DRIVEN
FIAT PANDA CROSS 4X4 The effortlessly charming little off-road giant-killer continued its domination in the Crossovers class of our 4x4 of the Year awards this year. After so long in production, how does Fiat manage it?
THE PANDA CROSS 4X4 won its class in this year’s 4x4 of the Year awards – not that that should come as any surprise, because it seems to have been doing that forever. So here’s the question. Why? What is it about the Panda Cross that makes it so eternally likeable? Normally, this is a question we’d answer by talking about character. That’s no small matter, obviously –
it’s what made the old Land Rover Defender so popular, and the same would have gone for the Suzuki Jimny if only you’d been able to buy one. The Panda is a different kind of off-roader to either of these, in that it has all-independent suspension and a single range of gears. It exists because in rural and mountainous parts of Europe, there has traditionally been a genuine need for small, economical vehicles that can cope with unmade roads and tracks. People who live in these areas need everyday cars
with a bit more traction and ground clearance but that’s as far as it goes – it’s simply for being able to get about, not for show or for fun, and they certainly don’t want the extra cost of buying and running a fully fledged off-roader. Hence vehicles like the original Panda 4x4, which just like the Defender was good at its job but started to catch on as a car for enthusiasts too. Fiat got the idea a decade or so back and, alongside a more modest all-wheel-drive Panda, introduced a funked-up version with the looks to go with its ability – and it’s been part of the range ever since. There’s also a City Cross, which has the same sort of looks
but only has front-wheel drive, so they’re catering for urban warriors too – but obviously, we’re only interested in the real thing here. You used to be able to get it in diesel form, which was great, but the current Panda Cross 4x4 is available only with an 875cc two-cylinder petrol unit. That doesn’t sound ever so promising, but with the aid of a turbocharger it puts out 90bhp at 5500rpm and 107lbf.ft at 1900rpm – and it does it while making a wonderfully raspy, rorty noise that can’t help but put a smile on your face. The figures say the Panda takes 12.7 seconds to get from 0-62mph, but it feels far, far livelier than that. In particular, with a kerb weight of
Lower body cladding and big skid plates are common parlance among urban crossovers, but on the Panda Cross they’re a case of form following function. It might be aware of its style, but it’s a proper little off-road machine too. Those 185/65R15 M+S tyres will only get so far in ruts, but in real-world conditions they do an excellent job of cutting through the wet stuff in search of grip
30 | JULY 2021
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4x4 29/05/2021 16:18
