On sale since 2013 with minimal changes, Fiat has now given the current Panda a bit of a refresh, with the biggest highlight being the return of the four-wheel drive model. I headed down to Durban to find out more.
The looks
While the Panda retains its somewhat boxy design, Fiat’s designers have also kept some of the square matching details such as the headlights, fog light surrounds, rear side windows and centre caps on the wheels, which is a welcome departure from the norm.
The Panda really does come across as a fashionable city car. I do quite like the cheeky front-end and blistered front wheel arches in addition to the blacked-out B-and C-pillars, which gives the impression of a floating roof.
The interior
The interior also adopts this squircle (square + circle) theme as seen on the outside. Everything from the door handles, steering wheel, gauges, instrument surrounds and gear lever comes across as square, yet have rounded designs.
Despite being full of plastic, the interior does not feel cheap. The materials feel durable and thanks to their design and colour combinations, look rather good. A stand-out feature is the large storage compartment on the passenger side. It’s great for keeping things that one would normally place on the seat or floor.
All Panda models come with a smartphone mounting device atop the dashboard. The idea is that customers download the Panda UConnect application from their respective app store, at which point various connectivity options such as navigation, dealer locator and even a vehicle locator become available.
Practicality
The Panda is a city car by design and although boot space is adequate at 225-litres, I did find that there is a bit of shoulder rubbing with the person sitting next to you. I would have also liked the door pockets to include more secure cup holders.
So you and a 4x4 Panda?
Fiat South Africa has finally decided to introduce the Panda Cross into our market as well as the normal 4x4, I put the former through its paces on an off-road course.
Much to my surprise, the Cross managed to get through the course thanks to its raised ride height. It features a more aggressive look than the regular Panda, with restyled headlights, chunkier bumper, Cross badges, body colour skidplates and different alloy wheels.
It also gets a two mode (Auto and Lock) electronically controlled all-wheel drive system with an electronic centre locking differential and Hill Descent Control known as Terrain Control. I took the Panda up steep inclines and even did some river crossings, which it overcame without any issues.
What about power?
The engine line-up features Fiat’s unique two-cylinder 875 cc TwinAir turbocharged petrol engine producing 63kW/ 145Nm in the Easy, Lounge and 4x4 models. The Cross benefits from a slight power bump to 66kW, while both four-wheel driven models boast a six-speed manual gearbox as opposed to the normal versions’ five-speed manual.
My only issue is that these little two-cylinders sound like motorbikes, especially at idle and pull away. After a while, the sound grew on me although some of my colleagues weren’t convinced. The little motor is eager to get going which makes it perfect to zip around traffic, however, one must work the gearbox a bit.
Conclusion
After spending the day with the Panda, I can say that it is a delightful little car to rival the likes of the new Kia Picanto, Hyundai Grand i10, Volkswagen Polo Vivo Maxx, Toyota Etios Cross and Suzuki Ignis. However the Panda does offer the only four-wheel drive variant, which is the one I would definitely go for.
Pricing:
Panda 0.9 TwinAir Easy - R184 900
Panda 0.9 TwinAir Lounge - R199 900
Panda 0.9 TwinAir 4×4 - R229 900
Panda 0.9 TwinAir Cross AWD - R249 900
