I FEEL like I spend half of my time in some form of Fiat 500L at the moment.

Having driven the original version, and then the crossover-style variant, the 500L Trekking, it’s now the turn of another niche-filler, the MPW.

That stands for Multi-Purpose Wagon, by the way, and it’s fair to say that, when it was announced earlier this year, it didn’t look all that pretty.

In the flesh, however, it’s somehow nicer and a welcome addition to the 500L family.

If nothing else, this line of cars from the Italian manufacturer are giving buyers the chance to own something a little quirky that stands out from the crowd, which is what Fiat does best.

So, the MPW adds a bit of a box to its rear end and, voila, you have seven seats.

Fiat is marketing this as ‘the most compact seven-seater in its category’ and it squeezes those into a car 4.35 metres long.

In truth, it’s more of a five-plus two arrangement, as those extra seats will see you not only lose most of your boot space, but, also, the space is really only big enough for kids.

But, if you want added practicality and have an occasional requirement to carry an extra couple of people, it’s a great solution.

Elsewhere, ‘normal’ rear passengers get a generous amount of legroom, and there’s plenty of head space as well.

Without the extra two seats up, you get a hefty 638 litres of luggage space.

My tester was in Lounge spec, the higher of the two trims on the MPW.

All cars get air con, five-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, leather on the wheel and gearknob, six airbags, hill hold, cruise, various safety gadgets and rear parking sensors.

The Lounge adds a nice suede dashboard, dual-zone climate control, auto lights, electric rear windows and electric sunroof.

Options are many and varied – you can spec a coffee machine, for example – and my test car added DAB and sat nav at £500.

There’s a choice of four engines, the 1.4 and 0.9 petrols and the 1.3 and 1.6 Multijet diesels.

As perky as the two-cylinder TwinAir petrol is, I’m not sure how great it’d be with seven-up.

I tested the 1.3 diesel, which I’ve enjoyed before, and it’s a great mix of economy, efficiency and pretty decent performance. I managed mid-40s around town without trying and the claimed is 67.

With emissions of 110g/km, it won’t set you back much with the tax man.

Probably a better option, though, if you’re planning to use this car for what it’s been designed for, ie lugging people or stuff, then the extra power from the 1.6 diesel would seem a clever idea.

The MPW is unlikely to sell in great numbers, but it adds another quirky and practical option to fill a small hole in the range for those who like the standard 500L but need a bit more.

Fiat has given them that.

Prices start at £15,795 and top out at £19,790.

Find out more at westovergroup.co.uk/fiat.