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| First reviews, more pictures of the latest, hottest cars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Fiat Panda Now There’s A 4x4, And A Diesel. |
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“Surely a tiny car like this shouldn’t be doing stuff like that” Acclaimed Multijet Diesel Should Get Overall 65.7 mpg Rating: **** out of 5 Winchester, Hampshire If only all Fiat’s products were as successful as the little Panda city car, the headlines in the financial pages of the world’s media might look a lot different. Instead of stories about Fiat trying to force General Motors to buy it – what does that say about the company’s belief in its products? – the business press would be talking about record sales and profits. The sad truth is that Fiat is losing huge amounts of money, and its future is in doubt. You can’t blame the Panda. Voted European Car Of The Year in 2004, the Panda has been a big success for Fiat, and deservedly so. When it was launched more than a year ago the Panda was acclaimed for its clever design, robust quality and keen prices. And it just got better. Fiat has introduced a four-wheel drive version, and added the fantastic little 1.3 litre Multijet diesel engine which has powering the Punto small car since 2003. I’ve just driven both versions and mighty fine they are too. Off-Road The idea of a little Panda 4x4 did seem faintly ridiculous, but driving it over the off-road course at the Thruxton motor racing circuit, and in a convoy of about 10 vehicles across the ruts, paths and muddy fields near the Salisbury Ministry of Defence lands made a believer out of me. It’s like some weird little “Q” car. Surely a tiny vehicle that looks like this shouldn’t be shouldn’t be doing stuff like that? That’s just for Toyota Land Cruisers or Range Rovers or Nissan Patrols. It’s a bit like Danny de Vito knocking out Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Panda would scale steep, muddy slopes, hang off the sides of hills, and plough through water as if to the manor born. Fiat said it has tested the 4x4 Panda in the cold of Lapland and the heat of the Kalahari Desert, and it had the video to prove it. The driver doesn’t have to do anything more than simply drive the thing, and select the appropriate gear. Automatic 4x4 “This robust, low maintenance drive-train is completely automatic and entirely mechanical, requiring neither driver input nor electronic control, and imbues the Panda 4x4 with outstanding off-road and severe weather abilities,” said Fiat. The only criticism I can muster is to suggest that the car could use grab handles over the door so the passengers can brace themselves against the bucking and weaving as the car negotiates the kind of conditions little cars just don’t have a right to be able to handle. Fiat first launched a 4x4 Panda in 1983, and it is not just a gimmick. The four-wheel drive Panda has been a big seller to farmers, rural postal services and telephone and electricity utilities across Europe, according to Fiat. Multijet Diesel The new Panda 4x4 costs £9,195 (13,400 euros), which includes electric front windows, electric power steering, and twin front airbags. Air conditioning, sunroof, steering-wheel audio controls and a stereo with MP3 player are among the optional extras. |
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Fiat Pandas in Britain are now available with the much-acclaimed 70 bhp Multijet diesel motor, which produces a claimed combined fuel consumption of 65.7 miles per gallon (4.3 l/km). The Multijet powered Panda provides urgent acceleration and quiet cruising. Surprisingly, the diesel isn’t available for the 4x4. The diesel version in Dynamic form costs £7,895 (11,500 euros). If there was a Multijet version of the 4x4, and an automatic gearbox, I just might rush out and buy one. I must admit that when the Panda won Car Of The Year, I assumed it was a stitch up. How Did It Win It? After all, how could a little city car with derivative technology, made by a company that was on the brink of financial ruin, and which had earned a reputation over the years for unreliability and dodgy workmanship, beat out the proven quality and innovation of cars like the Mazda3, VW Golf, Toyota Avensis, Opel/Vauxhall Meriva, BMW 5 series, and the Nissan Micra, its rivals for the 2004 crown? Also, the fact that the Fiat group’s 11 wins of this prize since 1964 - Fiats 124, 127, 128, Lancia Delta, Fiats Uno, Tipo, Punto, Bravo/Brava, and Alfa 156 and 147, and now the Panda - suggested to me that there was something suspicious about the European Car of the Year voting system. Rovers, Simcas And Austins Won This! European journalists, 58 from 22 European countries, had seen fit over the years to award Fiat the most first prizes, ahead of Renault (5), Ford (4), Citroen (3) and Peugeot (3). This showed a blatant disregard for what car buyers covet most - reliability and honesty. The consumer’s friend and purveyors of rock-solid reliability, the Japanese car manufacturers, had only won twice (Nissan and Toyota). Mercedes, once the undisputed quality king, had one win. BMW, the best conserver of second hand value according to a recent survey in Britain and maker of superb cars, had won no first prizes at all. These people have awarded the prize to Rovers, Simcas, and Austins! Clearly, there was something questionable about the methods, the brains, or the honesty of the European Car of the Year jury. I couldn’t wait to drive the Fiat Panda, and then rubbish it for the charlatan it surely must be. As you’ve already guessed, that didn’t happen. Fabulous Little Car The Fiat Panda is a fabulous little car. It’s certainly not pretty. The bulbous roof puts an end to any thoughts of beauty. But that is the essence of this little city car – everything about it is practical. The roof bulges a bit to make sure there is plenty of headroom. There is plenty of room for 4 adults, although the boot space is a bit limited as you’d expect. This car is less than 12 feet long (3,538 mm) long, after all. Bomb Proof The most surprising first impression I had of the Panda was its apparent bombproof build quality, and the quality nature of its plastics, switches and fittings. The doors close with a satisfying clunk. The dashboard is elegant and easy to fathom. The gear lever is set in the lower centre of the dashboard – a la Honda Civic –, which frees up space. Believe it or not, there is plenty of room for the driver’s left foot and all the pedals. My recent test drive of a Punto had pointed to the perennial problem of overly tight space for the driver’s feet in small Fiats. This has finally been solved. Halleluiah! No ABS On Entry Model The new Panda offers levels of equipment usually associated with more expensive cars. Electric front windows, central locking, electronic power steering, two front airbags and Blaupunkt stereo radio cassette are standard even on the entry level Active version, although this one doesn’t have ABS brakes. You can buy six airbags, automatic climate control, parking sensors, and an electric sunroof. Through the range you can specify ABS with electronic brake-force distribution, cornering and stability gizmos, and a “hillholder” function to make hill starts easy. On the road the Panda, even with the least powerful engine, feels lively. The steering is excellent. The car will cruise at 80 mph (130 kph) quietly and confidently. The gear change is crisp and accurate. But Will It Last? Many of these plus points beg the question about reliability and longevity. Maybe these were just press cars, prepared to impress us, with standards reverting to type when production gears up for the mass market. I think that is an overly suspicious thought and I hereby put it behind me. So far, it seems that Pandas have been tough and reliable. Cynics had better beat a retreat. Neil Winton – February 7, 2005
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