2020 Fiat 500L Interior and Cargo

Overall, the interior of the 500L is a total let down especially when compared to those of competitors that come in at around the same price. The low-grade materials and cheap hard plastics simply aren't warranted here, and on top of that, customization is significantly limited. The standard-fit leather-wrapped steering wheel is a nice feature, as are the Fiat 500 seat badges and body-color-matched dash. A Warm Gray premium cloth or Dark Slate Gray premium cloth seating upholstery is standard in the Pop, with the Trekking, Urbana, and Lounge getting black leather-trimmed upholstery, a Carrera Gray leather is available for the Trekking and Lounge.

It's here where the Fiat 500L manages to impress, if only slightly. With 22.4 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats, it's one of the more practical wagons in the entire class. The new Kia Soul, however, proves a little more practical with 24.3 cubes behind the rear seats, but folding down the rear seats of the 500L expands room to 68 cu-ft, while the Soul's opens up to only 62 cu-ft. The 500L's available cargo space with the seats up is good for a full month's worth of grocery shopping.

While the 60/40 split-folding tumble and sliding rear seats offer over 50 seating and storage configurations, which is great for practicality and versatility, they don't quite fold down completely flat, a slight annoyance.

Within the cabin, there are only two cupholders up front, large door-side pockets with bottle holder slots, a small-items storage tray within the center console, and a sizable glovebox.

The standard consignment of features for the 500L is simplistic and focused to deliver comfort and convenience, mostly aimed at the driver rather than the passengers. A leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel is standard in all models, featuring audio and cruise control buttons. An electronic driver information display, a rearview camera, standard air conditioning, multi-position cargo panel, and 60/40 split-folding rear seats with tilt, tumble, and slide functionality are also standard across the board. Front and rear windows feature one-touch up/down functionality and central locking is standard. From the Trekking, there are heated front seats, ambient LED cabin lighting, and a universal garage door opener. The Lounge gets two-way driver lumbar adjustments, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a rear park assist system.

While Fiat's infotainment system used to be relatively contemporary and comprehensive, most of the industry has reached or surpassed that standard at this point in time. Fiat's Uconnect 4 system is still favorable nonetheless; it's user-friendly and high in quality, and the visuals are crisp and the menus intuitive. A seven-inch touchscreen display with a customizable menu bar is standard in all models, inclusive of functionality in Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, integrated voice command, and Bluetooth audio streaming and device operation. In all but the Pop, there's also Navigation and SiriusXM satellite radio connectivity, this, along with a Premium Beats audio system, also standard in those models, is available for the Pop within a Premium Group Package, replacing its stock six-speaker sound system.