Mat Watson tests the new Fiat Grande Panda: the saviour of small, cheap cars

This is the new Fiat Grande Panda, and it looks as though Fiat has gone down the retro route with this car. It looks like something out of the 8-bit video games I used to play growing up, but is the funky styling enough to sell it?

Well I spent a week driving the Grande Panda, and I reckon it has an awful lot going for it. Petrol versions start from £19,000, and the electric model costs just over £21,000. That’s great value for something which looks this desirable.

To find out more about the Grande Panda, check out the video below or have a look at my in-depth review. For now, here are five things I loved about this car, plus a few things which annoyed me.

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Five things I love about about the new Fiat Grande Panda

Let’s start with the positives, because there are plenty of things to like about the new Grande Panda.

1. The looks

I love the way this little Italian hatchback looks, because it manages to look super modern, but also retro at the same time. The big, blocky headlights look great, and I think it works in this bright green as well.

Then there are the details. You have little slashes above the wheelarches which are a nod to Fiat’s old logo, and I especially like the little holographic panel on the rear pillar. It shows the new badge when you look at it from one direction, then the old one from the other.

You get the word Panda embossed in the metalwork down the side of the car, and the blocky taillights at the rear are cool, too. It’s a wicked-looking small car.

2. The interior design

It’s not just the outside which looks really cool, the interior is also packed with funky features. The yellow surround for the infotainment system is meant to mimic the oval test track on the roof of the Fiat Factory in Turin, and there’s even a little picture of a Panda whizzing around it.

The plastics are all a bit cheap-feeling, but I can forgive it because they’re all so brightly coloured. I like the blue you get on the doors and the dashboard, and this range-topping model has a bamboo storage box in front of the passenger. It’s such a cheery cabin.

3. The practicality

Despite its dinky dimensions, the Grande Panda is surprisingly spacious inside. Headroom is really generous thanks to the boxy shape, and there’s a decent amount of kneeroom as well. It’s not even too much of a squeeze with three in the back, and there’s just about enough space for a rear-facing child seat.

Then there’s the boot. I managed to squeeze six carry-on suitcases in the Grande Panda, which is impressive in a car like this.

4. Ease of use

I drive a lot of big, complex cars these days, so I found the Grande Panda to be refreshingly simple. There are physical buttons for the climate control, and I even like the fact there’s still a physical key which you have to turn in the ignition. You know when the car is on or off, and you also know where your key is at all times.

You also get proper buttons to disable things like the speed limit and lane departure warning systems, which is so much better than having these functions buried in a screen.

5. Clever charging cable

Behind a flap at the front of this Fiat you have a retractable AC charging cable, and this made me wonder why more electric cars don’t have this. It’s such a neat solution, it’s just a shame that you can’t have it if you upgrade to the faster 11kW AC charger. The cable for this needs to be chunkier, so it won’t fit in the slot.

Five annoying things about the new Fiat Grande Panda

No car is perfect, and the Grande Panda is no exception. Here are five things which annoyed me.

1. No one-pedal driving

One-pedal driving is one of my favourite features on electric cars. It allows you to come to a complete stop in traffic without touching the brake pedal, so it’s a shame that this city car doesn’t have it.

2. Lacklustre range

The electric Grande Panda is meant to have up to 199 miles of range, but I was seeing closer to 120 miles in the real world. This could be partly down to me driving this car a bit harder than I might if I wasn’t testing it for you lot, but it’s still not a great figure. The petrol version is a better bet if you regularly cover long distances.

3. Rear blind spots

The rear window on this car is quite narrow, and there are also really thick C-pillars which create a massive blind spot over your shoulders. That’s not ideal when pulling out at junctions, but at least the mirrors are a good size to help make up for this.

4. Fiddly ISOFIX points

The Grande Panda has really stiff zips covering the ISOFIX anchor points, and the anchors themselves are buried deep in the seat. This makes it a bit of a faff to locate a child seat – I much prefer those flip-up plastic covers.

5. No vanity mirrors

People buying a car as stylish as this are probably worried about their self image, which is why it’s a shame there are no vanity mirrors in the Grande Panda. What if I want to check myself out before leaving the car?

My final verdict on the Fiat Grande Panda

So then, what’s my final verdict on this car? Well if you’re after a car which looks awesome, has plenty of interior space and is available with both electric and petrol power, I reckon you should go right ahead and buy the new Fiat Grande Panda.

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