- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
0.9T, 2 cyl.
- Engine Power
63kW, 145Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 4.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 150000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Fiat Panda first drive review
Fiat is hoping the old age that 'The best things in life are worth waiting for' rings true.
That’s because 33 years after the original Fiat Panda was launched and six million sales later, the third generation Panda has finally been added to its Australian line-up.
Based on our first test of the Panda on Australian roads it's not as funky, fresh or as fiesty as the retro-inspired 500 range but it is a good car at just the right time.
Baby SUVs have become the must-have for car companies with Holden (Trax), Nissan (Juke), Peugeot (2008), Ford (EcoSport) and Renault (Captur) all adding city-sized high-riders to their showrooms. And other brands have admitted an interest in the segment, notably Honda with a small SUV based on its Jazz hatchback and previewed by the Urban SUV concept earlier this year.
With so much competition, the Panda needs to be sharp and the first impression is strong. The design, both inside and out, is dominated by the “squircle” - Fiat’s name for a square with rounded off edges.
The shape can be seen on the headlights and throughout the cabin - dials, airconditioning controls, cup holders... the list goes on. It may sound like overkill but it works to give the Panda a cohesive design theme that belies its sharp $16,500 driveaway starting price.
That price is for the Pop, fitted with Fiat’s ageing 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with a five-speed manual gearbox and driving the front wheels.
It may not be cutting edge but the combination gets the job done. The engine is surprisingly strong, feeling better than the 51kW and 102Nm it has on paper and, like a lot of Italian engines, it’s happy to be revved and driven hard, pulling the five-door hatch along briskly.
The gearbox shifts easily, with a short throw and direct action. But if you plan on doing a lot of freeway miles then you’ll find yourself wishing for a sixth ratio because at 100km/h the engine is doing 2700rpm, which makes the cabin noisy.
The steering is nicely weighted and responsive but the optional ‘City’ mode is left only for parking because it makes the steering fingertip light and lacks any feel.
Another positive for the Panda is the ride. It’s comfortable and controlled, but the taller body does mean the car leans when cornering vigorously. Compared to the bumpy ride of the 500, the Panda feel luxurious.
Fiat has managed to squeeze 14 storage spaces into the Panda's compact cabin but - like most Italian cars - there still isn’t a cup holder big enough for an Australian-sized cup.
Another area tight on space is the back seat - headroom is fine but legroom is at a premium in the back which rules the Panda out as a family car option. The boot isn’t all that big either, at 225-litres, but it is on par with your average city car.
Moving up the range is the 0.9-litre turbocharged two-cylinder TwinAir engine, which produces 63kW and 145Nm and is available with either the five-speed manual or five-speed Dualogic automated manual transmission (a $1500 option).
It may be smaller than the engine in the Pop but the TwinAir is not only more powerful but uses less fuel (on paper at least) with claimed figures of 4.2L/100km and 4.1L/100km, for the manual and Dualogic respectively.
On the road the TwinAir feels stronger too but the unique two-cylinder engine note is more subdued in the Panda compared to the 500.
We drove the high-spec Lounge model fitted with the Dualogic and, as we’ve found in the Punto, the gearbox falls short of its traditional auto and dual-clutch rivals.
There is a significant shudder from the gearbox and engine when you slow down or take-off from standstill which makes it feel as though the engine is about to stall. On several take-offs from traffic lights there was a noticeable shake through the steering column too.
The Lounge looks more premium than the Pop with a nice piano black finish on the dashboard and a colourful squircle pattern on the cloth seats.
The final model in the Panda range is the Trekking, which has the tougher looks of the 4x4 model and 5cm more ground clearance but still drives the front wheels.
It starts at $24,000 plus on-roads and is only available with a 1.3-litre turbo diesel and the five-speed manual. It produces 55kW and 190Nm and uses 4.2L/100km according to Fiat.
Other unique content includes a ‘Traction plus system’ (which can apply brakes to one of the front wheels if it detects wheelspin), heated front windscreen and a plastic body kit.
The extra ride heights makes no noticeable difference to the way the Trekking drives. The only significant change is the engine note - the gruff diesel replacing the rasp of the TwinAir - but despite the extra torque of the diesel the two perform similarly and use the same amount of fuel.
The Trekking therefore is for those who either prefer a diesel or like the looks.