Friends who saw me in the company of the Fiat 500L Trekking expressed startlingly different views about it. One thought it looked very small, even though it's nearly the same height as she is (and, on a separate matter, said she thought it looked about the same as the rival MINI Countryman, a view which may not go down well with the respective manufacturers).Another, sitting inside, reckoned it was absolutely enormous, and indeed there is a lot of room for four adults, plus one much smaller person seated rear centre. Luggage space is decent, too, at 343 litres with the back seats in place and 1310 litres when they're folded - about the same as the Countryman in the former case and considerable more in the latter.The second friend added that the Trekking felt almost like a luxury car. That may have been partly because of the interior design, which is fairly unusual and very attractive, though I'd also say that there's a greater feeling of quality than might be expected of other Fiats, notably the Panda. Contrary to stereotype, it seems very well put together.Trekkings differ from other 500Ls in that they come with various features designed to improve off-road capability, namely extra body protection, Mud and Snow tyres, Traction+ (an electronic equivalent of a limited slip differential) and an extra half-inch of ride height. No four-wheel drive, though, so don't go chasing Land Rovers along fearsome off-road tracks, will you?Two of the items mentioned above imply compromises in terms of on-road handling, but with a modest 105bhp from the MultiJet's 1.6-litre diesel engine it's difficult to give those tyres much of a hammering, and I didn't find myself needing more traction or lateral grip than the Trekking could provide.As for the ride height, you can feel its effect on an already top-heavy vehicle. Again, though, it's not something to be concerned about. While there's a certain amount of wallowing when the road camber changes abruptly, it's because of the shape of the car. The suspension is as well able to deal with the situation as it could be.Combined fuel economy is 60.1mpg, which sounds lovely. I wasn't expecting to get anywhere near this, but an average in the mid 40s struck me as being not at all bad for something so unaerodynamic.The diesel engine makes this the most expensive 500L Trekking at £19,590 - the 1.4-litre petrol model costs £17,095 but uses fuel at a higher rate. Standard equipment includes air-conditioning, cruise control, rear parking sensors, City Brake Control (providing automatic braking at up to 19mph if you don't notice you're about to crash), automatic headlights and wipers, privacy glass and a space-saver spare wheel.Among the test car's fitted optional extras were the rather good Beats Audio system (£600), dual-zone climate control (£300) and DAB digital radio (£100), all of them worthy of your consideration. Engine 1598cc, 4 cylinders Power 105bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 60.1mpg / 122g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 12.0 seconds Top speed 109mph Price £19,590 Release date 15/05/2010
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