菲亞特500L:內心豐富的小丑車

Last year, somewhere deep in the bowels of Fiat's Ufficio Stampa in Turin, Italy, an employee had a problem. On the screen was a news release about the first load of Serbia-built Fiat 500Ls arriving from Montenegro to the Port of Baltimore. He or she was obliged to write something pleasant about the car's driving.

去年，在意大利都靈(Turin, Italy)菲亞特公司(Fiat)新聞辦公室(Ufficio Stampa)深處的某個地方，一名員工遇到了一個問題。顯示屏上是一篇新聞發佈稿，報道的是在塞爾維亞製造的首批菲亞特500L型汽車從黑山(Montenegro)運抵巴爾的摩港(Port of Baltimore)的消息。他或她不得不對該車的駕駛性能寫點中看的東西。

The 'North American Fiat 500L delivers excellent performance and great driving pleasure,' this person perjured blandly. 'These enviable characteristics are made even more interesting by typical European handling and precise, responsive steering.'

Dan Neil/The Wall Street Journal 圖片：“小丑車”菲亞特500L“北美版的菲亞特500L擁有卓越的性能表現和極大的駕駛樂趣，”這名員工滿不在乎地杜撰道，“加上典型的歐洲車操控及響應靈敏的精準轉向性能，這些令人羨慕的特徵顯得更加引人入勝。”

Hmm, not so much. Actually, the 500L (front-drive, five-door liftback) corners like the world's smallest '65 Pontiac Bonneville. At engine speeds below 2,250 rpm, there is no one home torque-wise. You hit the gas and time stands still, a la 'The Matrix.' And the six-speed manual gearbox is the vaguest, wobbliest such mechanism I've encountered since I was winning dance contests in my three-piece suit. This thing isn't a transmission. It is an intermission.

唔，哪有那麼好啊。實際上，這款菲亞特500L（前驅、五門掀背車）彷彿是世界上最小的1965款龐蒂克·博納維爾汽車(Pontiac Bonneville)。發動機轉數在低於每分鐘2,250轉時，車就沒有了充足的扭力。你腳踩油門，而時間卻像電影《黑客帝國》(The Matrix)裏那樣凝固了。那臺六速手動變速箱是自打我身穿三件套西裝贏得舞蹈比賽以來見過的最不清晰、最搖擺不定的系統。這玩意兒哪是傳動裝置啊，它是阻斷傳動的機構。

And yet it is fair to say the 500L drives exactly as designed. Indeed, the 500L's best qualities -- a hip, high-stye interior with scads of flexible space and utility -- are aimed squarely at consumers who are, shall we say, driving-agnostic. Our test car's cabin, upholstered with handsome charcoal cloth with rich brown, faux-leather gussets, sets a table of big, usable; affirmative-feeling switches and controls; respectable soft-touch materials; and lively graphics. The rear seats and front passenger seat all have tilt, tumble and fold function that allows loading of large items. IKEA, here we come.

然而，公平地說，菲亞特500L的駕駛感受完全符合它的設計初衷。這款車最突出的品質是，新潮時髦的車內擁有諸多靈活的多用途空間，這一品質就是衝着那些可以說對駕駛知之甚少的顧客而設計的。我們測試車的駕駛室椅套是美觀的碳纖維布，並接上深棕色的三角形人造革，駕駛臺配置了一系列大方可用、觸感良好的開關和控制元件，以及體面的軟性材質和生動活潑的幾何造型。後排座椅和前排乘客座椅都具備調整傾斜角度和翻折的功能，以便裝運大件物品。宜家(IKEA)，我們可要開着車來了哦。

The product brief for this car privileged, above all else, interior space, as in raw cubic feet, inches of headroom, legroom, seat travel, low floor height and flexible capacity (the 'L' is supposed to suggest 'Lounge,' or 'Large,' but no one in Turin seems to be sure). The 500L encloses a volume of 121.1 cubic feet of interior space, piled but just barely on a 102.8-inch wheelbase and overall length of 167.3 inches.

