After many failed attempts to gain at least some ground in the larger categories, the Fiat brand is refocusing its attention on the A-, B- and C-segments. At the Geneva Motor Show, the Italian company lifted the covers off a new model named the 500L, which in some way replaces the Idea. Fiat's latest car may borrow the name and the looks of the 500 (and to some extent, the Mini Countryman as well…), but underneath the skin you'll find the larger platform of the Punto.
At 4,140mm long, 1,780mm wide and 1,660mm tall, it's 594mm longer, 153mm wider and 175mm taller than the three-door 500. The Italian company says its boot has a capacity of close to 400 liters and that is is able to hold up to five roller suitcases or a full-size pushchair.
In Geneva, Fiat presented the five-seat version of the 500L, but the company is also planning to introduce a longer variant with seven seats.
Series production of the 500L will begin at Fiat's Serbian plant Kragujevac later this year with European sales to start in the fourth quarter of 2012.
It will be offered with two petrol engines, a 0.9-liter turbocharged twin-cylinder unit and a 1.4-liter unit, plus a 1.3-liter Multijet II turbo diesel.
According to sources, Fiat will offer the five-seat version of the 500L in North America, but not the seven-seat model.
PHOTO GALLERY
If you live in Europe and are interested in an executive station wagon, you will soon be able to add one more vehicle to your shopping list as Jaguar is attempting to draw customers away from the Audi A6 Avant, BMW 5-Series Touring and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate with its new XF Sportbrake. Jaguar's second ever estate model is based on the XF sedan riding on the same wheelbase but it adds 48mm of rear headroom for the rear passengers while there's also 550-liter of boot space with the seats up and 1,675 liters when they're lying flat.
Critically for a vehicle in this segment, the XF Sportbrake looks the part, building on the stylish lines of the sedan model. Everything from the B-pillars and back is new with Jaguar's designers borrowing the XJ saloon's gloss black treatment for the C-pillar.
"Creating the Sportbrake was a great opportunity for us to extend the XF's design aesthetic," said Wayne Burgess, Studio Director, Jaguar Design. "The flow and connection of lines that lead the eye around the car result in an entirely practical estate car consistent with Jaguar's reputation for drama and elegance."
For now at least, the XF Sportbrake is powered exclusively by Jaguar's range of four-cylinder and V6 diesel engines, the most potent of which is the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with 275PS (271bhp).
PHOTO GALLERY
