Panda 4x4 2005 | FIAT | Car Reviews

Impressively capable off road, chunky looks, as practical as the standard Panda, good quality and easy to use interior.

A front-wheel drive Panda rides better, sluggish performance.

Introduction

It's hard not to love the FIAT Panda. Chic, cheerful, small and cute. European Car of the Year 2004, it's comfortable, fun to drive, has the best-designed control panel of any car anywhere and comes in some great solid colours, including Guacamole green, Vanilla yellow and a kind of creamy turquoise.
I covered the Panda 1.1 Active elsewhere on the site. My conclusion was, "I reckon that FIAT has cracked the nut that no one else quite managed to since BMC came up with the original Mini: A cheap, basic car that puts a smile on your face." I thought the 1.1 Active was the Panda that made the most sense.

But now we have the options of a Panda with a diesel engine, or a Panda with four wheel drive. Later, we might be able to buy both together, depending on how robust the drive system proves to be with the more torquey diesel. It should be okay though. There are plenty of original Panda 4x4s still romping around with over 200,000 miles under their wheels.

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Last updated 9 March 2012

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