When Fiat told us the Panda 4x4 Antarctica special edition was available for test, I immediately thought of chunky winter tires, a crisp white paint job and perhaps some rugged roof racks. I was right on two counts, but the penguin was a bit of a surprise. You see, Fiat is celebrating 30 years and half-a-million sales of the go-anywhere Panda, and wanted to make its cheeky super-mini stand out. So, as well as our flightless friend, we also get a black roof, splashes of orange trim, diamond finish alloy wheels and tinted windows, all for £700 more than the standard car, coming it at just under £15k. The interior is rather charming thanks to these ‘Squircle’ dials, yes ‘Squircle’, that’s the name Fiat gives to these rounded circles repeated all over the dashboard. There’s real attention to detail and even the texture on the door trims is actually the word ‘Panda’ if you look hard enough.
For such a small car you sit surprisingly high up, and this coupled with tall windows means there’s amazing visibility, taking some of the stress out of city driving. On the down side, the infotainment system is complicated with rather odd controls, and yes, I even had to consult the manual to pair my phone with its Blue&Me Bluetooth connection. But, that’s small fry compared to how spacious the Panda’s high roof makes it for front and rear passengers, so long as you they’re happy to sit fairly upright. The boot is pretty good for the class, with 225-liters of space, but the Skoda City-go and Hyundai i10 both offer more luggage room, with 250 liters behind the rear seats. The rear seats split and fold, but don’t go quite flat, making it tricky to slide in larger items. But it’s the raised ride-height, upgraded suspension and tougher looks which set this Panda apart. It really feels like driving a Discovery that’s shrunk in the rain.
The suspension is superb at soaking up bumpy roads, making the Panda feel like a far much bigger car. There’s plenty of grip too, and despite its soft suspension, it stays neat and tidy in corners. This 1.3-liter diesel has 75bhp and a five-speed gearbox, while an 85bhp Twin-air two-cylinder petrol is also available. 0-62mph takes 14.5 seconds and just look how short the gearing is, there’s first, second third. But this does mean you can keep the engine in its power-band. The four-wheel drive system automatically sends power to the wheel which needs it most, and this button stops wheels spinning independently of each other, for maximum traction. The Panda is truly impressive off-road, making it able to tackle far more than we can throw at it today.
It also makes it quite unique, because most crossovers like the Peugeot 2008 and Renault Capture only have front-wheel drive. So, should you buy one of the 300 Panda 4x4 Antarctica editions coming to the UK? Well, not only does it have character, it’s surprisingly fun to drive and great off-road. But, its short gearing means it’s better suited to town use than sitting on the motorway, where the Citigo or Hyundai i10 are more refined. Fiat also sells a two-wheel drive of the rugged Panda called the Trekking for a few thousand pounds less, so we’d say unless you need the unique abilities of the 4x4, the Trekking represents better value. Still, if you want a super-mini, but live on the side of the mountain, the Panda 4x4 is the car you’ll want. Either that or you just can’t get enough of Penguins.
Fiat Panda 4x4 Antartica 2015 Car Auto Review
4/
5
Oleh
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