Can Fiat’s Panda Still Keep Up?
The car in question is the Fiat Panda Young+, and at R109 900 matches the Hyundai i10 on price, which is the cheapest car in the quartet. Problem is, the upright and angular Italian is a far older design and the million Dollar question is how well does it stand up to modern newcomers like the Kia Picanto, Chevrolet Spark, Nissan Micra and the Hyundai?
At face value, not badly. It’s 1.2 litre engine (a similar capacity to that of its rivals) is peppy in the low gears, and it gets away from the line eagerly, and returns consumption in the order of 6.1 litres per 100 km. It does run of punch higher up the rev range and the first hill requires the gearbox to be slotted from top back to fourth though that’s not unexpected from this class of car. Generally though, its rivals make a much better job of things on the open road: the Fiat’s 44 kW and 102 Nm leaves it badly outgunned once you’re out of the suburbs.
It has a decent specification level, and is fitted with air conditioning, power front windows (interesting with one-touch up/down for the driver), and a tuner/CD. Rear windows are raised and lowered manually and the mirrors are adjusted via stalks – no big deal. So while it is there or thereabouts in the specification stakes, it is the ‘touchy-feely’ and the ‘surprise and delight’ departments that the Fiat shows its age. While its modern rivals have a lot to offer in the texture and quality of cabin plastics, the Fiat has a lot of hard, shiny, light-brown surfaces, which in isolation aren’t terrible but shout ‘old’ when the inevitable comparisons are made.
Then there’s the lack of features like steering wheel satellite controls, and an input for music storage devices – certainly features which are nice to have in this day and age. Fortunately, the Panda can hit back with great all-round visibility thanks to the deep windows (visibility is certainly a concern in a number of its sleeker rivals) which give the driver a greater appreciation of what’s going on around the car. It makes it a doddle to park too.
The upright panels maximise interior volume too and you can pack a lot into the Panda despite its compact dimensions: it is the shortest in the segment both in terms of overall length and its wheelbase yet luggage capacity is a match for its rivals. The rear seat does fold, but the backrest is a one piece affair, which limits versatility. And having to remove the key from the ignition to unlock the hatch is a real pain in the you-know-what.
The Panda is quite close to the end of its life, and it shows. But as a suburban runabout, where its low-gear eagerness, manoeuvrability and all-round visibility are its chief strengths, it makes a reasonable case for itself. Unfortunately though, its retail price is likely to scare potential buyers away, who will see that for similar money they can get a much more modern package.
But I say put your bargaining hat on, and head for a Fiat dealership: there you’re bound to find a salesman with a very rubbery arm.
