The compact Grande Panda could be the ideal city car – something Fiat has a long tradition of building. Jack Evans tries it out.
If there’s one thing that Fiat can do better than most, it’s create small, characterful and extremely useful cars. You’ve had cars like the Uno, the Cinquecento and, more recently, the revised 500. Now, it’s the time of the Panda to make a comeback, reviving a name which holds a dear place in Fiat history.
Now introduced as the ‘Grande Panda’, it’s a model which is designed to remain compact and easy to drive, yet with a little more space than its name-sharing forebears. We’ve been trying it out.
Photos: PA Media
For starters, the Grande Panda is electrified – so you can get it with either hybrid or electric setups, the latter of which we’re driving here. Moreover, it shares a platform with other Stellantis-group cars, namely the Citroën C3 and the electric e-C3.
Essentially, that allows the Grande Panda to keep relatively small exterior proportions but maximise interior space and boot capacity. Plus, it’s a multi-energy platform, which means it can cater for either hybrid or electric powertrains with very little downside to either setup.
As we mentioned, we’re in the electric Grande Panda. It gets a pretty straightforward setup overall, with a single 114bhp electric motor hooked up to a 44kWh battery for a range of 199 miles. During our time with the car, we saw just over 180 miles, so pretty close to that claimed range. A usefully rapid maximum charge speed of 100kW means that you can charge the Grande Panda’s battery from 10 to 80 per cent in around 33 minutes.
Performance-wise, the Grande Panda will go from 0-60mph in a modest 11.3 seconds, but because of that electric powertrain, it has been designed for nippiness away from the lights.
Previous generations of Panda have always offered an intuitive and hassle-free driving experience and the new Grande model continues this. Jump in, start the car and you’re away – there’s very little to worry about. We did find that the gear selector could be a bit sluggish to change, but aside from this it’s a very laid-back affair. The ride quality is great, too, and the Grande Panda is ideal for shirking off the worst of what roads have to offer.
Visibility is decent, too, and the Grande Panda’s square shape means it’s a breeze to park. However, though this car is aimed at around-town driving, it doesn’t feel out of its depth on the motorway and, when there, it’s surprisingly quiet and refined. Its light steering, which helps when darting through traffic or around town, does mean it feels a bit flighty when you’re going more quickly, mind you.
In what has become a rather plain landscape of bubble-shaped EVs, the Grande Panda’s design is a breath of fresh air. There are little details to explore and check out across the car, too, from the classic Fiat badges printed into the plastic wheelarches to the changing Fiat graphic on the rear pillar; there’s a sense that Fiat’s designers have been able to have a bit of fun with the Grande Panda. One of the best innovations on the Grande Panda is the integrated charging cable which you can pull out like a hose from the front of the car. It’s hidden under a black plastic section within the grille.
There’s a great range of colours, too, with the bronze of our test car helping to give this car extra ‘pop’.
As we mentioned earlier, the Grande Panda’s platform aims to create a lot of interior space and it seems to have been successful in this area. Headroom is impressive – you can thank the Panda’s boxy design for that – while rear-seat legroom is far more than you’d expect. There’s a deep, square boot to access, too, and because of that hidden charging cable in the ‘nose’, there’s no need to take up space with cables in the boot.
The materials are cheap in places, but, in fairness, this is reflected in the Grande Panda’s starting price. There are loads of great storage areas and the twin glovebox setup proves incredibly handy.
The Grande Panda has been priced competitively. There’s still plenty of kit, mind you, and if you’re after the most bells and whistles then you could opt for the La Prima specification like our test car, as it adds climate control, front parking sensors and heated seats, among other features.
The Grande Panda does feel like a car which is at its best when kept to the lowest price possible. You still get a handy infotainment screen on all versions and though it’s not as feature-rich as some other offerings, you still get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so it’s easy to mirror your phone’s apps.
The Fiat Grande Panda feels like the type of electric car that more manufacturers should be making. It’s uncomplicated, has the right amount of range and is quick to charge. Add to that this car’s spacious interior and decent equipment levels and you’ve got something that is hard to ignore.
