(January 18, 2013) The new Fiat Panda 4x4, successor to a best-seller that first appeared over 29 years ago, will go on sale in Europe this month. Fiat says it’s a smart solution for drivers who want city car features without trading the passenger room and comfort of a five-door, or the go-anywhere ability of a full SUV.

Despite the obvious advantages of having four-wheel drive in a diminutive five-door city car shape, the Panda 4x4 remains unique. By linking an automatic four-wheel drive system to a choice of advanced, economical engines in a car with raised ground clearance, Fiat has created a true city car with genuine 4x4 credibility.



The innovation doesn’t end there. Sitting between the 4x4 and the regular two-wheel drive version is the Panda Trekking, the world’s first CUV or City Utility Vehicle. This version features the Panda 4x4’s raised ride height but combines front-wheel drive with a sophisticated traction control system to enhance its remarkable abilities over slippery surfaces.

The Fiat Panda 4x4 and Trekking have the same friendly, stylish shape as the regular Panda but with design accents to convey the impression of a sophisticated, multifunctional SUV. Compared to the previous generation model the latest Panda is longer, wider and taller.

The Panda 4X4 look is characterized by emphasizing the geometric lines of the front and rear bumpers with aluminum colored cosmetic inserts. These underline the presence of the skid plates under the body. But they only add a couple of millimeters to the regular Panda’s dimensions, so as to maintain the Panda’s city-friendly proportions. Now 145 inches long (five inches longer than a Fiat 500),  the main dimensional difference is the height. The Panda 4x4 is two inches taller than the regular version, courtesy of increased ground clearance. The wheelbase of 90 inches remains the same.

The increased ride height of the Panda 4x4 and Trekking give them improved ground clearance for enhanced ability over rutted or uneven terrain. A body that’s significantly more rigid than previous versions sits on all-new suspension that has been optimized for a combination of on-road comfort and off-road aptitude.

Under the hood, the Panda 4x4 and Trekking versions offer a choice between the award-winning 0.9-liter TwinAir Turbo making 85 horsepower and the 1.3-liter MultiJet 2 turbo diesel making 75 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque. Both engines come with Start&Stop and a Gear Shift Indicator (GSI) which suggests to the driver the optimum point to change gear in order to achieve the best economy.

The Panda is a significant part of the Fiat story and the 4x4 version is an important chapter within that. The original Panda 4x4 was launched in June 1983. As the world’s first small transverse engined production car to have all wheels driven, it was years ahead of its time.