22-06-2025
Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid review: forget electric, this is the acme of the modern small car
When you think of utility motoring, which cars come to mind? A battered Land Rover Series 1? A Dacia Logan of indeterminate age with peeling paintwork, somewhere on the road to Marrakech? Or perhaps an original Fiat Panda from the Eighties in the Alps or Appenines, all bare-metal interior and Giorgetto Giugiaro's folded-paper lines gently rusting?
Certainly, like the original Renault 4 or Citroen 2CV from France, the first Panda from Fiat, a previously undisputed master of the small car, has a utilitarian appeal. Sandra Howard, novelist and wife of former prime minister Michael, drove a battered first-generation Panda 4x4 for years until it was terminally vandalised at a railway station.
Italy is the last redoubt for these extraordinarily basic but fun and frugal models, but this January it extended the idea and name on a larger Grande Panda, launched initially as a politically correct battery-electric model priced at £21,035. My verdict was that it was a pleasant enough family car, but it didn't dispel nagging doubts about a sub-200-mile range and ownership costs for the perhaps impecunious families being targeted. The idea that the petrol-hybrid version would be a more practical prospect for more people, more of the time, took root.
Well, I finally got my hands on the petrol hybrid; as utility goes, the new Grande Panda Pop at £18,035 is right up there. Competitors include the Dacia Duster and Sandero, the related Citroën C3 and Vauxhall Frontera, along with Renault's Clio.
There will be an even cheaper pure internal combustion-engined version with a six-speed manual gearbox, although it hasn't been confirmed for the UK yet, while a 4x4 concept has been shown recently.
A new Panda – but the old one continues
Of course, utility motoring is a very different prospect to what it was in the Eighties. The bare minimum these days, even in the most basic Panda, is air-conditioning, a 10.25in infotainment touchscreen, rear parking sensors, adjustable steering and a plethora of annoying Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
If you are determined on alloy wheels, roof rails, skid plates and so on, go for the middling £19,035 Icon version. The top-spec La Prima costs £21,035 and has heated front seats, 17-inch wheels, parking sensors at both ends and a rear-view camera.
For those having an attack of the vapours, the pre-existing Panda isn't going anywhere. As an Italian friend put it: 'They haven't made the streets in Florence any wider…'. That current Panda (also known as Pandina), the tiny, 3.68m-long four-door A-class car, is manufactured in the old Alfa Romeo plant at Pomigliano d'Arco in Italy. It continues for now at least.
This new Grande Panda, by contrast, is built in Serbia at the Stellantis plant at Kragujevac, although it will also be made in Algeria and Brazil. It's based on the Stellantis low-cost Smart Car 199 platform originally developed with help of Jaguar Land Rover's owner Tata – Vauxhall's new Frontera and Citroën's C3 share the underpinnings.
If this all sounds vaguely familiar, then think of Renault's Dacia brand, which is targeted at a similarly utilitarian market and built in Romania and Morocco.
Under the skin
The Grande Panda is 3,999mm long, 1,763mm wide (2,017mm with mirrors) and 1,586mm high with a 412mm ground clearance for when grass is growing up the centre of the road. The boot volume is 412 litres (51 litres larger than the electric version) with the rear seats up and a total of 1,366 litres with them folded. The resulting load bed is distinctly stepped, so there's no sliding in that Billy bookcase without help.
This, the cheapest version of the Grande Panda, has 16-inch steel wheels, slows with all-round disc brakes and has MacPherson-strut front suspension and a twist-beam set-up at the rear. It weighs 1,315kg.
The T-Gen3 drivetrain is a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine and a 28bhp electric motor and 48V battery, which can drive the car on its own for short periods at under 18mph. With the battery lending a hand, total power is 109bhp and torque is 107lb ft, driving the front wheels via a six-speed, twin-clutch semi-automatic gearbox.
The top speed is 100mph and 0-62mph is despatched in 10sec. The Pop version emits less CO2 than the fancier Icon or La Prima versions, although its 113 instead of 115g/km still means a first-year VED of £440. Fuel consumption is quoted at 56.5mpg; romping around the hilly roads surrounding Turin, I achieved 48mpg.
Inside job
While the inclusion of bamboo fibres in the facia upholstery for the top model is a jokey addition (bamboo being a Panda's favourite food), the Pop has its own stripped-out charm. Like the original Panda, the main functions and switches are grouped in a curious oval-shape binnacle which includes the main touchscreen. If it seems familiar that's because it echoes the shape of the test track on top of the famous Lingotto factory in Turin, star of The Italian Job (all together now: 'Now, as you go round look for that bloody exit, we can't go round here all day…').
Similarly, the PXL pixel headlights recall the windows of the famous multi-storey car factory and the stamped-out swaging of 'Panda' and 'Fiat' in the bodywork are reminiscent of the original Eighties Panda. While it could be fussy and contrived and in places it verges so, there's a sense of history and pride in these additions, without being overtly retro.
The seats seem quite thinly upholstered, but as I discovered they are comfortable for long periods. In the back the rear bench accommodates a couple of 6ft adults, who get a bit more leg room than in the electric version.
The touchscreen works well enough, with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although switching between the car's infotainment and phone services can be tricky.
On the road
The electric motor takes the strain of pulling away and unless you are driving flat-out the experience is smooth and refined. The warbling three-cylinder petrol engine chimes in quickly and again it's reasonably quiet and has decent pulling power. The six-speed gearbox changes smoothly and the electric motor fills in where the engine is lacking, so this is an easy car to drive. Push harder, though and the drivetrain gets quite noisy and unnecessary, but for urban and suburban uses the hybrid drivetrain works well and efficiently.
Unlike the Citroën C3 with its soft ride quality, thanks to hydraulic bump stops in the suspension, the Grande Panda has conventional damping so although the ride quality is busy, there's a directness and simplicity about the way it tackles the streets of Turin. Yes, it will clatter over train tracks, potholes and bumps, but it isn't uncomfortable.
The steering has good weighting and the body control is positive and firm so it doesn't roll like a ship in a gale. There's a fair bit of wind noise from the square-set body, but on a motorway it settles down and covers ground quickly and efficiently. And if this Panda hybrid isn't the last word in dynamic ability, it moves along pretty well and is quite fun to drive con allegro. The brakes are strong, with a progressive pedal that delivers a decent initial bite at the top of its travel.
The Telegraph verdict
Engineering cheap and profitable small cars is a lot harder than it looks, as we're seeing with some of the lacklustre Chinese fare that is making its way onto our streets. Fiat is a past master of the art and, in many senses, the Grande Panda shows the rest of the industry how to do it.
It is attractive (although highly sensitive to colour) being reminiscent rather than retro, along with being fun to drive while offering the minimum levels of equipment and space the market demands.
The Pop version is probably the most appealing at the moment, although the mooted 4x4 version could well be a surprise hit.
A return to utility? Not really, but back to basics, certainly.
The facts
On test: Fiat Grande Panda hybrid Pop
Body style: Five-door B-segment crossover
On sale: Summer
How much? £18,035
How fast? 100mph, 0-62mph in 10sec
How economical? 56.5mpg (WLTP Combined), 48mpg on test
Engine & gearbox: 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, front-wheel drive
Electric powertrain: AC permanent magnet synchronous motor with 0.9kWh battery (gross), no external charging capability
Electric-only range: 0.6 miles
Maximum power/torque: 109bhp/107lb ft
CO2 emissions: 113g/km (WLTP Combined)
VED: £440 first year, then £195
Warranty: 3 years/unlimited mileage
The rivals
Citroën C3, from £18,305
Based on the same platform and drivetrains as the Grande Panda, the C3 targets space and ride quality and is a soft but relaxing drive. There's also the larger Aircross version.
Dacia Duster, from £19,380
Prices go over £20,000 quickly as you travel up the trim levels, but the entry-level Duster Essential is surprisingly good to drive for a stripped-bare model. It's also attractive.
