The Fiat Panda Cross offers 4x4 looks in a more affordable guise and includes mild hybrid power. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

Although it could be accused of being all show and no go, the front-wheel drive Fiat Panda Cross is too likeable to damn with such a verdict. In fact, it emerges as something surprisingly appealing. And with mild hybrid tech, it's efficient too.

Background

The Fiat Panda 4x4: you've probably heard of. It's a bit of a minor cult car, sadly no longer on sale. The Fiat Panda Cross? This one's a bit more of an unknown quantity, but stick with us because it's a good 'un. The elephant in the room first. Despite looking ostensibly similar to the old Panda 4x4, the Cross only directs drive to its front wheels. That might well be enough to deter a few people who will immediately label it inauthentic, but those of you with less dogmatic standpoints might like to give it a chance. It almost seems a model out of time. A decade or so back, there was a big boom in this sort of car. We had the Rover Streetwise, the Volkswagen Polo Dune and the Citroen C3 XTR to name but a few. These have all proved to be an evolutionary dead end for their manufacturers, yet if anyone could be relied on to make the genre work, it's Fiat.

Driving Experience

The Panda 4x4 looks of this Cross model suggest that light off road prowess is possible. A glance at the still-restricted ride height though, confirms that this is very definitely not the case. Still, if looks are everything, then this variant will certainly stand out on the school run. Unlike the 85hp two cylinder TwinAir engine used by the old Panda 4x4, this Cross model uses a mild hybrid 70hp 1.0-litre three cylinder petrol powerplant, this unit replacing the aging 69hp 1.2-litre conventional four cylinder powerplant that this Panda Cross was initially given at its launch. The mild hybrid powerplant improves fuel efficiency without impeding performance. It also ensures a very high standard of driving comfort thanks to a 12-volt 'BSG' 'Belt-integrated Starter Generator', allowing for a quiet, vibration-free restart of the internal combustion engine in Stop&Start mode. The engine puts out 92Nm of pulling power and works via a 6-speed manual gearbox integrated with that 'BSG' set-up we just mentioned. The 'BSG' system is mounted directly on the engine and is operated by the belt that also drives the auxiliaries. The system also involves lowering the entire power unit 45mm so the car behaves better on the road thanks to the lower centre of gravity. Like any other Panda, this one's especially at home in a city environment. True, the five-speed gearbox could be a little more precise, but you'll appreciate the way this car takes even quite nasty small urban bumps in its stride. And delivers neat little touches like the steering's 'City' mode option to increase the assistance it gives at parking speeds so that you can use the tight 9.3m turning circle more easily. Urban-friendly through and through you see.

Design and Build

The Panda Cross certainly looks the part, although you'd have to give it a bit of a forensic examination to distinguish it from the old full-fat 4x4 Cross variant. This model comes with body-coloured front and rear bumper inserts and side mouldings, plus contrasting black for the door mirror caps, roof bars and door handles. Completing the off-road look are 15-inch alloy wheels. Inside, the Cross features a grey dashboard fascia with matt black instrument panel inserts and smarter seats, characterised by black and grey fabric with black eco-leather side inserts. Flashier special-run variants are available if you want a more extreme exterior and interior look. Otherwise, the design is much as it would be in any other Panda, based upon what Fiat's designers call 'a squarical' theme, rounded rectangles in vogue everywhere from the headlamps to the front air intake, from the wheelarches to that trademark extra third rearward side window. The squarical touches continue on inside. You'll find them in the instrument binnacle, on the steering wheel boss and on the ventilation controls. The dashboard can be enveloped in a colourful frame of your choosing, with a roomy storage pocket in front of the front passenger supposed to evoke a nod towards original Eighties Panda motoring. As for rear seat passenger space, well thanks to slimmer seats, it's perfectly adequate for a couple of fully-sized adults. Storage for big items is taken care of by a 225-litre boot. That's one of the largest luggage compartments in the city car segment.

Market and Model

Getting your Panda dressed up like this doesn't come cheap. The cost of this Cross Mild Hybrid 1.0 model is from just over £16,000. That makes this variant about £1,500 more than a base Panda 1.0-litre derivative. Standard equipment on the base Cross includes air conditioning, 15-inch 'Style' wheels. 'Red'-spec gives you climate control and an interior upgrade. The top 'Garmin' version adds orange exterior detailing, special branded interior fabric and badging, plus 15-inch Matt Black Style wheels, black side mouldings, dark-tinted rear windows and front fog lights. Inside, 'Garmin'-spec gets you heated front seats, Hill Descent Control and even a Garmin smartwatch.

Cost of Ownership

One of the advantages of such a small car is that tiny fuel efficient engines are more than adequate for hauling you and your little Fiat around. Particularly the mild hybrid 1.0-litre unit now fitted to this car. The electrified system used here recovers energy during braking and deceleration, stores it in a lithium battery with a capacity of 11Ah, and uses it, at a maximum power of 3,600W, to restart the engine in Stop&Start mode and to assist it during acceleration. This technology allows the internal combustion engine to switch off by shifting into neutral, even at speeds below 18mph. The dashboard, which displays information on the hybrid system, prompts the driver when to shift. The mild hybrid propulsion unit works with a 6-gear manual transmission aimed at improving fuel economy in out-of-town driving, thanks to low-friction bearings and gaskets and the use of a specific high-efficiency lubricant. The official combined cycle fuel figure is 56.5mpg and there's a CO2 emissions figure of 113g/km. What else? Well, this car should certainly be cheap to insure. The warranty is a typical three year affair but with a 100,000 mile limit that's significantly higher than some other brands will give you. Pandas hold their value very well and that's unlikely to change any time soon. The car is covered by a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty and there's 36 months of breakdown cover included as well. Servicing needn't be too costly as Fiat parts are relatively cheap. The brand also offers fixed price service plans that take care of all service charges, labour and replacement fluids. You can pick from durations that span from one to five years, with corresponding mileage from 9,000 to 45,000 miles.

Summary

The Fiat Panda Cross is easy to view cynically, but give it a chance and it more than justifies its existence. No, it's not at all capable in the rough, and nor should it be expected to be, directing drive to its front wheels only. But be honest; have you ever seen any sort of Panda 4x4 model anywhere where AWD would actually be needed? No, me neither. If you want a citycar with SUV attitude, the Panda Cross might make sense, particularly now that Fiat has favoured it with its 1.0-litre Mild Hybrid tech. File this one under 'surprisingly likeable'.