Fiat

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Sunday – Ugly Duckling Panda?

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‘A car so ugly only a mother could love it…’ Seems a bit unfair but that’s how a friend described the Fiat Panda 4×4. OK, it’s not the prettiest little car but it has a certain presence about it.

I would have to agree that ‘beefing up’ the standard Italian supermini hasn’t done it any favours. The extra body mouldings and polished metal scuff plates both front and rear add surprisingly little to the overall appeal.

But deep down inside, the Panda has a classless look – a sort of modern day 2CV that looks so different that you can’t help but warm to it.

I’m taking the Fiat to Cheltenham Races next week, so it’s going to have a baptism of fire among the well-heeled country set of Gloucestershire. And in deep green, I should be able to hold my head up high when I park it next to a line of Range Rovers…

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Friday – Fiat Panda 4×4

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Readers of a certain age might remember the original Fiat Panda 4×4. It was launched in 1983 and really did look like a box on wheels.  Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro – he styled the Ferrari 250 Berlinetta Bertone – it had the aerodynamics of a breeze block.

That first effort featured a noisy 43bhp engine and was the first small, transverse engined car to be fitted with four-wheel drive. And while people laughed, the Panda 4×4 was astoundingly good off-road and achieved something like cult status.

Surely it couldn’t have been that good? Well, competitors tackling the Mongol Rally still search high and low to find one for the drive to Mongolia. Unstoppable, crazy suspension but just what you need for driving across a ploughed field.

This latest model was launched two years and I can tell you that after only a handful of miles, it is also a very fine little car. Yes, it’s small on the inside and the styling may not be to your taste but it has one major plus in its favour, one you won’t buy with a Range Rover or BMW X5. It’s bloody good fun…

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Wednesday – It’s a tiny Tardis!

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Jessica When you venture inside the ‘bubble’ that is the modern Fiat 500, you enter into a spacious little pod with buttons and surfaces that you want to explore with your fingers. Passengers are surrounded by the comforting sound of a sewing machine engine,  good for any fashionistas out there.

It’s particularly enjoyable when you put your foot down and find the TwinAir bombing up hills, passing bigger cars with hefty engines and a lot less flair.

I do admire the individualistic approach the Italians have to car design, not swayed by the well trodden features or layout of other manufacturers, they definitely take their own route.  One has to admire that when we are all in danger of becoming clones in dress, cars, gadgets and decor.

Talking of decor, the two tone finishings are retro but cutely modern and I loved the website where I could plan a Fiat 500 of my own and experiment with a range of possibilities. Very satisfying.

And finally, as if there was not enough going for this car, yes my pet hate, the manual! This one is cool, to the point and definitely designed to appeal to their particular target customers.

Go Fiat 500! Fun, zippy and a very pleasant surprise!

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Tuesday – No Charge

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It’s one thing knowing that your car doesn’t qualify for the London Congestion Charge but quite another to actually enjoy driving around the capital without paying a penny!

I’ve spent most of the day in the city and you can’t help but notice how many TwinAir 500s are on the street. At Fulham Broadway car park I counted 11, plus one high performance Abarth. There were more Fiat’s than Minis – what does that tell you?

I suppose it is just a result of the zero Congestion Charge but the TwinAir is also a great car for city driving. Official figures claim 60+mpg around town – expect a more realistic 47mpg in reality.

The 500 is brilliant for squeezing into small parking space and it skips through narrows gaps in traffic that other supermini drivers just envy. It’s less enjoyable at high speed on motorways, jittery and susceptible to cross winds. That said, it more than keeps up with the big boys.

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Monday – Lounging About

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The original Fiat 500 was launched in 1957 – I think my father was involved in the Suez Crisis a few months before that! One of the crazy facts that resulted from the launch of the new 500 is that prices of the original have gone sky high. I recently saw one advertised for £7,000!

And while change isn’t always for the better, the new version has brakes that actually stop the car and airbags from all angles. It also boats hazard warning lights that are activated automatically when the brakes are applied hard. Clever.

I genuinely like the 500 and if I could find an excuse to to buy one as a city car it would beat the Mini and the Vauxhall Adam (also tested on this site). The styling and interior are just a cut above and give the 500 a genuine feel-good factor.

