Fiat Panda 4×4 nothing to sneeze at

The Fiat Panda 4×4 is higher off the ground that the regular model

Fiat missed a trick with our Panda 4×4 test car – brilliant white in colour, disappointingly it did not have black wing mirror ‘ears’.

A compact SUV, the Panda 4×4 is positively deceptive. With a tall and sturdy profile, it looks very narrow and absolutely tiny from the back. However, it’s actually quite spacious.

Inside, the cabin is very funky, cute and child friendly, with loads of two tone curves and the squircle (or squared circle) motif of yore evident through the upholstery, switches, on the roof and in the instrument panel, as well as outside on the rear lights.

The dashboard, meanwhile, is one big curve, inset with a curved storage shelf over a recessed glove compartment.

The storage shelf is handy but a non-slip mat to hold items in place would make it far more practical.

The dashboard, door inserts and pillars have the letters p-a-n-d-a subtly scattered all over them – just in case you forget what you’re driving.

The cabin in the Fiat Panda 4×4 is bright and airy

As is typical of Fiats, the rev counter and speedometer on the instrument panel are transposed.

Infotainment was provided for via a radio/CD unit with Blue and Me Bluetooth, USB and aux. The latter two of which, along with a 12 volt socket are well placed on the centre console, between the seats.

The Panda 4×4 also had nice moulded bottle holders on the front doors, but unusually shaped and not as useful door bins in the back. More useful in the back were the hanger hooks, with a grab handle for the front seat passenger.

Inside the cabin of the Fiat Panda 4×4 is a nice place to be. It manages to feel much bigger than it looks from the outside – mainly due to its high driving position, high roof and the fact that the top half of the car is practically all glass.

Legroom is great in the front and quite adequate in the rear for someone of my height – 5ft 5in – sitting behind a driver of similar height.

Two adults would fit comfortably in the back. While the seats are quite comfortable, the front seat headrests are not so much – they look and feel like blobs of hard plastic.

The boot, however, is a decent enough size for such a small car. It’s more than big enough to fit a weekly grocery shop. The rear seats can of course be easily folded to make the boot bigger – they don’t lie flat though.

The boot in the Fiat Panda 4×4 is decent

Our Fiat Panda 4×4 test car was powered by a 1.3-litre MultiJet engine and our route saw us on city streets, country roads, motorway and what is best described as a steep, narrow, winding made-for-one-car Z-road boreen, complete with grass growing up the middle.

Despite its noisy engine, it’s a pleasant car to drive.

It is quite pedestrian in the city and the motorway, ambling along at the lights and slowly making its way from 0-120kph.

City steering makes light work of urban manoeuvering and the fuel efficient stop/start technology, which automatically cuts the engine when the car is idling in traffic, is great for city driving.

However, where this car comes alive is on winding country roads.

While not quite off road, the bockety boreen we found ourself on was challenging but the Panda 4×4 handled it really well.

Suspension was excellent and it also handled well on corners with no noticeable over- or understeer.

Because it’s so small, it’s also great for those ‘not sure what’s around the corner’ type of roads.

Overall, I really liked the Panda 4×4. It’s a cute, youthful, small family car that’s quirky enough to put a smile on your face on any drive. It also has the added benefit of 4×4 grip for when the going gets tough in winter driving conditions.

The Fiat Panda 4×4 is available now, with prices starting from €19,995. Prices for the Fiat Panda range start from €11,995.

Tech Spec
Engine: 1.3-litre MultiJet 75hp diesel
Acceleration: 0-100kph in 14.5seconds
Maximum Speed: 159kph
CO2 emissions: 125g/km
Combined fuel economy: 4.7l/100km
Annual road tax: €270

Visit the Fiat Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.