Fiat Panda

You’ll like the look of the Fiat Panda. Small, yes – but this little car has lots of charm and delightfulness that makes for a fun and satisfying drive.  You won’t buy a car like this to sit on the motorway for lengthy periods, but when it comes to a fun spin on the twisty stuff or the everyday grind of commuting to and from work, the Fiat Panda excels. It is possible that after giving this one a crack and test driving it, you could find it difficult to hand back the keys to the salesperson.  Just to look at, the clean Smart lines are accentuated nicely by the large grille and purposeful headlights.  The little round driving lights complete the attractive face of the nippy little Fiat Panda. The car sits nice and squat on its mag wheels, while the tall tail lights and chrome exhaust look superb.

Hop on inside the Panda and the figure-hugging seats are fantastic to sit in – rather than on. Fiat Panda’s detailing and finish inside the cabin is wonderfully crafted.  The cabin is both tactile and visually stimulating, which, when combined with the chic exterior, proves to be a real winner.  I love the way the instrumentation behind the chunky little steering wheel is clear and symmetrical.  The six speed gear lever is right there to grab and change gears on demand. In a way, sitting in this snug little cockpit is reminiscent of “big brother Ferrari”.  In the back, however, unlike a Ferrari, you can seat two adults in reasonable comfort and still have room for some shopping bags in the boot.  The high seating stance gives very good visibility all around the car, and as far as bells and whistles go, Australians can enjoy a variety of equipment levels.  The entry-level Fiat Panda models will still impress with their electric front windows, central locking, power steering and stereo as standard.  The more luxurious step-up will add remote locking, body-coloured bumpers, a beefier CD stereo, and air-conditioning.  The top spec models feature climate control, alloy wheels and roof bars.

The quickest of the Fiat Pandas is the 1.4 litre petrol motor, which can wham out a very nippy 73 kW at 5800 rpm.  This equates to a respectable 0-100 km/h time of under 10 seconds and a top speed of around 184 km/h.  The car can runs well all day and churns out a pretty consistent 43 mpg average fuel consumption figure. The 73 kW Fiat Panda keeps pace on the motorway well and corners very well indeed.  And though the wheel base length is small, the bumps in the road are soaked up nicely.

There are also the mainstream petrol engines: – a 1.1-litre rated at 39 kW and a 44 kW 1.2-litre.  A very refined 51 kW 1.3-litre turbo-diesel is also a great performer, with added motorway ability and very frugal fuel bills.  However, all of the engines are flexible and responsive.  The Fiat Panda also offers a four-wheel-drive version which is available with the 1.2 petrol engine.

For a car that has styling, great handling and low running costs, the Fiat Panda is sure to turn heads and grow in popularity throughout Australia.

• Fiat Panda

 

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