500L - More Fiat for your Family

Big 500L looms behind 500

After a long absence, Fiat returned to our shores a couple of years ago with the cute little 500. About the size of a MINI Cooper hardtop, the pint-size retro two-door hatchback is cute and fun to drive, and has proven economical and reliable so far.

Fiat dealers complained that they had only one car to sell, despite offering different versions. What the revived brand needed was something bigger that still retained much of the appeal of the 500.

Well, for 2014, the new 500L offers four doors (plus the handy hatchback) and lots of room inside. It’s 27 inches longer and six inches taller than the regular 500 and contains 42 percent more space.
 
The 500L uses the 1.4-liter, 160-horsepower turbocharged engine from the sporty Abarth model of the 500. With its 184 lb.-ft. of torque, it pulls the 3,254-pound 500L down the road well, if not racily. The EPA awards the car with 24 City, 33 Highway, 27 Combined mileage figures; I averaged 24.5 mpg. The Green Vehicle scores are 5 for Smog and 7 for Greenhouse Gas.

My Blanco (white) sample with black interior was a Lounge model — the top of the line. Lounges come only with Fiat's twin-clutch automatic transmission, so if you want a manual, you'll have to pick the Pop or Easy model. The Pop is the entry 500L, while the Easy adds popular favorites, such as 16-inch alloy wheels, leather steering wheel and shift knob, and the option of the automatic gearbox. The Trekking iteration is geared for sportier living, with graphite (gray) body accents, upgraded 17-inch alloy wheels, and a unique interior color scheme.

As I drove around I was surprised that nobody was staring at me. Did they think it was a regular 500? Couldn't they tell it was much bigger? Maybe drivers are just jaded.

The 500L has unusual windshield pillars. These pillars have become tree trunks in recent cars to support the safety cages that protect you. The 500L splits them, with a generous slice of window in between, so you see more pillars but it ends up being quite panoramic and with the generous headroom, you feel like you're in a bigger car.

My car had an optional sunroof that took up nearly the entire top. The front section slides open for fresh air. It's like being on the observation car of the Santa Fe Super Chief. The dash features two gloveboxes, and is covered in what looked like Naugahyde. One hopes this covering will survive years of sun and not crack, like it did in cars of yore. The steering wheel, in leather, features a clever "squared circle" theme, accentuated by the shape of the leather folds and stitching. The presence of leather upgrades the interior significantly.

The automatic climate control system kept the car colder than I'd prefer, even when I set it up to 74 or 75 degrees. I also noticed a squeak — something I am not used to hearing. I don't know if the fact that the car is assembled in Kragujevac, Serbia means anything for quality control.

The small, but sharply rendered screen at center dash features the beautiful graphics that have proliferated across Chrysler/Fiat models. I was able to view and set audio, climate, and other information easily. The 500L has one of my favorites — steering wheel audio controls mounted on the back of the steering wheel spokes, so you can make adjustments in volume, media type and station/track selection without looking away from the road or moving your hands from the wheel.

The audio system, with six optional Beats Audio premium speakers plus subwoofer, pounded out some of the better sound I've heard in a car lately. The Bluetooth phone connection failed a couple of times, but was easy enough to hook up.

The rear cargo floor panel lifts and slides into a higher slot to make the load floor flat when you have the rear seats folded down. The lightweight cargo area cover, however, is balky and made dark marks on the interior surfaces when I attempted to position it.

Pricing starts at just $19,900 for the Pop, including shipping. The Easy begins at $20,995, the Trekking at $21,995, and the Lounge sits at the top at $24,995.

I thought that this car was a lot like a MINI Countryman in proportions and purpose, and it’s just slightly bigger than the big MINI. But you would need to drive both to decide if you’re a MINI maniac or a Fiat fanatic.

Now, with the 500L, you can enjoy fresh Italian styling and performance and bring along your friends and their gear, too. And, you’ll be a member of an exclusive club until these new cars proliferate.

Fiat 500 Abarth - Small but Wicked

The 500 is the first Fiat sold in the U.S. for a long time. It's making its way onto American roads now courtesy of the Fiat acquisition of Chrysler back in the bad old days of late last decade. The cute little bug-like hatchbacks are fun, but not what anyone would consider a sports car.

That is, until the Fiat 500 Abarth came along.

