Long-term test: Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid

Verdict

It’s a cheap runabout, but the Fiat Grande Panda attracted a lot of attention during a recent family holiday. Strong fuel efficiency meant the trip didn’t cost a fortune, either. But the Fiat would be much easier to recommend if it didn’t keep throwing up irritating little faults.

• Mileage: 3,214 miles
• Efficiency: 50.4mpg

Countless tourists – myself included – will agree that Devon is chock-full of wonderful scenery and places of interest. Whether it’s the rolling hills or picturesque bays, there’s no shortage of sights to please the eye. But during a recent family holiday, I noticed there was something else that people really flocked towards: our Fiat Grande Panda.

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I’ve been lucky enough to drive some exotic cars during my career, but those only tend to attract the occasional curious petrolhead who already knows what they’re looking at. The key difference here is that the Grande Panda is a budget-focused supermini, and I’ve genuinely lost count of the number of people who’ve taken a second glance at it.

This can be partly attributed to rarity. The Fiat’s arch-nemesis, the Renault 5, is now a pretty common sight on the nation’s roads, but I only saw one other Grande Panda during my holiday, despite covering hundreds of miles.

Current exclusivity aside, this is also one of Fiat’s more intriguing designs. After a few months holding the keys, I still think it really stands out, even though this one’s painted in rather subtle Lago Blue. If I was to guess what its admirers might be thinking, I reckon it’d be along the lines of ‘I’ve not seen one of those before’, or ‘somebody must have put their Hyundai Santa Fe on a hot wash!’.

While I didn’t expect the Fiat to become the centre of attention during my trip, I had hoped it would be an efficient luggage and people carrier, given that there were four of us heading to Devon. The good news is that I couldn’t get it to drop below 50mpg, even when it was packed to the brim and heavily weighed down. More disappointing was that  getting everyone and everything to fit involved a bit of luck. But after some adjustments, we were all just about able to get comfortable.

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It wasn’t a drama-free trip, however, because the Fiat continues to throw up some intermittent issues. While the previously reported windscreen washer pump failure has been fixed, our Grande Panda has now developed the infuriating habit of occasionally keeping its door mirrors folded. 

They’re supposed to unfurl when the doors are unlocked, but this doesn’t always happen and I’ve yet to find any manual override to fix the problem. Instead, I simply have to keep unlocking and locking the car until they decide to play ball. This issue isn’t unique to our Grande Panda, either, because a conversation with a fellow motoring journalist revealed that they are also having to put up with exactly the same fault.

Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid: first fleetwatch report

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The Grande Panda has been very useful for hauling classic car parts without guzzling fuel

It’s only a supermini, but the Fiat Grande Panda has been proving its worth as a small van in recent weeks. 

I’ve been finding scarce parts for my beloved Austin 7 and delivering them to the lock-up where it’s stored, so the Fiat has been happily trundling near and far to collect them, while only taking a very light sip on its fuel supply. This efficiency is particularly welcome considering that petrol prices have risen so sharply again.

Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid: first report

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Life with Fiat’s funky hybrid is off to a challenging start

• Mileage: 1,218 miles
• Efficiency: 41.2mpg

Allow me to begin this report with a confession: I’m a bit odd. I take an immense amount of joy in seeing the ancient, battered cars that are still earning their keep on the Continent.

One such example would be the Fiat Panda; there’s one on almost every street corner, usually with scraped bumpers and dents on every panel. Every generation of Panda has perfectly filled this brief of simplicity and durability, and if the new one wants even an ounce of its success, it’s got its work cut out.

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After my first few weeks with the Grande Panda Hybrid, I’m pleased to announce that it’s mostly good news. While ADAS technology and screens are inevitable in this day and age, Fiat has done a wonderful job of keeping this new-fangled gadgetry straightforward.

There are switches for the climate control, buttons to silence the noisier safety features, and a proper key. Yes, one of those long metal things that you insert and rotate to start the car. Have some of that, keyless relay thieves!

Now, I’m not against tech-filled cars, but it’s so refreshing to drive something that has the kit I actually need without endless faff and sub-menus. Granted, the Fiat’s infotainment system isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but it’s responsive enough and easy to navigate. The screens are clear to read and colourful, too.

Talking of colour, the Fiat Grande Panda is a joy to behold both inside and out. It’s unashamedly chunky on the outside and the interior is filled with characterful design cues. It’s very easy to overdo this sort of thing, but Fiat has just about managed to tread the line. However, while it’s all rather pleasing to the eye, things soon start to unravel when your hands become involved.

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This is a cheap car by modern standards, so low-rent materials are a given. That’s not really an issue, but the problem lies with just how susceptible these surfaces are to scratches. With a little over 1,200 miles on the clock, my poor Panda is already carrying several battle scars ranging from the blue door panels to the piano-black plastic which surrounds the gear selector. Few of these were my doing because I like to be careful, but I’m already wondering what the cabin will look like after a mere 10,000 miles. 

There’s more bad news from under the bonnet, too, where the windscreen-wash reservoir pump has failed. This doesn’t do anything to discourage the old stereotype of Italian cars having iffy electronics, but hopefully we’ll be able to get it fixed quickly.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.

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