Fiat Panda 4x4 Review

Overall Rating

Takes off-roading in its stride.
Cheap & cheerful.
'Funky' - according to the daughter!

Lack of storage space.
Acceleration of a drunk turtle.

The Fiat Panda 4x4 is a good little car and will surprise a few people. The detractors will be literally queueing up to knock the Panda 4x4, but I think anyone who writes of this fiesty Fiat is in danger of ending up with egg on their face. For a cheap 1.2 litre 4x4 the Panda performs well above and beyond the call of duty. I've taken the Panda off road and it is very capable on muddy terrain, the clever thing about this car is that it is a front wheel drive jeep, but when your on slippery surfaces, 50% of the cars engine then reverts to rear wheel drive to give you that helping hand.

The cars interior is surprisingly attractive, it's practical layout and nice colour scheme make this, in my daughter's words 'a funky' little motor. For a 4x4 it is obviously on the cosy side, you'll be fine in the front, but if your travelling with people in the back, make sure they are no taller than dwarf height or they could be in for a severe dose of rheumatism.

The 4 wheel drive system, as covered briefly earlier in this review is excellent. The Panda doesn't require the technical capabilities of other 4x4's because it is so lightweight. So those preaching about diff-locks will be wasting their time, this is a basic, entry level 4x4 which doesn't need the features of the Big Boys offroaders.

The Panda is a good runner off road and about town, but a motorway car it ain't. It accelerates like a baby elephant so if you want to reach impressive speeds then you have to floor it and cross your fingers. This isn't a chav-racing car and I think the loyal Panda fan base won't be looking to break any land speed records, however it is worth taking into account if you are a regular motorway driver.

This is probably the smallest modern 4x4 on the market, so anyone looking to do the Tesco run may find themselves lacking boot and storage space, but anyone with a brain would know this before making the purchase. I've got a mate in the motor game and he assures me that the little Panda will hold it's value nicely due to it's cult status so in that respect I feel we got a good deal.