500L

Make
Fiat
Segment
Wagon

There's no getting around the fact that the Fiat 500L is an ugly car. In the process of adding 42% more interior space to the standard 500 the Italian city car became a bloated. Fiat is desperate to maintain its foothold in North America, and unfortunately the 500L our spies caught doing winter testing in Sweden doesn't look like it will help that effort. The camo has been put on thick but the new 500L seems to keep the same shape of its predecessor. True, it did just hit dealer lots in 2013. A complete redesign after only three years is asking for a bit much.

It's just that this car needs much more than a minor refresh to be successful. New headlights and 3D taillights are nice, as is the redesigned front bumper hidden below all that camouflage. Although we can't see the cabin here it will also get an update with newer materials and better tech. The cabin of the current 500L isn't awful looking and we're kind of excited to see what the designers do as they go for round two. But will any of that even matter to consumers? Yes, it of course will, but we think the recently announced price cuts across the Fiat lineup will do more to bring customers into showrooms. The base price of the 500L increases slightly to $20,995 (up $150) but the two higher trim levels are all down in price for 2017.

The Trekking trim starts at $22,995 (down $235) and the Lounge is now priced at $23,695 (down $2,450). Those lower prices plus a fresh look inside and out will help the 500L recover from the downward spiral it's currently locked into. The only question is if the new model will be able to compete with the much better looking and better selling 500X.