The Fiat Panda might summon up images of old 70s police chases but the car has had quite a revamp in recent years and if you ask me it's the best looking car around! I wanted to have one for years so I'm very pleased that I finally managed to get one.
The Fiat Panda is exceptionally easy to drive, and will do pretty much whatever you tell it. You can take it on the motorway, into the city and even off-road pretty comfortably. My Fiat Panda is not the biggest car but I'm all on my own so it doesn't bother me!
It's amazing value to buy and run, looks funky and fresh inside and out and it has proved really reliable for me. I can't really find much fault with this car and it's just about perfect for my purposes. Well done Fiat!
I know I know FIAT "Fix It Again Tomorrow", well the Panda Multijet 4x4 Cross at least seems a bit of an improvement. I got this second hand at a year old with 10k on the clock. The paperwork showed some work had been done under warranty on the suspension, but nothing major. Since then I've had no problems at all apart from a couple of tyres need replacing at a normal seeming interval, I forget when exactly but it felt like a normal sort of mileage.
I got the Fiat Panda 4x4 as a budget alternative to a Land Rover as I was planning quite a bit of off-road driving with work (outdoors corporate events), and although I was wary at first it's definitely put paid to my worries. It really performs off road, I mean even in the wet and in steep conditions. It is a small car at the end of the day and it's got its limits, and the size does limit its towing power, but if you're just wanting to move yourself and passengers around in off-road conditions then you could do a whole lot worse than the Panda 4x4 Cross. Cost wise it beats the big boys hands down, I get almost 60mpg on the motorways.
Now, if I've got passengers it's usually clients and across quite short distances around events, so the slightly cramped conditions in the back don't matter too much; but I do notice that myself and I'd be concerned about it if I was transporting them anywhere else, wouldn't look that good.
The boot is pretty tight as well, not really much space for four people's stuff. Mind you it's quite tall, so if you pack things carefully you can get stuff up to the roof, so it might work out. Still that's not ideal as it might restrict visibility. The seats fold down but not 'flat' like in a lot of modern cars, just the backs fold down.
The biggest problem I suppose is that the Panda 4x4 Multijet Cross is a bit too much of an off roader. It feels quite a bit less at home on the open road, just sort of awkward, over powered and under powered all at the same time... it's hard to describe but it's overall happier off road. it doesn't actually have much left after 80mph. Bit noisy at motorway speeds too. Another thing: when the wind gets up at speed take great care, it's very hard to control, easily blows about.
Fiat's tend to have a stereotype of poor build quality and crazy Italians putting the electrics in wrong, but the modern Fiat is far more than just a stigma. I bought the Panda because I used to own an old one in the '80s and it was a good car then, and I'm pleased to say the new one is a good car now.
The Fiat Panda is very spacious for a hatch because of it's tall stance and large amounts of headroom. The boot is more than big enough for the weekly shop, and the grandkids always feel comfortable in the back thanks to the Panda's comfortable suspension.
The residuals are good, too, as is the economy. I regularly achieve over 45mpg after a motorway run - which isn't bad considering how I drive.
If you want a good looking hatch that does what you want it to do without much fuss, then the Fiat Panda is what you want.