2020 Fiat 500L

Love it, or hate it, the Fiat 500L stands out from the all-popular subcompact crossover class purely for its bug-eyed retro-Italian flare and MPV status - a status that leaves it almost in a class of its own while rival manufacturers all pursue high-riding alternatives. But bubbly proportions have their benefit, and the 500L is immensely practical, sacrificing style for usability in contrast to its sibling, the Fiat 500X. Unfortunately, the positives end there; its 1.4-liter turbo-four engine is considerably underpowered, delivering only 160 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels, and gas mileage estimates are surprisingly poor. Stand-out looks and practicality aren't much to brag about either, especially in a class where the competitors, such as the Kia Soul and the Mini Cooper Countryman are perhaps far more contemporary and better looking, just as practical, and offer a whole lot more in terms of the driving experience.

The 500L is priced decently in comparison to its competition, though its proposition in value may not be as favorable as its standard consignment of features increase over last year's model. The Trekking follows at a price of $23,825, then there's the Urbana with its sticker price of $24,420. The top-of-the-line Lounge comes in at $24,645. All prices are excluding Fiat's destination and handling charge of $1,495 as well as any tax, registration, or licensing fees.

The 500L is not particularly pleasant to drive, although it handles competently for a family commuter with its FWD drivetrain, but it's otherwise a chore to maneuver. Performance from the small 1.4-liter turbo-four is always sedate and frustratingly uninspiring; the gearbox, however, shows some promise with mostly consistent responses. It offers manual shifting too, but it's nothing special. The 500L isn't even that much of a comfortable cruiser, it rides roughly over most imperfect road surfaces and feels overly rigid over any undulations. The cabin is always noisy as well, making the 500L a terrible vehicle for long-distance traveling.

In terms of handling, the 500L's steering is mostly accurate. The heft of the 500L, however, has the steering deliver slow responses, and there's also a significant amount of body-roll exhibited in corners that prove difficult to correct. The brakes, though firm and effective, are annoyingly grabby too, and panic stops are met with frighteningly unstable swaying. Most modern competitors, within the same price bracket as the 500L, offer far more comfort on the road along with better performance, and a more engaging drive overall.

The Fiat 500L is not an exceptional car - it's an average vehicle at best, but not one that we'd recommend over any other compact crossover. Everything about it simply comes across as mediocre, from its significantly underpowered engine, which is also stupidly inefficient, to its limited feature consignment and lack of driver-assist technologies which are typically abundant in most of today's current vehicles. The 500L is slow and uncomfortable on the road too, especially so on long journeys considering its overly stiff ride quality, rudimentary and noisy cabin, and hard seats. While the 500L may be relatively affordable and somewhat practical and versatile, there are alternatives out there that offer those qualities and a whole lot more, at the same price or even for less. One such rival is the Kia Soul, offering superior performance, gas mileage, and value overall.

Being that the top-of-the-line Lounge model is only $2,145 more than the base-spec Pop model and is significantly better outfitted with features and higher-quality materials, we feel it's the one worth going for. Additional to what the Pop has, the Lounge features heated front seats, leather-trimmed seating upholstery, dual-zone automatic-climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and the premium Beats audio system. The Lounge also receives some options unavailable to the lower-tier models, including the Graphite Edition appearance package, and the power dual-pane sunroof.

The 500X, as a compact crossover SUV, is a little smaller than the 500L wagon but a little more expensive. The number one thing that stands out in the 500X is its 1.3-liter turbo-four engine that's not only significantly more powerful than the 500L's 1.4-liter turbo-four, but more fuel-efficient too with gas mileage figures of 24/30/26 mpg. The 500L is a lot roomier on the inside, however, offering more passenger and more cargo room overall, the 500X offers up a meager 12.2 cubes of cargo room behind the rear seats. The 500X comes out better in every other regard though, it boasts a more premium-feeling cabin with a better build quality, it rides more competently and more comfortably, and comes standard in all-wheel-drive. Ultimately, the 500X is the better Fiat overall and offers a lot more value at its price, albeit $2,090 more than the 500L.

With a starting MSRP of only $17,490, the Kia Soul, a more contemporary, attractive, and overall better-performing subcompact crossover SUV, offers far more value and appeal than that of the Fiat 500L. It comes equipped with a 147 hp, 132 lb-ft naturally-aspirated engine, while those outputs figures are smaller than the 500L's turbo-four, the engine's performance is simply more polished and copes with the lightweight Soul in a notably more refined manner in terms of acceleration and fuel-efficiency. EPA fuel-efficiency estimates are 25/31/27 mpg with the available six-speed manual gearbox and 27/33/30 mpg with the CVT. The Soul is a lot more sportier than the 500L too, in outright performance and handling, and the lineup features a GT-Line trim that comes with a far more potent 1.6-liter turbo-four. The Kia Souls pricing may exceed that of the 500L's at the higher tier trims, but it's well worth the extra money considering how much more value the Soul offers over the 500L, even at the base level.