Last, but certainly not least in our series on student wheels, is an Italian offering – the Fiat 500L.
By Peta Lee
Bigger, beefier, available in petrol or diesel, and in a range of truly wondrous colours – 300 of them! Think Bashment Blue, Bossa Nova White, New Age Cream, Heavy Metal Grey and Opera Red, for instance.
With 15m2 of skydome, various interior seating configurations and a host of storage compartments, and up to seven airbags, the 500L is a work of true Italian genius.
Technology-wise, there’s a UconnectTM 5-inch radio system, and you can use the 5-inch colour touchscreen to interface easily with your multimedia devices. With Bluetooth® technology, you can make calls and manage your texts without lifting your hands from the wheel.
The radio/CD player offers optional DAB (Digital Radio) and traditional tuning, and supports external sources via USB, aux-in and innovative audio streaming to play musical files and web radio channels directly from your smartphone (compatible models only).
Oops, and lest we forget, it comes with electronic stability control, dynamic steering torque to improve handling performance and driving safety, and hill holder. We were totally sold!
At R237 425 for the 1.4 Easy (petrol), a smidgen costlier than the other three models we’ve featured, but well worth it!
Click here to find out about the Peugeot 208