Video: 2014 Fiat 500L

Now, unlike Mini, which started out with a small car and then stretched it a bit, for the Clubman, before going to the Countryman, which is a kind of a subcompact SUV, Fiat went right past that middle step and came up with what is, roughly, the same type of vehicle, a subcompact crossover. The vehicle is unmistakable as a Fiat, actually as a 500, from the way it looks in the front. But it's crazy to compare it to the regular 500, because it's so much bigger. It's actually about five inches longer than the Mini Countryman, and about four inches higher. One of the biggest differences is you lose a little bit of that distinctive profile that's on the 500 car, because that would be too much of a slope. You lose too much interior space that way. One of the distinguishing characteristics about the 500 L is the blacked out pillars, all the way around, it's especially effective if you have a contrast color to the roof or body color, which gives a kind of a floating look. But the most distinctive feature, I think, is the split A pillar, which gives you this really big window in the front. It looks a little weird from the outside, it looks a little more weird from the inside. From this seat, the extra window here is definitely weird. I mean, we've seen little sail panel windows that are supposed to help with visibility, definitely helps a lot in that direction. I don't know how I would feel about this while driving. It might not be that different from any number of cars that are out now that have really thick pillars that shoot far out ahead of you, I'd have to hit the road to know for sure. The dashboard itself is a little bit high, I think shorter drivers might have an issue with that. Fortunately, short and tall can be comfortable in this car. I've got the seat jacked all the way up, there's a manual height adjustment. I'm six feet tall, I fit just fine. I already liked the interior better in this than the regular 500 car, because the car has a lot of hard plastic material. This is softer. Now this is the top trim level called the lounge, and with that comes, leather, among other things. A lot of softer surfaces. The armrest on the door could be a little softer, but overall it's quite good. Nice leather steering wheel, in this case. And I also liked that Fiat is so much more daring in its use of color. This one is a little more conservative with two-tone brown, but you can get a mix of colors you might never think of. Somehow they make it work. Another thing I liked better about the L versus the car is the display here is five inches, it's right in the middle. You can also get a 6.5 inch touchscreen with a navigation system. And that puts a navigation system here where it should be. In the car you have to get a portable, I'm not against that, but they mount it right on top of the dashboard. As of the vehicle's release, you don't a whole lot of choices in terms of powertrain. The engine is a 1.4 liter, turbocharged four cylinder, good for 160 horsepower. At this point front wheel drive, no all-wheel drive, at least not yet, but you do get a choice of transmission. So you get a six speed manual or a six speed automatic. The manual has this gigantic shift knob, which in a quirky little car like this, somehow manages to work. This is where we can tell we're not in a regular 500, I'm in the back seat, it is a five seater. Now the headroom could be a little bit better, actually, I am six feet tall, and if I lean back too far, I am touching the headliner. So that's something to bear in mind, but in terms of leg room, now by the numbers, supposedly this car has less leg room than the Mini Countryman and even the Mini Clubman, which is just a long Mini Cooper. You wouldn't know it, I'm real comfortable here. The front seat is all the way back, my knees aren't even touching it. And unlike so many other vehicles out there, my knees aren't raised, I've got thigh support, I find it really comfortable. Despite the difference in the rear design, there's still enough of a slope there to make it say 500, but it also cuts into your cargo space a bit. Overall, it's not bad, but it seems to be favoring backseat space over cargo space. One bad thing, one good thing about this cargo area. The bad thing, when you flip the 60/40 split folding seat forward, the whole thing kind of tumbles 90 degrees forward. Really not our favorite way of doing things, we like it better when they fold flat and you have a continuous load floor. The good thing is this panel is kind of versatile. This is pretty deep. You've got the bulkhead in the middle, which ain't great, but that can come out. This also can serve as a shelf and a bit of a cargo cover. The trim levels for the 500L are the pop, easy, tracking, lounge and precious, actually, there's no precious, I made that up, but aren't the others kind of precious? This is the tracking which was introduced in North America at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It's an in-between trim level and you'll notice it has the dark gray lower bumper following the wheel arches rocker panels. Even though it has that more rugged look, Fiat says it doesn't have higher ground clearance or anything like that. So that's the 500L. I actually like it better than the regular 500. That's the opposite of what I said when Mini came out with the Countryman, small crossover version of their small car. Really all we have to find out now is what it's like to drive with those bizarre A pillars. <v Voiceover>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog, KickingTires.net.