Since the late 1950's, Karl Abarth and his company have turned modest little European cars into rockets and racecars. The 500 is based on a classic tiny 500 from those days, so bringing back the go-fast treatment for the new 500 makes a lot of sense. Thanks to turbocharging and intercooling, the little American-built 1.4-liter MultiAir engine under the pugnosed hood is good for 160 horsepower and 170 lb.-ft. of torque--big numbers when you're talking about one of the smallest cars on the road. Doing the math, that's 117 horsepower per liter!

To support all that extra oomph, the entire suspension is upgraded, with 40 percent stiffer springs and a lower ride height. Other suspension pieces make the car ride and perform unlike the garden variety models.

The Abarth comes with a five-speed manual transmission, built in Italy, that's already been proven in European racing. With its leather-wrapped knob, it sits in a little projection from the cute little dashboard. It definitely adds to the fun.

The dash itself features a leather hood over the instrument panel, with leather stitching. The fat steering wheel, an Abarth design, has grippy leather, a flat bottom, and a big Abarth logo in the center. Actually the word "Abarth" or the graphics are spread out all over the little car's small surface.

Besides the push forward you get when you step on the aluminum pedal cover, the exhaust note reminds you you're not in any ordinary Fiat. It reminded me of when my Honda Civic's muffler rusted off. They call the sound, "menacing." Really.

The accommodations are compact inside, of course, but not uncomfortable (at least in front). The sporty one-piece buckets are appropriately leather-covered and offer serious bolstering to hold you in place. They have racing harness pass-throughs, too, since it's not at all unlikely that you might race the little beast.

To keep you somewhat responsible, there's an upshift light on the left side of the dash. It tells you when to shift up to get maximum fuel economy. Amusingly, it sits in the middle of the turbo boost gauge, which encourages you to drive more aggressively. For more fun, push the Sport button, and the throttle opens up and the steering gets tauter. Also, the Sport button makes the shifting nanny disappear, replacing it with a redline reminder light.

You'd think a small car wouldn't be very practical, but as a hatchback, it's easy to stuff in a week's worth of groceries for the family--and even an upright bass. The tiny shelflet that keeps prying eyes out of the storage in back pops off in a split second, the seats fold, and you've got serious shlepping capacity.

The little 1.4 turbo gets a Smog rating of 5 and Greenhouse Gas number of 8. Fuel economy, per the EPA, is 31 Average (28 City, 34 Highway) -- I averaged 26.6 mpg.

There are cheaper cars of this size, including the 500 in its regular garb, which lists at $16,700. This one starts at $22,700, but with a few nice add-ons, such as automatic air conditioning and upgraded 17-inch white-painted alloy wheels,  the tab can hit $25,000 (my Rosso Red test car was $100 over). All prices include shipping charges.

But it's a pretty loaded vehicle. You get Satellite radio inside,an electronic vehicle information system, Alpine Premium audio, BLUE&ME handsfree communication system, a cool rear spoiler, fog lamps, and lots more. I got a nice thumbs up from a guy driving a "regular" 500 on the bridge. It was part solidarity and part admiration.

Not a silent cruiser, the Fiat 500 Abarth, built in Toluca, Mexico is in-your-face motoring, and if you order the 500c, you can roll back the top and get a better listen to the menacing sound while getting an old-fashioned racer suntan.

Jeep Patriot - An Affordable All American 4x4

The Patriot may be the forgotten Jeep. It is neither the glamorous and highly regarded new Grand Cherokee nor the legendary Wrangler--direct descendant of the heroic World War II four-wheeled life-saver. It may, however, be a car that a lot of people will enjoy owning and driving.

With the all-American Patriot, assembled in Belvidere, Illinois, you get a car that really looks like a Jeep, from the upright, slatted nose with round headlights to the squared-off, protruding wheelwells to the handy roof rails. Its cousin, the Compass, with which it shares a platform, was knocked for looking too soft, but there's no issue with the Patriot. It actually resembles the longtime favorite Jeep Cherokee, which helped to pave the way for compact SUVs in the 1980's.

The three models start with the Sport and move up through the Latitude and at the top, the Limited. Knowing that many people like SUVs for practical reasons but never take them off-road, you can get a Patriot with front wheel drive only. No-one will know that your car is no more of an offroader than a standard sedan, but it could save you some money and improve your fuel economy a bit.