菲亞特500L測試車售價：23,395美元（約合人民幣14.5萬元）動力系統： 1.4升進氣口噴射直列四缸帶可變氣門正時技術的中冷式渦輪增壓發動機；六速手動變速箱（銷售的大多爲自動變速箱）；前輪驅動。馬力/扭矩：5,500轉/分鐘時功率爲160馬力，轉速在2,500-4,000轉之間時，扭矩爲184磅英尺（約合249牛米）車身長度/重量：167.3英寸（約合4249毫米）/3,203磅（約合1454公斤）軸距：102.8英寸（約合2611毫米）0-60英里（約96公里）時速加速時間：9.1秒環保署(EPA)燃油經濟性：城市每加侖25英里（約合40公里）/公路每加侖33公里（約合53公里）/綜合路況每加侖28英里（約合45公里）載貨容積（第二排座位後）：22.4立方英尺（0.63立方米）這款車的產品簡介特別強調的是它的內部空間，比如原始長寬高尺寸、頭部空間、腿部空間、座椅移動功能、超低的車廂地板高度以及靈活可變的容積（車名型號中的“L”應該指的是“Lounge”（休息室——譯註）或“Large”（大——譯註）的意思，但是都靈方面好像沒有一個人敢肯定）。菲亞特500L車內空間的容積爲121.1立方英尺（約合3.43立方米），而承載這樣空間的僅僅是102.8英寸（約合2.61米）的軸距和167.3英寸（約合4.25米）的整車長度。

Based on Fiat's global small-wide platform and descendant of the Fiat Punto, the 500L is about 5 inches shorter, bumper-to-bumper, than a Ford Focus hatchback. But it is 27.7 inches longer than its namesake, the Fiat 500 coupe, as well as 5.7 inches wider and 5.9 inches taller. The notion was to give Fiat intenders a family-practical vehicle with capacities the little one couldn't touch.

菲亞特500L基於菲亞特的全球小寬車平臺打造，是菲亞特鵬託(Fiat Punto)的後續車型，它的車身長度比掀背版的福特福克斯(Ford Focus)短大約5英寸（約合127毫米），但它的長寬高比同名的菲亞特500 coupe分別多出27.7英寸（約合704毫米）、5.7英寸（約合145毫米）和5.9英寸（約合150毫米），其意圖是爲鍾情菲亞特的客戶提供一輛容量比菲亞特500 coup更大、更實用的家用汽車。

The 500's cheery, anthropomorphic styling cues, as if drawn with a pencil nub, have been grafted on the much larger car, but the results are disquieting. If the tiny 500 is a glamorous flea of a city car, our pale-yellow 500L test car looked a bit like an overinflated canary.

菲亞特500活潑、人性化的風格元素（彷彿是用鉛筆頭畫出來的）被嫁接到了體型大很多的車上，而效果卻令人擔憂。如果說小小的菲亞特500是城市車中一隻迷人的小跳蚤的話，那麼我們這輛淺黃色的菲亞特500L測試車看上去頗有點像一隻特大的金絲雀。

On the inside, there is human-factors magic. The 500L's openness in the front cabin -- the raised height of the front seats, the low scuttle, and the car's unusual, windowed A pillars, giving the car essentially transparent front corners -- all create a compelling panoramic outward view. I predict the interior alpinism will sell the car when things like handling won't. And only occasionally do you feel like you're wearing a novelty-size sombrero.

在車內，存在不可思議的人性化元素。菲亞特500L駕駛室前艙的開放狀態——提升了高度的前排座位、低矮的前窗擋板、以及這車與衆不同的玻每窗式A柱（讓車的前角基本上變得透明）——營造了令人歎爲觀止的全景外部視野。我預計，在車的操控性能這些東西無法促進銷售的時候，這車的高超的內飾技術會成爲它的賣點。你只偶爾會感覺自己戴着的是一頂尺寸小巧的寬邊帽。

The 500L plays in what's known in Europe as the B-MPV segment -- that is, a B segment (small five-passenger car, like Ford Focus) multipurpose vehicle (small van, like the Citroen C3 Picasso). In terms of its big-on-the-inside packaging, the 500L's competitors in the U.S. include niche-y, adorable blockheads Nissan Cube ($16,760 MSRP) and Kia Soul.

