The introduction of the Fiat 500L at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show->ke228 marked the first time the Italian compact hatchback->ke304 came in a different configuration. At 166.5 inches long, the 500L is almost 30 inches longer than the Fiat 500, making it the perfect five-passenger model to expand the company’s portfolio out of its compact comfort zone. While the 500L is still lagging behind the 500 in terms of sales numbers -- an airbag recall in July 2014 hurt the former’s momentum -- the crossover is slowly gaining traction with just under 1,000 units getting sold in October 2014. That number marks a 48-percent increase over the 623 units sold in September 2014.

The rapidly improving sales numbers comes at around the same time that Fiat->ke30 unveiled the 500L Urbana Trekking, a limited-edition version of the 500L, at the 2014 Miami International Auto Show.->ke1718

The 500L Urbana Trekking is based on the 500L Trekking and has been dressed with a plethora of unique exterior and interior features to highlight the amount of personalization the crossover->ke288 can have. The model gets six glossy exterior paint options, new wheels, and an upgraded interior with generous applications of leather.

Expect to see the Fiat 500L Urbana Trekking in Fiat studios beginning in the first quarter of 2015.

Click past the jump to read more about the Fiat 500L Urbana Trekking.

Exterior

The 500L Urbana Trekking will be available in any one of these glossy exterior finishes: Verde Bosco Perla (Forest Green Pearl), Rosso Perla (Deep Lava Red), Giallo (yellow), Bianco (white), Grigio Scuro (Gray Metallic) and Blue Tornado. The wide variety of exterior colors are complemented by Satin Chrome door handles and taillamp bezels, as well as a set of 17-inch wheels painted in a very distinctive Matte Nero shade.

The 500L Urbana Trekking in the photo above is the same one that's on display at the Miami International Auto Show. Oddly enough, it comes with a Matte Grigio Chiaro body and a Matte Nero roof, a combination that isn’t available on the production version of the Urbana Trekking.

Interior

The interior of the 500L Urbana Trekking has been fitted with a Nero leather steering wheel, cloth seats, and leatherette door bolsters. Visually, the most prominent interior upgrade is the instrument panel, which receives a Nero Puro bezel. Additionally, the not-for-production Matte Grigio Chiaro 500L Urbana Trekking has a Matte Grigio bezel.

The 500L Urbana Trekking also comes with SiriusXM Radio and more importantly, the fashionable Beats Audio system that first made an appearance on the 500L Beats Edition back in February 2014.

The signature stereo system from Beats By Dr. Dre includes six premium speakers, a 6.5-inch dual-voice coil subwoofer with its own trunk-mounted enclosure, and an eight-channel amplifier that carries the Apple-owned audio brand’s digital sound processing algorithm.

Drivetrain

All four trims of the Fiat 500L -- Pop, Easy, Trekking, and Lounge -- carry the same 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo, four-cylinder engine that produces 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, and mates to either a six-speed manual transmission or a Euro Twin Clutch transmission.

The 500L is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in a little over nine seconds to go with a top speed of 117 mph.

Pricing

The 500L Urbana Trekking won’t make it to Fiat studios until the first quarter of 2015. The limited-edition->ke2041 500L will have a price of $22,795, excluding destination charges.

Competition

Mini Countryman

Two years before the Fiat 500L was introduced at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the crossover that would become its rival made its own debut on the same show in 2010. The Mini Countryman was born from the same rationale Mini had when it decided to expand its Cooper lineup with a slightly larger version of the original and iconic model.

But the Countryman isn’t just an aesthetically bigger version of the Cooper; it was also the first all-wheel-drive Mini, allowing it to go off-road whenever the situation called for it.

The Countryman also has a big advantage over the 500L in the engine department. Whereas the latter only has one engine to call upon, the former features a 1.6-liter, inline-four engine that produces 122 horsepower and a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that develops 181 horsepower.

Pricing for the Countryman begins at $22,750 for the base model and goes all the way up to $35,350 for the John Cooper Works ALL4 model.

Conclusion

You can't argue about the upgrades Fiat gave to the 500L Urbana Trekking. But you might need to temper your expectations if you think you're getting something truly unique. Special edition or not, the 500L is what it is: a bigger version of the Fiat 500 that's ideally suited for young families.