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Fiat Panda Cross Is the much-decorated crossover still as lovable as ever?
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 fl edged 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 fi gures 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
The Panda’s cabin is neat and well laid out, making the most of what space is available. It’s well put together and quite generously equipped, with an infotainment system that’s designed to operate from your smartphone. The seat trim is peculiar to this model – it defi nitely stands out…
just 1165kg to shift the engine’s torque makes it really nippy around town, with positive in-gear acceleration that means you rarely have to dig deep into the six-speed manual gearbox. Not that it’s a chore to do so, because the gearchange and clutch action alike are slick, smooth and light – though also full of feel.
It does get a bit breathless at higher speeds. The Panda wasn’t made with motorways in mind – it’s not a bad cruiser by any means, and nor is it out of its depth on faster A and B-roads, though its engine and spread of gears were clearly designed to excel elsewhere. Another similarity to the Defender, then…
On twisty roads, on the other hand, it’s very different. Here, it’s an absolute blast. With a snicky gearbox and an engine that loves to rev, you can have a blat-blat-blat experience – and the combination of small size, low power and fourwheel drive means you can have it in the sort of conditions where a more overtly sporty vehicle would feel like a handful. So, while matey in his Porsche or MX5 would leave you behind over a sweeping moor-top road, he’ll be in a ragged panic trying to keep it tidy through a series of square lefts and rights while you’re taking them fl at out, gripping like a leech and leaning this way and that while laughing at the top of your voice. People who take performance seriously and go on about apexes to anyone who’ll listen won’t get it at all – it’s hilarious fun, and at the sort of speeds which mean fun doesn’t have to be antisocial.
It’s also a lot of fun off-road. The Panda’s four-wheel drive system was designed for getting about sure-footedly on snowy or muddy roads, but it’s capable of a lot more than that. There’s a three-position Terrain Control dial with Auto, OffRoad and Hill Descent positions, but even without this its torque and traction, aided by a locking centre diff, will get it through most things.
Obviously, a 185/65R15 M+S tyre is only going to get you so far in ruts It’s nice and lean, though, so the Panda can dig its way through a sloshy top surface to fi nd the grippy stuff below – so as long as you steer clear of bottomless mud, or terrain that’s simply too much for its ground clearance, you’ll probably keep moving.
Light weight helps here (it’s the holy grail of off-road design in general, in fact, though you wouldn’t think it to look at some of the monsters you see being heaved out to do the job), and it allows the Panda to be really sure-footed over surprisingly rough terrain. Its small size makes it exceptionally manoeuvrable, too – aided, if you wish, by the City Mode which boosts the assistance to give it feather-light steering.
The fact that this is called City Mode, as opposed to RTV Mode, is a reminder of what the Panda is all about at heart. But unlike most crossovers, the Cross’ butch looks are more than just for show. Its lower body cladding and hefty front and rear skid plates are there to do a job of work – no-one’s denying that they’re also very cool, but that’s form following function rather than the other way round. And sure enough, there’s another similarity to the Defender of old.
These continue when you climb inside the cabin, at least in terms of space, because inevitably it’s in pretty short supply – the back seats are okay for kids, but sit one adult behind another and one or both
You can’t fi t a quart into a pint pot, and you can’t fi t four tall adults into a Panda. Not unless at least two of them are willing to endure a pretty cramped time of it, at least. The tailgate aperture is enormous, allowing you to load big items – if only the rear seats folded fl ush to the fl oor, what a stuff-shifter it would be. Van conversion, anyone…?
The 875cc TwinAir petrol engine loves to rev and is also amazingly torquey at low speeds. Mated to a slick six-speed manual box, it makes the Panda Cross a pleasure to drive – and a willing partner in crime when you want it to be, too. There’s a drive mode dial with off-road and hill descent positions, which no doubt help – though even without these, its basic engineering gives it no shortage off ability in surprisingly rough terrain
seats instead of the very basic drop- is well laid out and nice to look at. you’re paying strong money for the down arrangement that yields what It’s trimmed in decent materials, too, off-road ability you get. Having said of them are going to fi nd it pretty is a rather clunky cargo space, but with stout switchgear and a good that, when you look at how little cramped. Unlike the old Defender, would that be worth the extra retail media system featuring a cradle to even twice as much money can buy however, what space there is is as cost? Nothing is left to chance in the hold your smartphone, and it comes you if you shop unwisely, the Panda well used as you can hope to expect, motor industry, so they obviously with a range of safety kit as well as Cross is a sound looking buy. It’s a with a decent driving position and a asked the question and decided that climate control as standard. very cool city car, it’s a giant-killer no-nonsense boot space. Fiat could no, it’s not. So it should, you might say, at off-road and it’s a load of fun everyhave spent millions on developing Another difference to the old £18,125. That’s £4000 more than where. And, to answer the question a more elegant system for the rear a more elegant system for the rear Defender is that up front, the dash Defender is that up front, the dash the aforementioned City Cross, so the aforementioned City Cross, so we asked up top, that is why.we asked up top, that is why.
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