That’s amore

Italian styling and fun driving experience make for another hit from Fiat 500 stable

Interestingly, Fiat divide their cars into functional and aspirational, logical and magical. Guess which side the Fiat 500 slots into?

Yes , indeed, aspi rat ional , emotional, beautiful – it’s one of those enchanting cars that, like some people, seems to have it all.

Not surprisingly, Fiat, have clocked on to this, so we have the burgeoning 500 family. It started with the Italian style icon and now encompasses the 500X, an SUV-type car, and the 500L and the family 500, shortly to be joined by the 500 Wagon, the most compact seven-seater on the market.

Of course, the 500L has been with us for some time. I remember testing the City Braking on it by driving it towards a wall (not a brick one, I hasten to add) and it did indeed stop without me applying the anchors.

It still has this feature but the car has been given a 2017 makeover.

The Wagon apart, the 500L is now available in two forms. For the cosmopolitan city dweller, there is the Urban, its front grille nodding in homage to the original 500. Inside, there are a host of systems, whether you choose the Pop Star or Lounge trim.

There is now also the option of the one-off Cross, a higher ride with more rugged looks.

It sits on two-tone 17in alloy wheels and has a different face from its city sibling. It is bold and sporty with new bumpers and a skid plate, with higher ground clearance than the Urban.

Along with this comes extra traction. It is not a four-wheel drive but Fiat have added a Grip Control to give it extra pull on slippery or gravel surfaces.

If it’s downhill you are worried about, there is a third mode, Gravity Control. It lets you take your feet off the pedals and guide the car down a steep gradient.

Inside, the 500L Cross has quite a nice feel to it without being overly intimidating.

The instrument cluster is bold and bright, the sat nav and infotainment systems easily accessed on the new 7ins colour touchscreen and there are nice design cues throughout.

The boot is large and has three levels for different-sized objects. The seats all fold down for 1480l of space.

The car I drove was the 1.6-litre Multijet diesel. It also comes with a petrol engine.

It was well-balanced and great for driving on town and country roads. The driving experience was satisfying and relaxing.

The 500L is a fun car to drive. It has an array of safety systems as standard and options like a sunroof, a rear camera or folding door mirrors that will not cost the earth.

Italian styling and design has always been legendary. The 500L is a product of this and my goodness, it wears it well.