 |
| 2014 Fiat 500L Trekking Release Date, Specs, Price, Pictures |
2014 Fiat 500L Trekking Review, Price, Interior, Exterior, Engine. - Fiat saw a 121 percent increase in 500 sales last year: A whopping 43,772 people bought Fiat 500s. While Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has always talked a good game, nobody really expected the 500 hatchback to be much more than a fashion statement in the United States, where microcars make up but a half percent of all vehicles sold. (Thats about 75,000 cars if youre doing the math at home.)
From the beginning it was clear that Fiat was going to need something larger and more suited to American driving conditions and American-size drivers. That something is the 2014 Fiat 500L, which lands at all 205 of Fiats U.S. dealers this month.
All that stretching means there is 42 percent more interior room in the 500L than the standard car, which means its a good thing the only engine available is Fiats 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo four-cylinder engine, as seen in the Abarth, with 160-horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. A manual gearbox is standard, and a dual-clutch automatic is optional, each with six gears.
The Trekking model features unique front and rear fascias and 17-inch alloy wheels to set it apart from the base 500L, and the black wheel arch and body-side sill moldings make it look more aggressive. Want to know more? Check out the high-res gallery above and scroll down below for the press release.
Specs :
This explains why the 500L is more than 2 feet longer than the two-door 500. The extra length does the cars proportions no favor, but when combined with a 12-inch longer wheelbase, it makes for a truly spacious small wagon. In fact, the 2014 Fiat 500L leaps up a half-dozen vehicle classes from the standard 500s subcompact designation and actually qualifies as a large car by EPA measures. And indeed from the cockpit, it feels like you could drop a couple 500s inside the 500L.
But with the same 160 horses and 184 pound-feet of torque as the versions in the Fiat 500 Abarth and Dodge Dart, this engines got its high-tech hands full with the 500L: This wagon weighs 3,254 pounds when equipped with the six-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transmission most buyers will choose. This transmission is a $1,350 option over the conventional six-speed manual thats standard on most trim levels.
In the stoplight-to-stoplight suburban crawl, the 500L is agreeably responsive, thanks in part to careful tuning of the throttle calibration in wagons with the dual-clutch transmission. But if you go to the carpet with the right pedal, the bigger Fiats power-to-weight ratio is apparent. Fiat officials tell us a 2014 500L equipped with the dual-clutch gearbox will hit 60 mph in 9.1 seconds, an adequate number for a station wagon that competes with the non-turbo 2013 Mini Cooper Countryman and 2013 Mazda 5.
Price :
Although the market for micro wagons is small in the U.S., the 2014 Fiat 500L has to contend with the Mini Cooper Countryman, a formidable rival with a premium image. The 500L Pop gets off to a good start with its $19,900 base price (including destination): $1,000 cheaper than a base Countryman. However, Fiat officials expect only 5 percent of customers will want the Pop, because it only comes with the six-speed manual.
Instead, the bulk of sales will likely be divided between the unfortunately named Easy ($20,995) with the manual, $22,345 with the automated manual) and the Trekking ($21,995 manual, $23,345 automanual). The company hopes a quarter of buyers will make the stretch for the top-shelf Fiat 500L Lounge ($24,995), which gets the automated manual as standard.
All of the trim levels have a livable standard equipment list that includes a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a split-folding rear seat, Bluetooth, and USB and auxiliary inputs, but each step up nabs extra features. Wed take the Trekking, as its crossover styling details, 17-inch wheels and unique interior treatment do the 500Ls design the most justice. As an added incentive for early adopters, Fiats offering the Premier package and its $1,745 worth of content (a navigation system, a rearview camera and parking sensors) free of charge to first-year buyers of the 500L Easy, Trekking and Lounge.
Traction+ system :
A key feature of the new Fiat 500L Trekking is Traction+, the innovative control system (fitted as standard) that improves grip on rough, slippery terrain. It also costs less and has lower emissions than a conventional 4×4 drive, proving more efficient in light, everyday off-road use.
The new Traction+ system uses the advanced hardware present on cars equipped with ESC, but is far more than a simple extension of the basic system. The control unit uses special algorithms for controlling and managing the braking system to electronically simulate the behaviour of a self-locking electromechanical differential. Optimised software and the fact that force is applied through the normal (hydraulic) braking circuit makes the systems action more progressive than that of conventional systems. Though performance is easily comparable, the system offers the advantage of being much lighter. This system is operated by a button on the dashboard, and can operate at speeds of up to 30 km/h.
Engine options :
The new Fiat 500L Trekking is available, depending on the market, with the 95 HP 1.4 16v, 105 HP 0.9 TwinAir Turbo and 105 HP 1.6 MultiJet II and 85 HP 1.3 MultiJet II turbo diesel engines (also with Dualogic gearbox). Specifically, a brilliant engine like the new 105 HP 1.6 MultiJet II turbo diesel is needed to propel the 500L Trekking in all driving conditions, in the city and out, securing plenty of fun, remarkable range, low running costs and reduced servicing frequency. With this engine, the new version offers a top speed of 175 km/h, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 12 seconds. All this with reduced fuel consumption and emission levels: the data recorded on the type-approval combined cycle were 4.7 litres/100 km and 122 g/km of CO2 respectively.
Excellent performance levels are also guaranteed with the new combination of the 85 HP 1.3 MultiJet with the Dualogic 5-speed robotised gearbox which, compared with the same engine with manual gearbox, improves fuel consumption and emission levels: down from 4.3 l/100 km to 4.2 l/100 km (combined cycle) and from 114 g/km to 109 g/km.
