Fiat 500L MPW (2013 – 2018) Review

Trying to make an MPV fun is not easy. The Fiat 500L MPW comes closer than many, as it channels some of the Fiat 500 city car’s style into a five-seat or seven-seat people carrier, although the over-inflated looks are an acquired taste. Leftfield rivals are thin on the ground, but the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso ticks that box. Others to consider are the Ford C-MAX and stablemate the Ford S-MAX, plus the solid Volkswagen Touran. Read on for our full Fiat 500L MPW review.

It was only a matter of time until Fiat cashed in on the success of the Fiat 500 with a range of larger models, in much the same way BMW did with the MINI Countryman.

The Fiat 500L is a larger people carrier model, but the biggest member of the family is this – the Fiat 500L MPW.

It’s a sort of halfway house between an estate car and a family MPV, so it ticks a similar box as the Fiat 500L, but is longer and has more interior space.

Five-seat and seven-seat versions are available, both of which come with a practical boot, plus some neat touches and Italian quirks, like the option of an in-built espresso machine.

The middle row is impressively spacious, with more than enough legroom for even the tallest adults.

Sadly the same can’t be said for the rearmost seats, which are really designed for children. As with most seven-seaters, these fold away when you don’t need them, leaving a usefully flat load floor.

The middle row is also mounted on runners, so you can adjust them to balance load space or legroom.

In addition, the boot floor can be set at three different heights, plus the middle row can be tumbled forward completely, making it one of the most versatile MPVs around.

This is illustrated by its capacity, as the Fiat 500L MPW has a maximum of 400 litres more load volume than the shorter Fiat 500L.

Fiat offered five engines, from the 900cc TwinAir petrol to the 1.6-litre MultiJet diesel.

The latter is really the best choice for those covering big mileages thanks to its useful torque and reasonable fuel economy. The petrols are better for shorter runs and offer enough performance for urban driving.

Regardless of engine choice, the Fiat 500L MPW is easy to get to grips with. It’s relaxed and easy to drive, offering a smooth and comfortable ride over most road surfaces.

Unfortunately it doesn’t offer the same nimbleness as the city car that donated its name, but as a family car it’s perfectly competent.

It may not be as well built or as flexible as the larger Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, nor does it offer the same value for money as the likes of a Ford Tourneo Connect.

However, for those used buyers who like the offbeat styling, the Fiat 500L MPW offers sufficient appeal to warrant serious consideration – but only if you really need the extra space over a regular Fiat 500L.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar's Fiat 500L review here.

Where the Fiat 500L MPW really shines is in the back.

The middle row of seats can be moved forward and backward on runners to allow the best compromise between legroom and load space, which means even the very tallest passengers will fit comfortably.

With the seats as far forward as they’ll go, there’s an impressive 638 litres of luggage space, plus a little more if you fold them down.

The boot is fitted with a floor that can be set at three different levels, which is also a useful touch.

What really makes the Fiat 500L MPW stand out, though, is the availability of seven seats.

This extra row folds up from the boot floor, but they’re really only suited to occasional use and smaller children.

While adults will fit, they won’t be comfortable for much more than a couple of minutes.

The Fiat 500L MPW might share a lot of its exterior styling cues with the regular Fiat 500, but the cabin is altogether more different.

The layout doesn’t have any of the smaller car’s retro design touches, but it really doesn’t suffer for it.

It still has a few quirks, though, like a handbrake lever that resembles an aircraft throttle controller.

The layout of the Fiat 500L MPW interior is simple, neat and easy to understand. The dashboard is clear and the centre stack has a clean layout with big, well labelled controls for the likes of the air-conditioning.

There’s a fairly intuitive touchscreen for controlling the audio, which is a welcome touch, too.

The material quality is generally good, although there aren’t any plush, soft-touch plastics adorning the door tops or dashboard.

But at least those that are used feel durable, and don’t look cheap or tacky.

Every Fiat 500L MPW comes with a five-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Uconnect, which is Fiat’s method of pairing a smartphone to the car to access some of its functions.

The screen is quite small by modern standards and not as versatile, but it works easily enough.

With Bluetooth connectivity, you get hands-free calls, music streaming and voice activation for some features.

The higher spec Lounge model increased the screen size to seven inches, but with little extra functionality.

An early diesel Fiat 500L MPW with seven seats, in good shape and with a service history, will cost from around £4500 on the used market.

It’s worth remembering, though, that older diesels will not meet the regulations to travel cost-free into low emissions zones. So you may be better with a petrol model or a later diesel.

The five-seat Fiat 500L MPW is more common than the seven-seat version, so expect to pay from £3500 for a 10-year-old example with 80,000 miles on the clock, and either a diesel or petrol engine. 

