The Fiat Panda is a city car offering something a little different to rivals such as the Hyundai i10 and Skoda Citigo. But while some newer competitors can’t match the Panda’s personality or style, they do offer more modern designs and additional space
Still, the latest Fiat Panda is bigger than previous incarnations, and there are plenty of storage spaces dotted around the cabin, as well as a generously-sized boot that expands easily thanks to a sliding rear bench.
With decent ride comfort, sprightly handling and excellent all-round visibility, the Panda is a terrific town car. On longer motorway trips, a lack of refinement from the petrol engines can become tiresome, though.
Interior trim quality doesn’t always match that of more premium rivals, but the latest Panda is developing an excellent reputation for reliability in our Driver Power satisfaction surveys.
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Fiat has a well established reputation for building highly popular city cars, with iconic models such as the Topolino, built from 1936 to 1955, and the original 500, which was produced between 1957 and 1975.
The Panda first picked up the torch all the way back in 1980 when the Giugiaro-designed original went on sale. It had a longer life than even its famous forebears, with 4.5 million examples being sold globally over 31 years in various markets. The new generation Panda, introduced in Europe in 2003, was never going to repeat that trick, but remained popular in spite of the arrival of the trendy new Fiat 500 in 2007.
In 2011, Fiat introduced this latest, third-generation Panda. It looks less basic, and as a result has a more characterful, trendy feel – although it retains the second-generation car’s upright, boxy shape. And while the previous model was built in Poland, this car is assembled at Fiat’s plant in Naples, where the Alfa Romeo Alfasud used to be built.
The Panda shares its platform with the Fiat 500 and Ford Ka, and is powered by a variety of diesel and petrol engines in two, three or four-cylinder guises
There is a wide range of trim levels, too. Kicking things off is the sparsely equipped entry-level Pop, but move up to the higher-spec Lounge models and you’ll get features such as alloy wheels and air-conditioning. Sitting in the middle of the Panda range is the Easy trim level, while buyers can also choose the Trekking model, which features some rugged-looking body cladding.
The Fiat Panda 4×4 is another version with off-road styling, although it does have all-wheel drive to back this up and help in the rough stuff. There’s also the even more extreme Panda Cross, which adds extra ride height and hill descent control to the standard Panda 4×4 package.
Engines, performance and drive
The Panda performs well in the city, but out on the motorway the lack of refinement comes to the fore
Around town, the Fiat Panda really shines thanks to its high driving position, excellent visibility and light controls. The soft suspension also means it easily soaks up bumps in the road.
Around town, the Fiat Panda really shines thanks to its high driving position, excellent visibility and light controls. The soft suspension also means it easily soaks up bumps in the road.
The City button on the dash is also handy as it lightens up the steering – so much so that you can make light adjustments with one finger – and makes squeezing in and out of tight gaps in town much easier.
The Panda handles well on the open road, too, but sadly the engines can struggle. It’s a shame, as their lack of refinement means rivals like the Hyundai i10, as well as the near-identical Skoda Citigo, SEAT Mii and Volkswagen up! city car trio, have a distinct advantage on longer motorway journeys, especially when compared to more affordable petrol-powered versions of the Fiat. The diesel is a little better in this regard, but unfortunately it’s only available in the most expensive Panda Trekking trim level, or in the Panda 4×4.
Engines
The Panda engine line-up comprises two petrols and a single diesel. The 84bhp 0.9-litre twin-cylinder petrol TwinAir engine is the most fun choice; not only does it serve up the most responsive performance, it also makes an entertaining noise as it goes about its business.
But while the TwinAir model is the fastest in the Fiat Panda line-up, you still shouldn’t expect earth-shattering performance. It claims 0-62mph in 11.2 seconds, has the highest top speed at 110mph and the turbocharger provides more mid-range grunt than other engines in the line-up. We don’t find it anywhere near as efficient as Fiat’s official figures suggest, though.
Source: motocar-news.com
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