In making a virtue of its simplicity, the original 1980 Fiat Panda was added to the honour roll of the great basic cars of history, along with the Ford Model T, Citroën 2CV and its own forebear, the Nuova 500.
Its boxy dimensions were resolved in neat, unassuming style, affording maximum space for minimum cost, and soon Europe was littered with them.
It was so popular in Italy that production continued there until 2003.
The Fiat Grande Panda’s cheeky cabin pays homage to its 1980s inspiration, but incorporates all mod-cons
Its 2004 successor was quickly adopted as a beloved second child, following in spirit but with its own, arguably even boxier style that carried on into another generation.
Now, with the stage once again set quite differently for what a basic yet cheerful car should be, the Grande Panda arrives with promise – and no shortage of retro-styled identity.
Simplicity is a relative term, and Fiat’s latest offspring is a refreshing joy in the technological arms race of today’s automotive market.
Instead of offering showroom-centric gadgets and strategic layers of perceived quality, the Grande Panda majors on interior space and upbeat honesty.
The Fiat Grande Panda is packed with playful touches that show its designers had fun creating it
It’s obvious that its priorities are in the right places, and it is an astonishingly big car for the price.
At 4m long and 1763mm wide it justifies the ‘Grande’ prefix, and the amount of room inside makes it a viable family car.
It ticks all the boxes: comfy seats, good driving position, fathomable infotainment, easy climate control and lots of storage options.
Freed from the pretence of luxury, the interior designers have been given free rein with bold shapes, bright colours and quirky flair.
The Fiat Grande Panda is plenty big enough to qualify as a family car
While the tubular dash top is an inverse throwback to the first-generation Panda, there is a genuine sense of original creative thought here, from the tinted surround of the oval binnacle to the ‘FIAT’-stamped door cards.
Never have hard, cheap plastics been so interesting.
It’s a similar story on the outside. The basic outline of the Grande Panda speaks mostly to ease of manufacture, yet thanks to the playful detailing you’d never accuse it of being generic.
Its pixelated front end maintains an affable air and the stamped waist exclaims ‘PANDA’ with childish pride for its predecessors, while its wide-arched stance gives it the credibility required on today’s roads – or, to the retro-minded, a hint of Lancia Delta HF Integrale.
The Fiat Grande Panda is relatively light and swift; 0-60mph happens in 11 secs
There is the choice of hybrid or full electric power, and either way the driving experience is more Grande than Panda, with a soft ride, good noise insulation and smooth, well calibrated controls, but little of the verve that endeared bare-bones Fiats of old to their custodians.
No matter, because this is still a hugely likeable car, oozing with character and joie de vivre.
Just like its ancestors, it’s exactly what we needed.
Images: Jack Harrison
Factfile
- Engine synchronous electric motor; 111bhp; 90lb ft
- Transmission single-speed auto, FWD
- 0-62mph 11 secs
- Top speed 82mph
- Economy 3.8mpkWh
- Price £20,995
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