This is not the new MINI Countryman. What you see here is a 5-door hatch that takes a page directly from the British brand, right down to the black greenhouse and white roof.
It’s pretty clear that Fiat, with its new 2014 500L, is adapting MINI’s design evolution by making a larger, more accommodating 500, just as MINI did with its famous Cooper. But will Fiat be able to steal market share from MINI and the many other offerings in the segment?
It won't on style alone. Utilitarian though it may be, this thing ain’t a looker. If the original 500 was a cute little guppy, the 500L is an agitated blowfish. The same curvy front end with high-mounted driving lights doesn’t really work this time around, and there’s no denying a hint of Pontiac Aztek in those fenders. Maybe the look works in Europe, but it doesn’t translate here in the U.S. (think skinny jeans).
That said, the 500L just might be the perfect car for a European version of "Breaking Bad." Can’t you just picture the distraught lead character, Waltero, unable to make ends meet as an economics professor, darting through Rome to drop off bags of the blue stuff?
Let me stop bashing it for a moment, though. Because by the numbers, the new 500L is an appealing package. It’s 2 feet longer than the regular 500 and boasts interior volume on par with much larger cars. The 500L is motivated by a plucky 1.4-liter 160-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine unique to the North American market, with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Prices start at $19,100 for the manual-only Pop version (aside from color and interior choices, there are no options on the base model) and can run up to $24,995 for the Lounge version, on which a dual-clutch transmission and heated leather seats are standard. On a recent drive in Baltimore, we thought that the manual accentuated the peppy character of the engine, while the dual-clutch was sometimes left hunting for the right gear.
When you start looking at the numbers between the MINI Countryman S and the Fiat 500L, the two are pretty close. They are within a few inches in just about every dimension, and while the MINI has more horsepower (181 versus 160) the Fiat brings more torque (184 lb-ft versus 177 lb-ft). The MINI has the better steering and transmission, and it feels more upscale inside. And I don’t need to tell you which one looks better.
Will the real Countryman please stand up? (Hint: It's blue).
The Fiat has one big ace up its finely tailored Italian sleeve, and that's price. As previously mentioned, the Fiat 500L starts at $19,100 – more than $6,000 less than the Countryman S. The story’s the same when it's fully loaded, too. The 500L stops at just a bit over $27,000, while the MINI flies well past $30,000. If I were in the market for a car like this, I wouldn't care about steering feel, and aesthetics would take a back seat, too. Utility rules – and so does cost. Six grand is enough that I’m not giving the MINI a second look. Besides, the Fiat’s engine is better.
James Tate cut his teeth in the business as a race-team crew member before moving to the editorial side as senior editor of Sport Compact Car, and his work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Automobile, Motor Trend and European Car. When not writing, Tate is usually fantasizing about a vintage Porsche 911.
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Source: MSN
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