菲亞特500L在歐洲屬於所謂的B-MPV類汽車——即，B類（像福特福克斯那樣的小型五座汽車）多功能汽車（像雪鐵龍C3畢加索(Citroen C3 Picasso)那樣的小型廂式汽車）。就其車內的大空間設計而言，菲亞特500L在美國的競爭對手包括小衆的可愛呆瓜日產Cube（廠商建議零售價16,760美元（約合人民幣10.4萬元））和起亞秀爾(Kia Soul)。

The 500L comes in four trim levels with names that sound like the chill rooms at Bonnaroo: Pop, Easy, Trekking and the feature-laden Lounge. The test car ($23,395) was up-fitted with the 'Trekking' trim level, including a half-inch rise in ride height, and 17-inch all-season tires with alloy rims. As part of what must be a fairly expensive come-on for the North American market, the 500L comes with a complimentary UConnect 6.5-inch touch-screen system with audio, navigation and rearview camera, a $1,745 line item.

菲亞特500L共有四種版本配置的車型，名字聽起來有點像波那羅(Bonnaroo)藝術節的休閒室：大衆版(Pop)、舒適版(Easy)、旅行版(Trekking)和富有特色的尊貴版(Lounge)。這輛測試車（售價23,395美元（約合人民幣14.5萬元））屬於“旅行版”配置，其中包括底盤高度升高半英寸（約合12.7毫米）和鋁合金輪轂的17英寸四季輪胎。作爲針對北美市場提供的一項相當昂貴的誘人配置，菲亞特500L免費贈送了一套6.5英寸的UConnect觸摸屏系統，合成了音響、導航和倒車影像功能，該產品單獨售價爲1,745美元（約合人民幣10,831元）。

If you plot interior dimensions against cost, the rough arithmetic favors the Kia, with a base price of only $14,900 and more interior cubes than either the Fiat or Nissan, packaged in a car shorter and lower than either.

如果你把車內空間尺寸與價格進行比較，粗略的計算結果顯示起亞更合算，它的起售價只有14,900美元（約合人民幣92,481元），而內部空間卻比菲亞特和日產都大，車身反而比後二者更短、更低。

However, with regard to the Fiat's aspirations to Euro-design cachet and charisma, and the price premiums they command, the segment bogey is obviously BMW's Mini Countryman, Mini's own very large take on its very small car.

然而，要說菲亞特謀求歐洲設計的聲望和魅力，並由此而定價偏高，寶馬(BMW)的Mini Countryman纔是這個級別的妖怪，Mini這款超小的車賺取了超大的利潤。

The Countryman ($22,100) is smaller on the inside than the 500L (102 cubic feet vs. 121 cf), but it is also half a foot shorter, a bit lighter. But the Fiat gets about 10% better highway fuel economy.

Countryman（售價22,100美元（約合人民幣13.7萬元））的內部空間不及菲亞特500L（前者102立方英尺（2.89立方米），後者121立方英尺（3.43立方米）），車身長度也比菲亞特500L短一英尺（約合30.48釐米），重量也輕一些，可是菲亞特公路行駛的燃油經濟性比Countryman好10%。

Performance-wise, in a straight line, it is about a draw. Despite the 500L's power advantage over the Countryman (160 vs. 121 hp), the cars' power-to-weight ratios are nearly identical, around 20 pounds per horsepower. Acceleration is about the same for both these pygmy show ponies, around 9.1 seconds to 60 mph. In any event, this isn't a drag race one would pay to see.