My choice would be the top-of-the-range Lounge version because it adds alloy wheels, glass roof and Bluetooth connectivity. The Colour Therapy has neither and even with air conditioning and electric windows, it does seem a little expensive compared to some other city cars out there.

An example? Well, if you can live with the styling, the brilliant new Hyundai i10 starts at around £8,200 and is superbly equipped. It just won’t put a smile on your face, that’s all…

 

 

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Sunday – The Dog’s Do Das

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I don’t think I’ve ever driven a car as small as the Fiat 500. That’s small on the outside because inside, it seems to stretch to accomodate all you can throw at it. The back seats would certainly take two toddlers, or a couple of young teenagers.

Jessica and I managed to pack weekend bags, coats and assorted wet eather gear into the boot easily. Our backseat was a more than comfortable platform for a large, brown Vizsla who accompanied us to the Pembroke Arms in Wilton, near Salisbury.

Fitting Malin into an assortment of cars can be a test of nerve and ingenuity. I feared the worst with the 500 but he seems happier in it than most cars.

It’s either because he can sit upright with plenty of headroom, or because he read the blurb for the Pembroke Arms, which provided him with a dog bed, his own canine menu (steak, saugages – can you believe it!) and some biscuit treats as part of the deal.

You have to accept a few idiosyncracies with the Fiat interior. It’s tricky to find the slot for the safety belt, the white steering wheel and headrests are going to get grubby pretty quickly and the 500 really should have steering columns controls for the music system.

But I still sit very comfortably on the wide fabric seats and there’s a tremendous ambience about the cabin. If colour, form and function affect your driving mood, you really need to try a Colour Therapy.

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Saturday – Buzz Bomb

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Wiltshire was gridlocked last night. A major downpour in this country and everything comes grinding to a halt – not much fun in a little motor like the Fiat 500.  We arrived at the exquisite Pembroke Arms in Wilton (www.pembrokearms.co.uk), parked the car in a puddle and dashed in.

The hotel has a first floor ballroom that comes straight from the pages of a Jane Austen novel. In the nineteenth century guests would have arrived by carriage, which made our entrance in a brightly coloured supermini even more comical.

However, don’t be fooled by the size of 500 or the TwinAir’s 875cc engine. What it lacks in stature it makes up for in style and performance. It’s the only retromobile that has an interior which puts a smile on your face – every time you get in. Much more exciting than a Mini.

It’s quite simply a masterclass in cool, even if our Colour Therapy model lacks steering wheel-mounted control buttons for the entertainment unit, plus a seat height adjustment lever mounted on the left of the seat that could easily be grabbed instead of the handbrake!

And if two-cylinders and 85bhp don’t sound much, in the lightweight 500 it adds up to a whole lot of fun. The engine note under acceleration sounds like a World War Two bomber coming into land – it would be rude to say sewing machine.

You have to work through the five-speed gearbox a bit but the results are amazing. The TwinAir just loves a sound thrashing and responds with loads of heart. Not only that but we’ve driven 65 miles around Wiltshire today and the fuel gauge hasn’t moved yet!

So what’s missing? Well, just a trip computer to tell us what the economy is – we have to be averaging more than 60mpg and I’m not exactly holding back with the right foot! More tomorrow…

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Friday – Cute Alternative

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The fact that I’m already looking for reasons to drive the 500 and it’s only Friday speaks volumes. A 875cc car with modest performance and a wacky paint job might not sound that exciting. However, the appeal of this tiny Fiat – based on the same running gear as the Panda – is much greater than the sum of its parts.

You don’t need to be a fashionista to be seduced by the retro curves and gorgeous interior either. Just look at the huge number of 500s there are out there. Fiat has taken a healthy slice of Mini sales from BMW and is now copying the German manufacturer with a stretched version and the racy Abarth too.

True, the 500 lacks macho appeal but it does put a smile on your face every time to climb inside. It’s not just ‘a girls car’ either, although you can sort of understand why hairy-armed blokes wouldn’t be seen dead driving one.

I’ve got an open mind on the supermini. I want to know if it’s a practical alternative to the lower-priced Panda and whether it’s worth the £12,000 price tag too.

Today Jessica and I will head down to the Pembroke Arms in Wilton, Wiltshire, with a large Hungarian Viszla on the back seat. Not sure many dog owners would choose a 500 for transport but nothing ventured!