Since coming back into the U.S. market in 2011, the FIAT brand has maintained a small niche presence here, maintaining roughly one-quarter of one percent of total market sales. That’s mainly due to the fact that the small, sporty cars that they sell more rapidly in Europe and elsewhere are less likely to be chosen in the land where bigger is usually better and SUVS are all the rage.

But that doesn’t mean that the brand is giving up; in fact, they’re hoping to nudge in on the U.S. tastes with a couple of larger models. I recently tested the 2017 Fiat 500X, a compact SUV, and the 2017 Fiat 500L, an extended wagon-like 500 comparable to a Kia Soul and some Mini models, and I’m back with a full report.

Like most people, my first thought when I hear the name Fiat is of a car so small that it barely exists -- its basic “cinquecento” (aka 500).

But as the brand expands in America, it knows it has to grow -- and that’s where its latest vehicle, the 2016 Fiat 500X, comes into play.

In America, we like things that are XXL, Xtreme, Xtra large, and so on, so I like the naming convention. And while it’s not going to be confused with an Escalade, there’s no doubt this is the largest Fiat ever to grace the road in the U.S..

This is not your average Fiat; and that’s a good thing in my book. I was skeptical before I got the vehicle as to how I would enjoy my time in it, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by what it offers compared to other vehicles in the growing compact SUV segment.