However, you can order two levels of four-wheel drive. My test car, a Latitude model in a handsome Cherry Red Crystal Pearl Coat, had the higher capacity version, known as Freedom Drive II (are you sensing a naming theme here?) Freedom Drive I offers a full-time active system that's nice to have in inclement weather. You can lock the wheels into four-wheel drive for deep snow and sand conditions, but it's really meant for on-road safety, not exploring on the trails. This system, along with seat-mounted airbags, helped earn the Patriot a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2012 model.

Freedom Drive II Off-Road Package adds what you need for some fun in the dirt and rocks. It has a transmission with a low 19:1 ratio crawl gear when it's switched into offroad mode. It also comes with 17-inch alloy wheels and all-terrain tires. You get the skid plates to protect the underside of the car, tow hooks and a full-size spare tire. Best of all, you receive the much honored "Trail Rated" badge. If you're really serious about climbing rocks, though, you will want to upgrade to the extra-rugged Wrangler, but you can't touch it at Patriot prices.

There's a special Freedom Edition Patriot this year. It comes in only red, white or blue and features a star on the hood and rear quarter panel, plus some extra comfort and convenience content. Best of all, Chrysler donates $250 to a military charity for each one sold.

Patriots come with one of two engines. The standard engine in the Sport and Latitude levels is a 2.0-liter four that puts out 158 horsepower and 141 lb.-ft. of torque. With a five-speed manual transmission, you can get  a remarkable 30 miles per gallon on the highway. The five-speed manual comes only on the Sport. When you step up to higher levels the continuously variable automatic is standard.

Standard on the Limited and optional on the other models is the 2.4-liter engine with 172 horsepower and 165 lb.-ft. of torque. You'll lose two mpg on the highway compared to the 2.0-liter, but the extra power should be welcome in daily driving.

The EPA gives the Patriot with 2.4-liter engine and automatic ratings of 21 combined (20 City, 23 Highway). I got 18.7 mpg in mixed driving.  The Green Vehicle Guide numbers are 6 for Air Pollution and 4 for Greenhouse Gas (2012 model). Obviously, there are vehicles with better numbers than this--and some that are worse. 

Thanks to dual variable-valve timing, the engine makes the most of the torque curve for higher performance. My tester had this engine and it seemed eager to get up and go, although I didn't take it on any rock climbing expeditions.

Like pretty much every car that has levels, the Patriot gives you more when you  move up. The Sport has a lot going for it already for its low price, including the safety of electronic stability control and hill start assist and conveniences like cruise control and an outside temperature display. The Latitude, as the middle and likely most popular level, throws in power windows and locks, air conditioning, keyless entry, heated seats, and niceties such as a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a 115-volt power inverter. The Limited, of course, is where you get leather seats with power adjustment, an electronic vehicle information center, a nice audio system with SiriusXM, climate control, and all the trimmings.

The Patriot wasn't as nice when it debuted for the 2007 model year, but over the last few years, new ownership has put money and effort into upgrading every vehicle sold by Chrysler. The inside of the Patriot, while not luxurious, feels well crafted and substantial. Pieces fit together well. It's really a baby Grand Cherokee more than just the least expensive 4x4 sold in America.

This is a highly affordable choice in the compact SUV market. Prices for a manual-equipped Sport with no options start at just $16,920--a remarkable number indeed. My Latitude tester with four-wheel drive and some audio upgrades came in at $26,220.

My only concern about Jeeps is their tendency to not be highly favored by the sharp-eyed folks at Consumer Reports, although reliability ratings are above average. It's likely that the vehicle's age is a factor here, but sales of Jeeps are up--so plenty of folks still want to own one.

Many changes are on the way for Jeep, including a new small SUV based on a FIAT platform. But for the real all-American four-wheeling deal, this is a very reasonable way to take it to the street--and off the road.

New Dodge Dart Arrives -- with a Great Ad

The new Dodge Dart is here, and however good the car may prove to be--or successful--it has great advertising putting the word out. That link in the last sentence takes you to a story on the agency that crafted it--and gives you direct access to view the 90-second spot for yourself.

You'll want to run it a couple of times. From the "American" on the pencil to the "tweak, tweak, tweak" it's a grabber.

My wife called me in to look at the new ad and it's funny, and makes a point. This is a car that's been carefully planned, styled, and has all the right stuff. And this is one very important vehicle for Chrysler. It's the first Chrysler, Dodge, Ram or Jeep product to use an Italian platform, which means it's the real beginning of the new Chrysler Corporation. It competes in the hot compact sedan segment against everything from the Ford Focus to the Chevy Cruze to the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. From here on, more Fiat and Alfa-Romeo platforms will be under cars you get at Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram/SRT dealerships.

