Fiat's improved Panda gets mild hybrid tech and remains cute and sensible. Jonathan Crouch reports.

Ten Second Review

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 its latest 1.0-litre mild hybrid form - yet can offer surprising reserves of performance. And you can make it high-tech - or specify one that's super-affordable. The Italians have always done this kind of thing very well. They still do.

Background

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. The Fiat Panda's different. Though sized and priced as a little citycar, 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 a hot hatch - or eco-conscious transport for Friends of the Earth. It can be a second vehicle for older empty-nesters. Or the sole car for a rural family. Less a citycar. 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've got 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. Let's try it.

Driving Experience

The volume Panda range is now based around Fiat's newer three cylinder 70hp 1.0-litre mild hybrid powerplant, which improves fuel efficiency without impeding performance. It also ensures a very high standard of driving comfort thanks to a 12-volt 'BSG' 'Belt-integrated Starter Generator', allowing for a quiet, vibration-free restart of the internal combustion engine in Stop&Start mode. The engine puts out 92Nm of pulling power and works via a 6-speed manual gearbox integrated with that 'BSG' set-up we just mentioned. The new system also involves lowering the entire power unit 45mm so the car behaves better on the road thanks to the lower centre of gravity.

Bear in mind that if you opt for either the standard shape ('Wild') or 'Cross' versions of the top 4x4 derivative, the engine used continues to be the brand's two cylinder 85hp TwinAir petrol unit. The 'Cross' version adds an All terrain selector driving mode system and rear differential gear locking that will take you further off the beaten track.

Design and Build

Fiat has given this updated MK3 model Panda a slightly smarter look, courtesy of revised bumpers, smarter wheels and fresh colour options. It remains a tall car, with a vertical tail, a five-door-only shape and a large glass area, plus there's the usual tiny roadway footprint. And the familiar friendly look remains, based upon what Fiat's designers call 'a squarical' theme, rounded rectangles in vogue everywhere from the headlamps to the front air intake, from the wheelarches to that trademark extra third rearward side window.

The squarical touches continue on inside, now updated with seats and dashboard created from recycled materials. As for those squarical touches, you'll find them in the instrument binnacle, on the steering wheel boss, the ventilation controls on the centre console - even on the seats where embossed rounded squares are there to better help air circulate between your body and the backrest. The dashboard itself is enveloped in a colourful frame of your choosing with a roomy storage pocket in front of the front passenger supposed to evoke a nod towards original Eighties Panda motoring. Storage for bigger items is taken care of by a 225-litre boot that's square and usefully shaped.

Market and Model

Panda pricing now starts at around £12,000, which gets you the base 'Panda' model with its 1.0-litre mild hybrid engine. But you'll probably want to embellish this Fiat a bit, either with 'City Life'-spec, which adds front fog lights, smarter front bumpers, an insert in the side skirts and 15-inch dark metal alloy wheels. Or you could go for 'Sport' trim, which adds 16-inch alloy wheels, red brake callipers, darkened rear windows, and body-coloured door handles and door mirrors. If you like the look of the top 4x4 variants but don't need a 4x4, you'll like the 'City Cross' variant, which costs around £14,000.

All of these volume variants use the 1.0-litre mild hybrid engine. If only a 4x4 Panda will do, you'll need to switch to Fiat's older but slightly more powerful 0.9-litre TwinAir 85hp petrol turbo unit. There are two 4x4 options, a 'Wild' model at around £16,000 or the full-fat 'Cross 4x4', costing around £18,000. With the top Panda Cross 4x4, you get an All terrain selector driving mode system and rear differential gear locking that will take you further off the beaten track.

Cost of Ownership

You'd certainly expect this Panda to be at or near the top of its class when it comes to the issue of WLTP-rated running costs. For the 1.0-litre mild hybrid model, the official combined cycle fuel figure is 52.3mpg and there's an CO2 emissions figure of 123g/km. For the 1.0-litre mild hybrid City Cross model, the CO2 reading can rise up to 127g/km. For the TwinAir 4x4 variant, you're looking at 37.7mpg and 166g/km.

The warranty is a typical three year affair but with a 100,000 mile limit that's significantly higher than some other brands will give you. The car is covered by a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty and there's 36 months of breakdown cover included as well. The brand also offers fixed price service plans from one to five years, with corresponding mileage from 9,000 to 45,000 miles.

Summary

Loved by small car people the world over for more than thirty years, the Panda continues to define everything that a very compact multi-purpose model should be. It's had to evolve of course, with more efficient engines and clever technology. But its heart remains simple, functional and innovative. Which is why, while other citycars will please only citycar folk, you could imagine this one being bought by.... well, just about anyone.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Fiat Panda

PRICES: from £18,985

INSURANCE GROUPS: 3-10

CO2 EMISSIONS: 107-129g/km

PERFORMANCE: [TwinAir] 0-60mph 11.5s Top Speed: 110mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: [TwinAir] (combined) 68.9mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, twin front and side airbags

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 3653/1643/1551mm