FIAT 500L: TWO NEW ENGINES TO GROW EVEN MORE

Fiat 500L 1.6 MJT 105 CV

500L combines the iconic nature of the 500 style with traditional Fiat design functionality. The "City Lounge", as the car has been dubbed, is the result of a very special alchemy. It is a new city car concept that redefines the compact category for the modern family in an emotional vein by expanding on a few styling features of the 500 in unprecedented forms.

The model is reasserting its position as the first car for many families, and often the only car of choice of young families because it combines a number of apparently irreconcilable features all in one: the compact exterior size of a B segment car with the ample passenger room and the full equipment typical of a C segment model. All this comes at an accessible city-car price and with added-value you cannot find elsewhere: the distinctive personality of Fiat 500, the Italian design icon.

In brief, Fiat 500L has shown that growing is an opportunity not a limit. Today, the range is complemented and gets even bigger bringing the performance ratings of a C segment vehicle, too. Merit of the new 1.6 MultiJet II 105 HP turbo diesel engine and of the 0.9 TwinAir Turbo 105 HP petrol engine, two different expressions of how to deliver the same power.

Both turbo charged and technologically evolved, the two 105 HP engines provide answers to the needs of a broad, multifarious clientele with different inclinations, ages and daily use needs of their cars. More specifically, the 105 HP delivered by the 1.6 MultiJet II position 500L in the heart of the segment with an engine which is "efficient" but also fun to drive by offering the best of a diesel in terms of range and comfort and the brilliant performance of second generation MultiJet technology.

The 105 HP of the 0.9 TwinAir are different and ideal for customers who are concerned about reducing fuel consumption and emissions particularly in cities. In brief, this "aware and responsible" engine is particularly appreciated in countries where the ownership and use of high-emission cars are severely restricted and highly taxed. It is no wonder that emissions are so low that the engine complies with the European standards of 2020 already today.

Combined with a manual six-speed gearbox - C514 for 0.9 TwinAir Turbo and C635 1.6 MultiJet II - the two Fiat 500L engines carry the "cool & capable" concept also under the bonnet: both are smart for the technology they implement, for the different personality they impart to the vehicle and for their low running costs. At the same time, the engines are low on emissions and fuel consumption and generous on performance, securing real, quantifiable advantages to customers.

The 105 HP TwinAir is already available and the orders are open for the 105 HP 1.6 MultiJet, which will be in Fiat showrooms in the major European markets as from the second half of March. The launch plan of the model across Europe will be completed in right-drive countries and will be started in North Africa by the end of the month.

C635 1.6 MultiJet II

The commercial range of Fiat 500L in Europe is growing together with its horsepower: indeed, the 100 and 120 HP range covers 25% of the total sales of the segment. A very interesting range which will certainly contribute to consolidating the excellent performance of the Fiat City Lounge which in only five months has totalled approximately 38,300 orders in Europe, over half of which outside Italy. Particularly in Italy, it is the best-selling medium sized car and ranks second among the diesels. What is more, even before the entire launch plan has been completed across Europe, Fiat 500L is the only model to be experiencing a constant rise in its segment in Europe, despite the difficult economy of the continent.

This is understandable because the new city lounge is the perfect expression of Fiat's anti-crisis recipe and a car which raises the bar in the segment: an icon of style, compact on the outside and roomy within, remarkably versatile, safe (as certified by five prestigious EuroNCAP stars), cost-effective to run and competitively priced. Thanks to these special features, the car was named "New Model of the Year 2013" by the readers of the Italian auto magazine Quattroruote ahead of the toughest German competitors.

Interestingly, 57% of 500L customers come from other brands and 61% from very different vehicles types among them: 37% from the B segment, 16% from the C segment and 8% from the A segment. This points to the fact that 500L is a trans-segment car that satisfies a large clientele with different inclinations, age and daily use needs of their cars. For instance, the functional features of the Fiat City Lounge appeal to the adult families, or empty nesters, who are most traditional customers of the higher segment models because they want functional, roomy and comfortable cars.

0.9 TwinAir Turbo

Similarly, the smiley, fun-loving look of the 500L appeals to a clientele which is much younger that the segment average, who like its sophisticated but easily accessible technological solutions and its contents which provide practical answers to the needs of daily mobility and rising environmental awareness. Incidentally, Fiat is the brand with the lowest average CO2 emissions of cars sold in Europe - only 118.2 g/km - for the fifth year running.

Finally, the new Fiat model is the first car of young families, the cool nesters. So, in line with the creative concept that "With the 500L, growing up is cool", the innovative Fiat City Lounge is growing to carry about the small pleasures and big emotions of life all together: children, friends, holidays, music and communities. So, the 500 family is following the changes in today's families and providing non-conventional answers to new lifestyles and new ways of being a family. 500L is a smart, generous model which also provides all-round protection as confirmed by the prestigious EuroNCAP 5-star rating with an overall score of 83/100, achieved 94% thanks to adult occupant protection, 78% thanks to child occupant protection, 65% thanks to pedestrian protection and 71% thanks to the driving assistance safety systems. Not least, the range has recently been complemented with the addition of the innovative City Brake Control active safety system which detects the presence of vehicles or obstacles in front of the car and automatically brakes if the driver fails to promptly intervene to avoid collisions.

Images : 2013 FIAT 500L