I drove a Dart recently for a few minutes and it seemed competitive. I'll have to spend a week with one soon to get the whole story, but you can cruise down to your local dealershop now. Do it. And watch the ad.

Fiat 500 Gucci Edition--The Ultimate Gucci Item?

Best Small Convertible of the Year--see below

What do you picture when you think about Gucci? I visualize handbags and luggage, but for 90 years the company has offered a range of expensive and exclusive items, including watches, jewelry, and clothing that I have neither the figure nor the budget to own. My handsome son sports a pair of Gucci sunglasses that was expensive enough to be a special gift--not a routine purchase.

So, what about an Italian economy hatchback with Gucci style? Sure--why not?

To distinguish it from ordinary Fiat 500s the Gucci Edition wears the famous name and logo all over it, inside and out. On its petite body, my "Gucci White" tester wore "Gucci" script on its hatch and along each side below the rear window. Also, the trim, rather than being body color or shiny chrome, was a silvery satin chrome instead. The special white paint itself had a distinctive sparkle to it. The 15-inch white alloy wheels wore Gucci  logos too. The Green brake calipers add a subtle extra touch.

Inside, some of the plastic trim mixed the usual black with some contrasting Ivory accents--giving a light, happy ambiance. The leather-trimmed bucket seats wore the double-G logo on the headrests and the main seat cushion featured a logo-patterned stamping. The metallic accents are also the satin variety. I was  especially taken with the Gucci-themed threshold plates with their dozens (hundreds) of double-G logos.

The Gucci stripe is apparent on the seatbelts and along the middle of the upper seat cushions. It also runs down the remarkable Cabrio roof. The 500c Cabrio model features a folding cloth top that, unlike a typical convertible, slides along tracks above the side windows. These tracks contribute significant rigidity to the car. You can slide the roof back a little or a lot, but if you send it back all the way it will block the bottom half of the view behind you--so drive carefully. The open-top experience is wonderful, and if you keep the side windows up, it affords some privacy while still letting nature in.

Python (not shipped to California) - $4,500

The Fiat 500 itself is a modest little car, powered by a 1.4-liter, 101-horsepower "Multi-Air" engine. It's EPA-rated at 27 City, 32 Highway (29 Average). I averaged 31.5 mpg--but the fuel filler sign suggested premium fuel! For green scores, all 500s get a 5 for Air Pollution and 7 for Greenhouse Gas--for a SmartWay designation.

The six-speed automatic transmission shifted later when I selected the SPORT button on the dash, and it felt like the springs and steering tightened up as well.

My tester had an optional TomTom navigation device that plugs in to a jack in the top of the dash.

The Gucci model, with the above extras, came to $28,850. That's much more than your typical Gucci item, but for a car, it's not that much, really. I got compliments on my cute little ride, but it's definitely not the model I'd own myself. It did prove to be a worthy freeway driver--smooth and quiet--and, if you don't have much to carry, it could serve you well. If you want the fun but don't need the bling, the basic 500 Pop model starts at $16,250.

The 500 by Gucci won “Best Small Convertible of the Year” at the “Topless in Miami” event held on June 14 by the Southern Automotive Media Association (SAMA).

Jeep is 70 - And Has Come a Long Way

I just spent a week motoring around in the Jeep Liberty 70th Anniversary Edition. Now there was no Liberty Model in 1941, of course, but that's when the iconic Jeep military four-wheel-drive vehicle arrived to help win World War II.

I'm not sure the 70th anniversary of anything is usually a big deal, but it's a great time to highlight anything positive in the new Chrysler regime. After the trauma of its bankruptcy and subsequent takeover by FIAT, the brand needs all the good vibes it can get, and the Jeep is certainly worth celebrating.

The thing is, this Liberty, a midsize SUV built in Toledo, Ohio, is a far cry from the basic, hard, utilitarian ancestor. That's probably for the best, because for the lives we live today, the Liberty is about right. Roomy, comfortable, even beautiful, in a chiseled way, my tester was very pleasant to drive, yet still felt firm on the road and with its upright windshield, flat, shallow dashboard, and chair-height seating, it still didn't feel like any of those new-fangled crossover vehicles, which are more like tall cars.

New, FIAT-based Jeeps are in our future, but for now, we can celebrate the all-American seven-slat grille, twin round lights, and victory on wheels.