The Fiat Panda 4x4 will cost from £13,950 when it goes on sale next month. The front-wheel-drive Panda Trekking will cost from £12,450.
The engine line-up for both models includes Fiat’s 900cc TwinAir and 1.3-litre MultiJet units. The diesel unit attracts a £1000 premium.
The Panda 4x4’s TwinAir engine returns an average of 57.6mpg with a CO2 rating of 114g/km. Diesel MultiJet models record headline figures of 60.1mpg and 125g/km. In Trekking versions, running costs are improved: 61.4mpg/105g/km and 67.3mpg/109g/km for the TwinAir and MultiJet engines respectively.
Both models feature larger bumpers and additional protective cladding, skid plates, roof rails, 15in alloy wheels and a raised ride height.
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Dazed and NOT confused
Good points and I second your opinion - but still like the Yeti despite the price, and does have a bit more of everything too. But the Panda off road - amazing, and a hoot when you see RR and LR and Yota's etc struggling in snow, this little blighter is like a Jack Russel terrier.
To buy or not to buy
Yeti's looks are an acquired taste and they fail to grow on me despite so many recommendations.
I am still undecided as to what SUV to get. Count out the bulky ones. I don't need it to transport dead bodies. A light efficient SUV is all I want.
Size-wise Juke fits the bill. But the car's front is over-done. And the engine line-up is neither efficient nor performance oriented. The squat side profile is very appealing though.
Mokka's size and looks agree with me but the name is unearthly. The engine line-up is even poorer than Juke's. And the car has barely hit the road. In three year's time it would be the dirtiest small SUV plying on our roads.
Countryman has the greatest badge appeal and residual values. I don't mind the mini-on-steroid looks either but the interior, dials and switch-gear are dated and the car is not very practical.
Kuga looks good from most angles. But isn't particulary clean.
Tiguan is too big. It looks imposing but I'm tired to the bone with VW's conservative looks.
Freelander is over-priced and its appeal now seems limited to die-hard Land Rover fans.
Qashqai is one size too big and is also getting on a bit.
Peugeot 3008 and Honda's CRV look more MPV than SUV.
CX5 engine line-up impresses. Only if the size was right.
Ecosport and 2008 haven't arrived yet or they may fit the bill in terms of the size I require.
Sportage and IX35 are okay but a size too big and engines aren't particularly fast or clean.
Then there is this new price prodigy: Duster. Name puts me off. Saw one in white the other day. Didn't look cheap or bad. Just nothing new. Price-wise it's a bargain. Brand-wise: yep, it's a giant leap of (blind) faith.
Panda's looks are an acquired taste. But a small 4WD at an attractive price from a known brand with a petrol model promising a small carbon foot-print. Tempting or what?
The best 4x4 by far.
All those people who think the Panda is no good off road (very light use 4x4 /not a real off roader / Jimny far better off road / etc.) are sorely mistaken - and I expect making an assumption based on looks rather than talking from experience.
The 1st generation Panda and the previous generation Panda Cross (diesel, locking diffs) in particular are unbelievably good off road, especially in snow and mud where they don't sink like heavier 4x4s. The light weight, combined with the short wheelbase, means the lack of ride height is less of an issue than you'd expect - they only really start to struggle in soft sand. The approach angle, and departure angle in particular are incredible.
Go to tha Alps in winter, and everyone, including the police, have Panda 4x4s - not Suzuki Jimnys.
This is one car, like the Lada Niva, you would be foolish to underestimate - I've seen it embarass many a 'proper' off roader.
(P.S. I'm not deluded. I know it's not really the best 4x4 by far - that'd be a Landcruiser 80 series. But it's still an amazing piece of kit.)
Six Years Ago ...
... I'd narrowed my choice of new car down to either a Panda 4x4 or a Suzuki Ignis 4-Grip ... I went for the Suzuki as the engine had a lot more oomph ... I told the FIAT dealer I'd have opted for the Panda if only they'd put the diesel engine into it (it only had the weedy 1.2 FIRE) ...
Six years on and now we have the diesel (but only with a 5-speed box?) and the notorious TwinAir petrol engine (with a 6-speed!) complete with dubious real-world economic credentials ... Personally, I would have the diesel as that engine is a cracker ...