Despite many people’s opinions, Fiat’s expertise with city cars is undeniable. Vehicles such as Panda, Punto and, most recently, 500 have had so much success that the company even seems to have given up offering upscale cars with this brand, dedicating Alfa Romeo and Lancia to take Bravo, Croma, Marea and Stilo’s public. Such strategy enables it to focus on its best-selling vehicles, and this is precisely what has been done. After having 500L so well-accepted, now it’s time to present this minivan’s “extra-large-sized” sister.
Cinquecento’s modern interpretation became so successful because its concept is very similar to what BMW did with Mini Cooper’s years before. Loading a supermini with technology and wrapping it with retro-inspired design managed to attract more than a million customers since 2007, not only around Europe but also both North and South Americas. What has stopped Fiat from expanding 500’s offer so widely like Cooper’s, however, is probably the company’s pure awareness of its own nature. This is one of the few Fiats that became successful depending essentially on emotional factors (an achievement that gets even bigger when we remember that this brand also sells commercial vehicles), so it results harder for this brand to obtain the prestigious image that is needed to convince the public to buy new variations. Adding the fact that the company’s financial situation hasn’t been so good in the latest months makes easy to explain its cautious attitude of sticking to the categories in which it works better. While 500L has started to expand its success into United States along with the hatchback, the European market now receives its seven-seater variation, starting with the Italian market.
As the pictures show, the versions start to differ only after the rear doors. Being 21 cm larger makes Living look more imponent, while its sister ends looking somewhat nimbler. Fiat’s intention wasn’t to make them so different like Citroën C4 Picasso and Grand C4 Picasso, but two variations of the same car. This means the bigger repeats everything that has made 500L famous, such as the overall interior shapes and specially the customizing options: offering 19 external colors (including 11 two-tone combinations), six internal trims and 15 sets of alloy wheels and hub caps makes it really hard to spot two exact same of these minivans on the streets – which is exactly the kind of differentials most of these cars’ public looks for. Since Ulysse’s buyers were already taken by Freemont, Living was freed to become much less formal, in order to replace Multipla’s subversive concept but avoiding all the predecessor’s quirks. However, whoever needs bigger trunk than 500L’s can buy Living with only five seats, too, and enjoy its 638-dm³ space in only 435 cm of total length. Also like the smaller sibling, the new car will come in Pop, Star and Lounge trims and four engine options: gasoline users can choose between 95-hp 1.4L and 105-hp TwinAir Turbo 0.9L, while diesel users will count on 85-hp 1.3L and 105-hp 1.6L turbocharged Multijet II engines – the 1.3L unit can be paired to automatic transmission.
