Fiat Panda 4x4

When i collected my new car and drove home i was not happy with the mpg which Fiat quote 59mpg mine did 38mpg after a few thousand miles it improved to the mid 40's ,Now after 18 months and due for its first service at 18000 miles i'm getting 50 and am expecting it to improve even more after the service,The twinair is totally different to previous Panda's the suspension is a lot softer yet soaks up the bumps there is body roll on corners but you get used to that ,The motor though only being 2 cyl pulls well except when you press the eco mode button (used for town driving) I found it made no difference to the overall running costs always left the button set on normal.I do trips of 200 mls and find its comfortable to drive its easy to get in and out of parking is easy with the electronic power steering (@68 yrs) Servicing costs are fair especially at 18k intervals (see handbook) If you do less than 10,000 it needs servicing at 12 months i dont know why! One thing you need to do is get a couple of quotes ,I phoned 2 local Fiat dealers one quoted £320 the other £199 for the same service .Overall i'm very very pleased with my car

I wanted a small 4x4 and there are not many on the market. I live in the hills of South Wales where I'd be cut off in heavy snow without a 4x4, but with this last mild winter (2013-4) there has been no chance to test this aspect yet.

Anyway, it is pleasant to drive although a bit harsh under acceleration (expect with a diesel), seems well made, and practical for a small car. I am not interested in high performance. Some minor gripes are the excessive amount of "nagging" from a bleeper and the instruments (eg advice to change gear), that the rim of the steering wheel obscures the critical 30-50 mph part of the speedometer, that you cannot switch off the running lights (salesman told me they are a legal requirement now?!), and the level external "shelf" below the tailgate collects puddles and mud (they should have sloped it down).

I am suprised that there is the 2-cyl "Twinair" engine option on the 4x4. That is a motorbike engine, with the very opposite characteristics that are desirable for a 4x4. Even to pretend to be serious, a 4x4 needs a low-rev-high-torque slow-slogging type of engine. I see Fiat try to compensate by adding an extra low gear withthe Twinair. Ditto that a spare wheel is only an option (I opted); even to pretend to be a serious 4x4 you need to carry a spare wheel (rather than a blow-uo goo aerosol) because you might have cut your tyre to ribbons on rocks, or dented the wheel rim when you slide in that snow.

Amazing little car, i was going to buy a new panda as they were on offer @£6k

then i found a 57 reg 4x4 with only 8k miles from new for sale @£5200 so i pulled the blokes arm off as their £11k new ,i find it a little bumpy /bouncy compared to the wife`s passat though after driving it for 1000 mls you get used to it ,keeping your speed down to 60mph i get 42-46mpg which is very good with 38mpg in town ,its easy to park as its so small it`ll take 4 adults the boot in a tad small ,i personally think its a bit of a cult car like the Citreon 2CV is,and i`m looking foward to the snow this winter when this 4x4 will prove its worth .

I bought my 4 X 4 because while I was looking at the road version of the Panda I noticed an advert for demo model 4 X 4's at a good price. I test drove the sassy little 4 X 4 panda and fell in love with it. I own the trekking version of the car which is a more basic version then the Climbing but I am completely in love with it.

I work in film and media, I live in Johannesburg South Africa, occasionally for shoots or scouting i venture off road into the veld. This dinky but astonishing car has never let me down on the rocky sandy terrain of the South African Highveld. I also own a ridgeback who, rides in the boot and chihuahua that rides on the front seat. My only quirk is I had to put seat covers on the seats as the yellow and grey fabric was looking tired with the wear and tear of people, dogs, and film equipment. I have had the seats cleaned and covered to prevent further damage.

I am so besotted by my little Panda I could write a book on him but in the interest of not boring you I highly recommend this car as an eco friendly and city smart 4 X 4 at price that a car should be. My car puts a smile on my face everyday.

A wonderful city car. Very easy to park. High driving position. Goes anywhere, country, Dartmoor, without fear of getting stuck, easy for towing a boat. Very capable. A car thats put fun back into motoring.

The new panda cross even better.

Brilliant little car that I've been after for ages (pity I didn't have one in Australia - loads of places for it to explore in New South Wales).

I needed a car that was cheap, reliable, fun to drive and could clamber up muddy farm tracks.

It also has to be able to park in tight spaces in Bristol city centre and commute across town, whilst also taking 4 six foot adults to the pub.

It does all of these things with ease.

I can carry full mounteering kit in my car and still have enough space for a single person's food shopping (bread, cheese and cider!).

The car appears to be very tough and has survived the odd rock scraping it's underside, the gear box is a joy to use and nicely positioned. She seems to love steep, narrow roads with tight bends, such as in Bristol and Norway.

I have used her on the odd snowy road - she did well, but I need to do further "research", such as a trip to Scotland in the winter.

The tyres can be tricky to find (some grease monkeys refuse to believe such duel purpose tyres exist), but do their job very well.

A friend of mine says he sees these cars all the time in the villages of Italy and is always impressed by them.

The roof bars are handy for that impulsive purchase of kayak paddles!

I'm very happy with my Panda, but I would suggest a test drive and rigorous research before anyone gets any car.

If you do get one, please take her (legally) into the mud once in a while (if only to wind up a chelsea tractor driver!).

The Fiat Panda 4x4 is a good little car and will surprise a few people. The detractors will be literally queueing up to knock the Panda 4x4, but I think anyone who writes of this fiesty Fiat is in danger of ending up with egg on their face. For a cheap 1.2 litre 4x4 the Panda performs well above and beyond the call of duty. I've taken the Panda off road and it is very capable on muddy terrain, the clever thing about this car is that it is a front wheel drive jeep, but when your on slippery surfaces, 50% of the cars engine then reverts to rear wheel drive to give you that helping hand.

The cars interior is surprisingly attractive, it's practical layout and nice colour scheme make this, in my daughter's words 'a funky' little motor. For a 4x4 it is obviously on the cosy side, you'll be fine in the front, but if your travelling with people in the back, make sure they are no taller than dwarf height or they could be in for a severe dose of rheumatism.

The 4 wheel drive system, as covered briefly earlier in this review is excellent. The Panda doesn't require the technical capabilities of other 4x4's because it is so lightweight. So those preaching about diff-locks will be wasting their time, this is a basic, entry level 4x4 which doesn't need the features of the Big Boys offroaders.

The Panda is a good runner off road and about town, but a motorway car it ain't. It accelerates like a baby elephant so if you want to reach impressive speeds then you have to floor it and cross your fingers. This isn't a chav-racing car and I think the loyal Panda fan base won't be looking to break any land speed records, however it is worth taking into account if you are a regular motorway driver.

This is probably the smallest modern 4x4 on the market, so anyone looking to do the Tesco run may find themselves lacking boot and storage space, but anyone with a brain would know this before making the purchase. I've got a mate in the motor game and he assures me that the little Panda will hold it's value nicely due to it's cult status so in that respect I feel we got a good deal.