在性能表現方面，兩車在直線前進中基本上平分秋色。儘管菲亞特500L的功率強於Countryman（160馬力對121馬力），但兩車的功率重量比幾乎是相同的，都在20磅/馬力左右。這兩匹侏儒秀中的矮馬在加速性能上也基本一致，0到60英里（約96公里）時速的加速時間大約爲9.1秒。不管怎麼說，這不是一場人們買票觀看的汽車加速賽。

Naturally, the Countryman feels crisper, sharper and much more level and trustworthy in corners than the 500L when you are driving with any pace. Compared with the Mini, the 500L is sprung like a nursery's rocking horse and, as I mentioned, the Fiat's six-speed manual gearbox is a shambles.

很自然，在拐彎的時候，不管你以何速度駕駛，Countryman比菲亞特500L更利索，更輕快，更平穩，更讓人放心。與Mini Countryman相比，菲亞特500L顛簸起來就像託兒所的搖擺木馬一樣，正如我前面所提到的，菲亞特的六速手動變速箱就是一團糟。

Here again, the package rules. Fiat designers wanted the floor low and the seat height high, so drivers could enjoy the commanding view. But to do that, they needed an awfully long gearshift lever in order for it to fall to hand. And thus the 500L's lengthy, and dodgy, gearstick and its occasional mystery-gear function.

這又是被整體設計所決定了的。菲亞特的設計師想讓車的底盤地板低一些，座位高一些，這樣司機能夠擁有居高臨下的視野。可是要做到這一點，他們需要一根非常長的換擋桿才能讓手夠得着它。這纔有了菲亞特500L那長長的、難以駕馭的變速桿以及變速器運行中偶發的莫名其妙的怪事。

Of course, few of these cars will actually be sold with the manual transmission; nearly all will go out the door equipped with the six-speed dual clutch transmission, the same gearbox that is the subject of a safety recall. If you are considering a 500L, go ahead and get the automatic. It is an easy fix; a software glitch.

當然，實際銷售的車輛中沒有多少是配置手動變速箱的；幾乎所有的車出廠時裝配的都是六速雙離合自動變速箱，該變速箱正是因安全原因召回的那一款。如果你在考慮買一輛菲亞特500L，直接買自動擋的吧，它的問題很容易修復，只是一個軟件瑕疵而已。

The 500L does have a pretty sporting little engine under the hood: an intercooled turbo, 1.4-liter, 16-valve four producing a goodly 184 foot-pounds of torque at 2,500 rpm. But this engine's throttle response is so famously logy and it can only be the result of some aggressive fuel-saving algorithms in the engine-control calibration. Like other Fiats, you have to keep the engine well on the boil, rev-wise. Even then the torques start to fade away at higher engine speeds so that by about 80 mph in sixth gear, the little-big car is getting winded. An Abarth performance package would do wonders, but Fiat execs say that a 500L Abarth edition isn't in the tarot.

菲亞特500L的引擎蓋下的確有一臺非常具有運動性能的小發動機：1.4升16氣門4缸中冷式渦輪增壓發動機，轉速達到2500轉/分鐘時可以輸出184磅英尺的強勁扭力。但是這臺發動機氣門響應是出了名的遲緩，因此只有在發動機操控校準中使用了某種激進的節油算法，纔可能得出上述數據結果。就像其它的菲亞特汽車一樣，你必須好好保持發動機的澎湃轉速，即使那樣，當發動機轉速進一步提高時，扭力也開始減退，以至於等到變速器升到六檔、車速達到每小時80英里（約合129公里）時，這輛小小的大空間汽車已經變得氣喘吁吁了。如果裝配阿巴斯(Abarth)變速套件，那就會產生驚人的效果，但菲亞特高管說，阿巴斯版本的500L不在計劃生產之列。

She's not much to drive -- mille scusi, anonymous press official -- but she's awfully easy to live with. Mom always said, that's what counts.

她開起來不怎麼樣——非常抱歉，那位不知名的新聞官員——但是接受她是件非常容易的事。媽媽總是說，這一點才重要。