Fiat stops production of 500L."Temporary"

Ah, the Multipla. Interesting vehicle

BrettM drove one along Rte 66 a few years ago. he was supposed to meet up with Chris and I under the Gateway Arch in St Louis. Here are our Xs waiting patiently on the Mississippi river bank:

IMG_0471.jpg


While waiting for them we got a call saying they had no clutch and where could they meet us to attempt repairs. So we left STL and headed to Chris' place to take advantage of all his tools.

That is one funky beast. Ummm... the Multipla, not Brett.
IMG_0483.jpg


The interior is just as trippy IMHO:
IMG_0484.jpg

IMG_0485.jpg


Weird car, but we had a good time fixing a non-US vehicle in the middle of the country on a Sunday afternoon.
 
Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
For those who think the 500L's looks and design are holding it back, your thesis will soon be tested.....

The 500L platform will be underpinning the 2015 Jeep Renegade, which is due fairly soon:
http://www.jeep.com/en/2015/renegade/
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/dissected-2015-jeep-renegade-feature

This will be the first US market Jeep not built in North America.
Click to expand...

My daughter will (or does if she has seen it already) call that a "MineCraft" car. Those who play or know the game will understand why...

Not a fan :(
 
Fiat apologists....

...All of us here are Fiat apologists, in one form or another.

We kept the flames burning in North America for 30 years while they were away, when our classics were worth little compared to other marques, and our friends and neighbors couldn't relate.

We understand the technology, functionality, fun, value, and in most cases, beauty of these cars.

We willingly signed up for the full-time job that is keeping up with the unsolicited Fix It Again yuks hurled at the groundbreakingly functional drivelines wrapped in iconic coachwork that we treasure like X19, 124, 850 and others.

Hell, even 128 sedans and YUGOs get good props in terms of styling from the unwashed masses today when you knock the bumpers off them.

If it's styled well, you've got a toe hold against the ignorant antagonist.

Unlike the mechanical aspects of Fiat cars which can be simply explained in a way that will quickly get the opponent's head nodding in agreement, poor styling is an unwinnable argument.

I simply draw the line on defending Fiats (old and new) that do not have eye catching and sporty good styling.

I am not trying to talk down to those who own and enjoy 500Ls, just speaking openly about the burden of being a Fiat apologist.

Signed,

A true Fiat lover. Really.

-M
 
Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
For those who think the 500L's looks and design are holding it back, your thesis will soon be tested.....

The 500L platform will be underpinning the 2015 Jeep Renegade, which is due fairly soon:
http://www.jeep.com/en/2015/renegade/
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/dissected-2015-jeep-renegade-feature

This will be the first US market Jeep not built in North America.
Click to expand...
Oh yea thats a sure recipe for success with jeep fans:rolleyes:... I like my jeeps as proper agriculturally engineered American steel.. my 79 cj7 is a rusty hulk and I love it.. but I digress

I dont mind 500l.. looks like a mini to me
 
Fun memories of a breakdown

We drove for over 80 miles without a clutch and NO stops. It was a good thing it was Sunday. I ran numerous red lights to avoid stopping. When we started the car, I had to start it in gear and hop for the best. It was a crazy ride. Our website is still up at www.66inaFIAT.com

What a fun trip! I am ready to do it again. I loved that old Multipla too. Last year, we had the opportunity to drive it to Long Island FFO on our reunion drive.
 
My thought...

I am not a fan of the 500L looks BUT I do like the 500L Trekking. That has the right amount of tweeking to make it work.
 
I get it

Matt,

I understand where you are coming from. Even with how great my X looks and anyone on this forum would love to own it I still have a couple of friends that ask well how much HP does it have? I tell them and they laugh then I take them for a ride and they get hooked so much so tell me to slow down in the curves. So I get defending our passion about our cars. For me and my wife we wanted to get a new Fiat and support the cause of them coming back to the U.S. , but we could not deal with the no back seat space our kids are grown. Both our Kids like the 500L. Don't get me wrong I am not in love with it, but I have taken a few friends for a ride and they like it. I don't think its a bad car and I totally understand where you are coming from. I am disappointed that Fiat has not come out with a new Spider or some sort of two seat roadster, but for the mean time the 500L will work for us and I can at least say that I own two Fiats. I have a love and a passion for these cars that will always tug at me. Thanks for starting up a good conversation and got us all thinking about our love affair with Fiats.:excited:

Brian
 
True that, Matt

the only big bucks impulse purchase I've ever made was buying the car that I knew I had to buy the first time I laid eyes on one... a 1974 Fiat X1/9. I didn't even drive it before I bought it... Love at first sight. My first new car. Such good times and good memories!
 
Matt Brannon - Midwest Bayless said:
...All of us here are Fiat apologists, in one form or another.

We kept the flames burning in North America for 30 years while they were away, when our classics were worth little compared to other marques, and our friends and neighbors couldn't relate.

We understand the technology, functionality, fun, value, and in most cases, beauty of these cars.

We willingly signed up for the full-time job that is keeping up with the unsolicited Fix It Again yuks hurled at the groundbreakingly functional drivelines wrapped in iconic coachwork that we treasure like X19, 124, 850 and others.

Hell, even 128 sedans and YUGOs get good props in terms of styling from the unwashed masses today when you knock the bumpers off them.

If it's styled well, you've got a toe hold against the ignorant antagonist.

Unlike the mechanical aspects of Fiat cars which can be simply explained in a way that will quickly get the opponent's head nodding in agreement, poor styling is an unwinnable argument.

I simply draw the line on defending Fiats (old and new) that do not have eye catching and sporty good styling.

I am not trying to talk down to those who own and enjoy 500Ls, just speaking openly about the burden of being a Fiat apologist.

Signed,

A true Fiat lover. Really.

-M
Click to expand...


There a TON of cars out there that are simple ugly as sin. I picked the L for a lot of reasons, but it was not all on looks (obviously :) ). You get a lot of car for the money. Buy the 6 speed manual, and you have a quick 4 door hatchback. Tons of room, great interior. Awesome for long trips; I took it camping 3 times this summer and it great. AWD would of course be pretty awesome, but for a front wheel drive car it is great.

I was fine till I saw this snippet from a recent DRIVE episode during a Ferrari test drive and I had to record it...

 
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