The oldest
Even after Fiat’s recent price reductions, the Fiat Panda is the fifth cheapest car that you can currently order in the Netherlands. At the same time, it is one of the oldest new cars still on the market, as the Panda went into production in this form at the end of 2011, making it older than the four cheaper models from other manufacturers. We find out in Back to Basics whether the standard equipment of the Fiat compares to its age.
Fiat Panda, €17,190
The Fiat Panda was last featured in this section in 2019, when the car was still available with a two or four-cylinder. The delivery range has now been thinned out and Fiat only supplies its city rascal with … three cylinders. They are supported by a mild hybrid system, which means that the Panda’s power comes out at an honest 70 hp. That power finds its way to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, which then do their best to find traction for a 0 to 100 sprint that takes at least 14.5 seconds.
The 1-liter block meets today’s emission requirements better than the previously available two- and four-cylinder, but it also ensures that the Fiat Panda – despite the recent price reduction of €1,260 – is considerably more expensive than in 2019. the entry-level model with an unblown four-cylinder €13,795, where the Panda party now starts at €17,190. That makes it the fifth cheapest new car you can buy right now – and you get all this for that money.
Camouflaged black plastic
If we start with the outside, a Panda without extra cost can be quickly recognized by its non-painted mirror caps. The only ‘free’ paint is black, while the three remaining choices – white, gray and blue – cost an additional €500. The ‘Pack Style’ further brightens up the outside of the Fiat for an extra €800 with fog lamps and 15-inch alloy wheels, where the standard Panda rolls on 14-inch steel ones with hubcaps.
The back seat in the basic Panda has no headrests.
In addition to the Pack Style, the Pack Tech and Pack Comfort are also available, each for an additional €800. The latter is particularly interesting, as it includes a ‘homologation for five seats and three rear headrests’, height-adjustable driver’s seat, folding rear seat and rear parking sensors. You will not find those things on the cheapest Panda, which is remarkable to say the least. After all, a folding rear seat is very handy with a luggage compartment as small as that of the Panda and in terms of production costs – it seems to us – a modest item. Yet it is not standard.
That applies to more things. This becomes clear when we list what is included on a standard Panda: a manually operated air conditioning, central locking with remote control, a radio with USB and Bluetooth, electrically operated windows in the front and manually adjustable (!), non-heatable exterior mirrors. That’s about it. Of course the car has ABS, ESP, about four airbags and a make-up mirror, but that’s it.
Alternative versions
If you equip the base Panda with all three available option packages, the price comes to €19,590, which is €400 less than the RED or Garmin version, both of which start at €19,990. Those two versions look much more complete due to a color and some accents on the outside. They are also equipped with a split folding rear seat, climate control, LED lighting, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and some extras.
Regardless of the chosen version, even a tire repair kit (€50) or a homecoming (€300) is one of the items that require an additional cost, while cruise control, for example, is not possible at all on the Panda. The latter is indicative of how ‘bald’ the car is for 2023 concepts, and especially in the basic version.
For comparison: a Dacia Sandero Expression (the second trim level) costs at least €18,450 and for that money is equipped with electrically operated windows all around, cruise control, heated side mirrors, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a span of active safety systems and a height-adjustable driver’s seat and it offers a lot more interior space. The other models from our overview of the cheapest cars at the moment also offer more extensive standard equipment and have been on the market for less time.
The cake is finished
It therefore seems only logical that you hardly see Fiat Pandas that have recently been registered. The Italians sold about 160 in the first four months of this year in the Netherlands, where they started with more than 8,000 units throughout 2012, the first full year in which this generation was sold. It’s high time for a new one, but it doesn’t seem to be coming for the time being.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl