Road Test: Fiat 500L MPW 1.6 Multijet 105 Lounge 5dr

This is about as far from the original 500's premise as you'll find. It's a stretched 500L that features either a) an enormous boot, or b) an optional third row of seats capable of accommodating two very, very small humans. A 5+2, then.

Option the £700 +2 bit, and access to the back is easy via a small latch on the middle row that folds forwards swiftly. Sitting in the back isn't that easy, though, as the seats themselves are tiny. But, you can fold this third row down and slide the second row a bit forward to get 493 litres of boot space (compared to the 500L's 343 litres). If you fold this second row down too, it becomes
a minivan: 1,590 litres is possible.

To drive, it's much like the 500L: comfortable, a touch of body roll and, with the 105bhp diesel, loud. It's a 1.6-litre four-pot best treated to an easy throttle, because it sounds like a grumbly lorry when you floor it.

There's a new version of this engine with 120bhp that's much better (quieter, pokier). We'd suggest you think about a) how often you'll use the +2, and b) how much you need to lug around, because the standard 500L is spacious enough.