The debate over whether the Panda 4×4 is a fashion statement with four-wheel drive intent, or something of a  Noddy car, still rages. If you are going to drive it down the King’s Road in London on a Saturday lunchtime, I’d suggest it might turn heads for all the wrong reasons.

However, if you intend to use it as an occasional runabout in the country, it certainly looks the part. And imagine the joy of owning a supermini that can cope with the odd bit of floodwater, or even a snow flurry, when everything else is left by the wayside?

At least inside the cabin the Panda 4×4 is very chic for such a little car. The ‘squircles’ design – that’s square objects that have been round off at the edges – impact the design of everything, from the steering wheel to the interior door handles.

The latter are rather tricky to use because of it, while the aircraft-syle handbrake is awkward regardless. The Panda does;t come with a built-in sat nav system either. Instead, a TomTom is fixed to the top of the dashboard.

The problem with this is that as the Panda bounces along over anything rougher than a motorway surface, the screen vibrates with alarming results!