2014 FIAT PANDA REVIEW

Italian style makes the Fiat Panda stand out from the many conservative vehicles competing in the small car market in Australia. The Panda could be described as a Fiat 500 ‘Cinquecento’ with a different body and the added convenience of back doors. Unlike the 500 which is unashamedly retro, the Panda is ultra modern in its funky shape.

Though the Fiat Panda has been on sales in Europe since 1980, with over six million sold to date, this Italian didn’t migrate downunder until mid 2013. The current generation Panda was introduced in Italy late in 2011 so will be current for another four to five years.

STYLING
Panda’s stylists came up with a fascinating theme based around what they call a Squircle, that is squares rounded off by circular corners.

The Fiat squircle is used on the exterior of the Panda to give what could have been a boxy vehicle a cute look. But it’s the numerous areas inside: the instrument surrounds, steering wheel centre, door handles, speaker housing, drink holders, and more – try to count them for yourself – that really makes the design out of the ordinary.

MODELS
The Panda comes in Fiat’s usual model range: base Pop, midrange Easy and topline Lounge. Fiat Australia is asking only $16,500, driveaway for the Pop with a manual gearbox. None of the others are driveaway so their prices increase markedly.

Then there’s an additional version called the Panda Trekking. It has the appearance of a small SUV: big roof racks, bold door cladding, and raised ride height. It’s driven only through the front wheels, but grip is improved by a sophisticated traction control system. It’s no off-road bush-basher, but will take you to interesting places on family weekend exploration trips.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS
The 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is an old design and achieves only 51 kW and 102 Nm. It’s installed only in the Panda Pop. A turbo-petrol 875 cc twin-cylinder unit with 63 kW of power, and 145 Nm of torque at just 1900 revs is used in the Panda Easy and Lounge.

A 1.3-litre turbo-diesel, gives you only 55 kilowatts, but its torque is a strong 190 Nm that arrives at only 1500 rpm. It is standard in the Trekking but not offered in the others.

The 1.2 petrol and the diesel come only with a five-speed manual gearbox. The 875 cc turbo-petrol comes with the same manual, but the gearbox can also be specified with the self-shifting five-speed Dualogic in the Panda Easy. The Dualogic is standard in the Trekking.

INFOTAINMENT
Even the cheapest model Panda Pop gets the sophisticated Blue&Me system developed by Microsoft and Fiat that uses voice activation and synchronises with various music devices and smartphones. Tom-Tom navigation is an option and slips into a built-in slot on the dash.

DRIVING
Interior space is excellent for a car of this diminutive size and four adults can travel with only minimal need to shift the front seats forward to make room for tall people in the back. To achieve this voluminous cabin the seats are set noticeably higher than in most other cars. This can feel slightly awkward at first, but you soon grow into the Panda. Another positive thing about the high seating position is that those of us with ageing knees don’t have to bend as much to get in and out.

Our test vehicle was a Panda Easy with the two-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and the Dualogic automated manual. The little twin-cylinder engine has won numerous awards, principally because it’s one of the world’s cleanest engines, emitting less than 100 grams of CO2 per kilometre on the official driving cycle.

The little twin is rough and quite noisy at low speeds as you move off the line, but once its up and running it’s one of our favourite engines. It has a great note and just loves big revs in a very Italian manner. Row it along at high revs by way of the paddle shifters on the manual/auto gearbox and it’s sure to bring a smile to your face.

Let the Panda’s Dualogic box do its own gearchanging and you strike the usual bugbear of all self-shifting manuals, it’s jerky and slow in the lower gears. Once you’re into third and above it smooths out nicely.

Ride comfort and noise isolation are generally good, but there’s a fair bit of road roar on coarse-chip surfaces. Try it for yourself if your driving is likely to be on country roads with that sort of surface.

Handling is safe and secure, with these little cars able to hold onto the road at speeds much higher than you would expect for what is after all a small family car. This means the Panda remains safe at speeds far higher than are likely to be attempted by most owners.

SAFETY
Panda only got four stars in European crash testing. However the local importer says it would have been classed as a five-star vehicle had the Euro models been equipped with ESC – all Australian imports have this feature.

SUMMING UP
Yet another stylish and affordable Italian car to finally reach us in Australia, the Fiat Panda is well worth adding to your list to test drive, all the more so if you want something that’s right out of the ordinary.

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE
Pop 1.2-litre petrol five-door hatch: $16,500 (manual) *
Easy 0.9-litre petrol five-door hatch: $19,000 (manual), $20,500 (automatic)
Lounge 0.9-litre petrol five-door hatch: $22,500 (automatic)
Trekking 1.3-litre turbo-diesel five-door hatch: $24,000 (manual)
Note: The price shown for the Panda Pop is driveaway. All other prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Fiat dealer for driveaway prices on these models.

FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard in Lounge and Trekking, option in Easy, not offered in Pop
Cruise Control: Not offered
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Electronic Stability Program: Standard in all models
Rear Parking Sensors: Not offered in Pop, standard in all other models
Reversing Camera: Not offered
USB/Auxiliary Audio Inputs: Standard in all models
Bluetooth: Standard in all models
Steering Wheel Mounted Controls: Standard in all models

SPECIFICATIONS (Fiat Panda Easy 0.9-litre petrol five-door hatch)

ENGINE:
Engine Capacity: 0.875 litres
Configuration: Two cylinders in line
Head Design: Four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 80.5 mm x 86.0 mm
Maximum Power: 63 kW @ 5500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 145 Nm @ 1900 rpm

DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive Ratio: Not supplied

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 3653 mm
Wheelbase: 2300 mm
Width: 1643 mm
Height: 1551 mm
Turning Circle: 9.7 metres
Kerb Mass: 985 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 37 litres
Towing Ability: 400 kg (800 kg with braked trailer)
Luggage Capacity: 225 litres (870 litres with rear seatacksfolded)

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts
Rear Suspension: Torsion bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Drum

FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 95RON
Fuel Consumption – Combined Cycle (ADR 81/02): 4.2 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: Not rated
Air Pollution Rating: Not rated

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km