Beautiful colorful square – Piazza dell Anfiteatro in Lucca. Tuscany, Italy
The FIAT 500 name has grown somewhat from its roots as a supermini, designed for city life. Since 2013 the brand launched two new variants of the 500, that at first glance you might think compete with each. The slightly ungainly 500L is the most practical but compared to the 500X, with its large alloys and body-coloured bumpers, it is a much more appealing proposition.
Retaining the quirky styling cues of the original 500, the X variant is pitched as a cross-over or small SUV; something that with added practicality, fitted small family requirements. The 500X didn’t stand out against the competition in terms of space yet if you’d always wanted a 500 but needed to carry people over the age of 5 in the rear seats, then the X variant looked enormous.
The 500X had its shortcomings and stiff competition from an almost endless array of similar cars, both of which suppressed sales in certain markets. The UK and Italy saw the best uptake of the mid-sized FIAT and whether driven for the school run or over the Tuscany hills, FAI has a great selection of parts to keep them moving.
