A RARE KIND OF PANDA (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 101

Fiat's Panda aims at being all the car some buyers will ever need. It's large where it matters, yet still small enough for its urban purpose. It's more efficient - especially in with the 1.0-litre mild hybrid engine that featured as part of the 2020 model year update version we look at here. And it's very manoeuvrable. It can even head off road in 4x4 form. You can get one that's trendy - or choose one that's super-affordable. The Italians have always done this kind of thing very well. The final version of this MK3 design proved that they still did.

Modelsword count: 16

5dr citycar (0.9, 1.2 petrol, 1.0 mild hybrid petrol [Pop, Easy, Lounge, 4x4 Wild, 4x4 Cross])

Historyword count: 251

Almost every car you can think of on the market can be pigeonholed into a specific market segment. And even if it can't be, it's likely to appeal to a very specific group of customers. In many ways, the Fiat Panda's different. Though sized and priced as a little city car, it's so versatile and class-less that it can really function as.... well, almost anything you want. Depending on the flavour you choose, it's a design as suited to city living as it is to the needs of a mountaintop farmer. It can be eco-conscious transport for Friends of the Earth. Perhaps a second vehicle for older empty-nesters. Or the sole car for a rural family. Less a city car. More an 'essential' car, it is, in the words of one top Fiat executive 'the official car for doing whatever the hell you like'. This is the Italian brand at its very best. A modern-era MK2 Panda design was launched back in 2003 to replace a first generation model that sold for over twenty years from 1980. The MK3 design we look at here was originally launched back in 2011, but in early 2020 was significantly updated with the option of 1.0-litre mild hybrid power; it's this improved Panda that we're going to take a look at here. Functional, solid, intelligent and free spirited, it's still, we're told, a car that thinks outside the box. The Panda 4x4 finished at the end of 2021. The mild hybrid version sold until 2024.

What You Getword count: 474

In many ways, the Panda has been one of most influential car designs we've seen this century. The MK2 version of 2003 redefined just how versatile a small car could be, qualities usefully evolved by this third generation car eight years later. By this century's second decade, customers were tending to want their small runabouts with trendier packaging, which is why an increasing number of Panda buyers wanted the more fashionably presented 'Cross' version with its SUV-style front spot lamps and more prominent under-bumper sections. Whatever form of Panda meets your fancy, it'll come with what Fiat hopes is a 'friendly look'. That's based upon what the Italian brand's designers call a 'squarical' theme, rounded rectangles in vogue everywhere from the headlamps to the front air intake, from the wheel arches to that trademark extra third rearward side window. There's still something of a feeling of tiny MPV about this model - something that was carried over from the old second generation version. At the wheel, it's all very functional - and very Noughties. This was one of the very last new cars on sale without any sort of centre dash infotainment screen. To some extent though, you can forgive the Panda that because its design feels a little quirky and fun. The 'squarical' touches we mentioned earlier continue on in the cabin - you see them everywhere. And the dashboard is enveloped in a colourful frame with a roomy storage pocket in front of the front passenger supposed to evoke a nod towards original Eighties Panda motoring. There's plenty of space to put things too. Fiat claimed there were actually fourteen different receptacles of various kinds scattered around the interior, And in the back? Well thanks to the slim seats, rear seat passenger space is perfectly adequate for a couple of fully-sized adults. It really feels old school to find wind-up windows here but there's plenty on the plus side; the low, glassy waistline means that kids will be better able to see out and may as a result be less likely to feel car sick. Plus the central transmission tunnel is notably low, so if you absolutely had to fit three adults back here, you absolutely could. And all three of them would have enough ceiling space to wear elaborate headgear, should a wedding visit be on the agenda. Bear in mind that if you do want the option to seat three people in the back, you'll have to find a car whose original owner paid extra for a third centre seat belt - that's if you want the standard-shape model. The Cross variant gets this as standard. Let's finish by considering the boot. Lift the light tailgate and you'll find that the trunk area is a reasonable 225-litres in size. Fold the rear bench and you'll free up 870-litres of space.

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