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The next example of the Fiat 500 range, the rather literally named Fiat 500XL, has revealed itself via a leaked photo. It looks a bit like a Fiat 500L that’s all swollen via anaphylaxis. The 500XL may not even make it to North America, but that’s ok. We’ll take the Panda instead. Apparently, the 500XL will have a third row of seats and grow to nearly 170 inches long, making it just barely acceptable for North American tastes. No doubt it will do well in Europe, which is currently in the throes of crossover fever.
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Is Ford okay with the name?
Since Fiat beat them to using it by 48 years I sure hope so! :)
Oh, to have my ’66 500XL back…. but reincarnated, not the one I totaled.
GalaxIE, spell checker, suck it up.
I’m mystified by this.
I thought the raison d’être of the Fiat 500 was for it to be a city go-kart that sipped gas and fit into parking spaces intended primarily for mobility scooters.
Given that Fiat makes other vehicles that fill the niche of a bigger car for those who need/want one, what’s the point of making it bigger? Are there really a lot of people who are desperately in love with the 500 style-wise who can’t actually buy one due to needing something bigger than a mobility scooter?
Just ask MINI. The Cinquecento line and the MINI line are all about style.
Unfortunately, MINI got it somewhat right with the Countryman (which, after driving it several times, I still don’t like as much as the Clubman). Fiat, with the 500L / 500XL / 500XXXL? Not quite.
Except Fiat failed in every arena where MINI succeeded. To paraphrase, Fiat needs to stop trying to make the 500 happen; its not going to happen.
Sorry Flybrian. Ever been to Europe? One on every street. Down here they can’t sell more cause all their import quota is used up. Even in the US, 3000 cars a month from a relatively unknown brand, offering a product outside of American consumers’ preconceived notion is no small feat.
Considering total 500 production has topped the million unit mark, I’m calling it a success regardless of what the naysayers shout. Once unit production hits the 7 digit count, you’ve gone beyond having a hit to establishing an institution.
I’m seeing a significant number of 500s running around town here, despite the closest dealer and service center being an hour’s drive away. That’s a strong testament to owner devotion.
Seriously, not going to happen? I see scores of them around pittsburgh. The iQ tried and failed, same as smart. Fiat seems to have found a fun little peppy car that can be competitive in the 2nd and 3rd car market. The stretched car is actually a semi-serious entry into the sub-compact market, a premium fiesta or spark/sonic.
I see scores of 500’s in NYC in various trim guises. I can see this being a winner for Fiat for folks who would otherwise buy a C-Max or other “people mover”.
iQ was several years late to the game. If it was brought out around the same time as the Smart, it would have beaten them.
Too late… Happened while you were sleeping…
So it’s sort of a Mazda5 competitor? That’s not such a bad thing, really.
The XL being 170″ long still puts it about a foot shorter than a Mazda5, so not quite.
Looks bulbous, but not too fast.
And this, class, is why we bother to keep words like ‘porcine’ on the books.
But I’d overlook that for the Botticelli Blue.
I believe this car will be called 500L+ and not 500XL. Makes sense, since 500XL could also sound like a long version of the upcoming 500X.
http://www.autoedizione.com/fiat-500l-7-seater-indeed-called-500l/
Panda please.
How about rebadging a Ford Flex as the top end of the Mini line? Styling would be truer to the rest of the line than the above Scion-worthy blob.
Is this thing sized relative to the 500 as the Mini Clubman (or Countryman – whatever the thyroidal one is) to the regular Mini? The scale is hard to judge based on the picture.
In terms of overall size, the 500L is proportionally larger to the 500 than BMW’s Mini Clubman is to its Mini.
From their official dimensions, the 500L and XL are 16% and 22% longer than the US-spec 500, while being 9% taller and 8% wider. Mini’s Countryman is only 10% longer than the regular Mini but 13% taller and 6% wider; this seems to underscore some of the problems associated with the original Mini form factor being scaled to accommodate different vehicle sizes. Judging from the visual proportioning of the 500L/XL the new models look to have significantly more interior space than the Mini Countryman.
I hope no one buys one of these just so I don’t have to look at it. It looks like a Fiat Panda that an 8 year old messed with in MS Paint.
Great headline!
More junk from another car company that just needs to give up. A ’94 Silhouette offers more sophistication, versatility, and thought-out design than this…whatever.
And judging by the glut of 500s stinking up rental lanes at the auction, no one else really cares either…
Well, a ’94 Silhouette is the Cadillac of minivans, so it’s probably not a fair comparison.
“I’m the guy who’s telling you the way it is.”
“I work here is done. You should be thanking me”
– flybrian
If Fiat is getting into t-shirt sizes for names, it should be called the 500XXL.
I didn’t know that Fernando Botero started moonlighting as a car designer.