I just drive with the armrest in the up position since I dont use one on my right arm anyway.

The only pros I can think about, in my eyes, are that you get very little hit in terms of gas mileage over the 500 with the same 1.4T engine and also there is so much room in this thing. Im 6'2 so the driver seat is back a little bit and when I sat in the back, I had ample room to stretch my legs.

[Andree]

I appreciate your responses to my question. I still would rather keep my 500, but what most of you found with the "L" is what I would guess from having looked at them. I have done some test driving in the past few weeks and I still find the interior to be unique amongst cars - it has a similar character to it as the 500 so you can really tell it is a Fiat. That is a flavor that I like.

I suppose once the stop-sale is lifted, there will be some awesome discounts as they have had on the regular 500. It will take that to get me out of my 500.


Of course, I welcome any other insights that can be offered by others who have moved from 500 to 500L.

Just wondering which of the trims and transmissions you're considering. Or will the decision be made based on best price for the trim/options you can find? Sometimes I've noticed the more options the vehicle has, the more they will tend to drop the price. And that any of the least expensive trims without options are snapped up fast if they go on sale. I noticed this most recently with the Abarths, earlier in the year.

[ophidia31]

I noticed this most recently with the Abarths, earlier in the year.

That was from the abundance of 13's they made to the lack of sales because people didnt want a manual only car. If they have sold them at the pace they believed they would due to how they sold for the '12 year, there wouldnt have been those big discounts on them.

Though from not even being able to sell them to people who wanted them, Im sure there would be similar discounts for the 500L.

[eedwards]

Well, I took the plunge and traded my 500 Pop for a 500L Trekking. It was a Demonstrator and was the best equipped one for the price. They had a Lounge in Mocha/Black that was really sweet, but I just could not justify to myself spending the extra money necessary to get it. The Trekking had everything I really need and wanted. And just like when I bought the 500 two years ago, I am still being surprised by the little features built into the car. The designers really made something special with both cars. See the thread on "easter eggs" for a good listing of these.

To answer my own initial question after barely 24 hours of ownership: I learned that I would enjoy shifting the DCT at times. My wife has had two of these things(manumatics, but not DCT) and I almost never used them while driving her cars. This thing works so well, I am actually putting it to use at times and it works brilliantly. I was afraid I'd hate the auto, but at the moment, I like it.

I showed it to my mother today and she liked it quite a bit. She will probably not give up her 96 Caprice for one, but I can dream...

[FSTCS6]

Well, I took the plunge and traded my 500 Pop for a 500L Trekking. It was a Demonstrator and was the best equipped one for the price. They had a Lounge in Mocha/Black that was really sweet, but I just could not justify to myself spending the extra money necessary to get it. The Trekking had everything I really need and wanted. And just like when I bought the 500 two years ago, I am still being surprised by the little features built into the car. The designers really made something special with both cars. See the thread on "easter eggs" for a good listing of these.

To answer my own initial question after barely 24 hours of ownership: I learned that I would enjoy shifting the DCT at times. My wife has had two of these things(manumatics, but not DCT) and I almost never used them while driving her cars. This thing works so well, I am actually putting it to use at times and it works brilliantly. I was afraid I'd hate the auto, but at the moment, I like it.

I showed it to my mother today and she liked it quite a bit. She will probably not give up her 96 Caprice for one, but I can dream...

Glad you're liking your Trekking...what colour combo did you get?