A seven-year-old Fiat 500L MPW five-seater will cost £8500 for a 1.3 diesel version with around 50,000 miles to its name. This will be allowed to travel in low-emission zones without additional charge.

Later Fiat 500L MPW models registered from 1 April 2017 and on will be charged Vehicle Excise Duty, or road tax, at the flat rate of £180 per year.

However, most Fiat 500L MPWs will be older than this and charged according to their CO2 emissions. The 1.3 diesel and 0.9-litre petrol TwinAir engines are the cheapest, with road tax of £20 and £35 respectively.

The preferable 1.6 diesel will also cost £35 at current rates, but the 1.4 petrol pushes this up to £200 per year.

It will come as no shock to learn the diesel engines are easiest on fuel, with the 1.3 MultiJet claiming as much as 72.4mpg when coupled to the Dualogic semi-automatic gearbox.

However, you will have to put up with sluggish performance to achieve this.

A better compromise is the 1.6 diesel, with its stronger punch and claimed 67.3mpg average economy.

Claimed figures for the petrol engines are 58.9mpg for the characterful TwinAir, and 45.6mpg for the 95PS 1.4. However, experience tells us the TwinAir rarely gets anywhere near its official number and a figure in the high 30s or low 40s is more likely.

Servicing costs for a Fiat 500L MPW are on a par with rivals, and won’t break the bank, while reliability is about average for the class, too.

Insurance ranges from groups 8 to 18 (out of 50), so the Fiat 500L MPW won’t put much of a strain on your purse here either.

The Fiat 500L MPW offers a relaxed and comfortable drive in most circumstances.

The suspension has been set up with comfort in mind and it works well, absorbing most road imperfections quietly and without fuss, with no adverse effect on the handling.

However, it can feel a little too firm at the back with just the driver in the car.

There’s plenty of grip through corners and the Fiat 500L MPW doesn’t roll around too much at speed, but it’s not particularly enjoyable to drive.

The steering weighting is unnatural, with an almost elastic tendency to self centre, while the gear change isn’t particularly snappy.

There’s quite a lot of wind, road and engine noise, too, although it never gets so loud as to become a distraction.

If you’re a town driver, then you’ll appreciate the Fiat 500L MPW’s relatively compact size. Other people carriers – particularly those with seven seats – are typically longer and wider, making them tricky to park in tight spaces or to thread down narrow streets.

There are no such problems with the Fiat.

There was a choice of five engines for the Fiat 500L MPW, kicking off with a 1.4-litre petrol.

With 95PS and 127Nm of torque it’s not overly powerful, so for those who regularly drive with a full car, it’s best avoided.

A better option is the 0.9-litre TwinAir. Despite having a tiny capacity, it produces more torque at 145Nm and more power at 105PS, plus it has lower emissions (112g/km) and better official fuel economy (58.8mpg).

It’s a surprisingly capable little engine that adds some much needed additional character to the MPV.

Two diesels are available – a 1.3-litre MultiJet with 85PS and 200Nm of torque, plus a 1.6-litre MultiJet with either 105PS or 120PS, both with a useful 320Nm of torque.

The 1.6-litre diesel is the best engine in the whole range. It has sufficient torque to move a full car at reasonable pace, plus it’s frugal, with official economy of 62.8mpg and emissions of 112g/km.

The Dualogic semi-automatic gearbox takes much of the strain out of everyday driving, but it’s not the most intuitive set-up to use.

We’d stick with a manual transmission in the Fiat 500L MPW, unless you simply can’t get by without an auto.

The Fiat 500L scored a very respectable five stars when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2012, and the bigger Fiat 500L MPW version is likely to offer similar protection.

It should be borne in mind, though, that standards and equipment levels have moved on significantly since this car was tested, so don’t expect any lane keeping or departure tech.

However, find a car with the optional Safety Pack, and it will have automatic emergency braking included.

All models come with six airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes and ESP stability and traction control.

There are also Isofix child seat mounts in the two middle row outer seats.

Hook up the Fiat 500L MPW to an unbraked trailer and you have a maximum capacity of 400kg.

With a braked trailer, the Fiat 500L MPW can pull up to 1000kg with the smaller engined models, and 1100kg for those with the more powerful diesel motor.

The MPV was sold in two trim levels, starting with the Fiat 500L MPW Pop Star.

This includes a painted dashboard, manual air-conditioning, Uconnect touchscreen with Bluetooth audio streaming, steering wheel audio controls and a leather steering wheel and gear lever.

It also has a reclining fold, slide and tumble 40/60 split rear seat, six airbags, stability control, hill holder, cruise control, rear parking sensors and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Move up to the Fiat 500L MPW Lounge and it adds a suede dashboard, automatic dual zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, plus fog lights with cornering function.

There’s also an electrochromatic dipping rear view mirror, electric rear windows, dark tinted windows and an electric sunroof.