I have friends who daily them as their first car, it’s very common in italy. A very cool feature some models have is that seats fold completely flat (front and back ones) making the whole car a full sized bed, which is, let’s say, pretty handy for a teen hahaha
As an automotive engineer -- as soon as you mentioned the "backwards" FIAT on the one rear side window, I had to grin. Parts commonality is a big factor! Also I'm not surprised Giugiaro designed this. Like FIAT itself, he's from the Turin area, and he's done a lot for them -- and the angular design *is* sorta his thing. The Panda isn't my favorite FIAT model -- I'd want a 600, an 850, and an 850 Spider as the top three -- but the Panda is still in that group I would buy if I had all the money to do so.
That is such a cool little car. It has a nice design and with the 4WD it really seems like it would be a good experience. I think the 80's 4X4 Tercel is the only vehicle like it in America and those are collectors cars (which also look really good!)
And just to add to the pile, this is my son's car. I'm so proud he managed the import and all the paperwork on his own! The surprising fact is that he fits in it!
As an Italian who owned, drove and ADORED this little car, I can confirm you got all of your facts right, and understood the insane cultural significance that the Panda had in Europe. Mine was the basic model, though (yes, there were even more bare-bones versions that came with naked door panels - picture a slab of metal, with no plastic, no cloth, nothing). Also kudos for understanding how Fiat motorized Europe, including the Balcans and Eastern Europe, thanks to its cheap and flexible designs. Even more impressive is that they pulled off this motoring "democratization" multiple times: first with the 500, then the 124, all the way down to the Panda and then the Punto. Good stuff. Love your channel, your insights, and your interest and openness to "other" cultures. Keep it up!
As you mentioned, Fiat and it's licensed models helped motorize the Eastern block and Soviet countries. And so many more places too: Turkey (Tofas), Spain (Seat), Nasr (Egypt), they were also popular in Argentina and Brazil and had their own custom versions.
This was a wonderful machine and a wonderful car. There are reasons that it was a best seller. Cheap to maintain and drive. Wonderful. Nowadays they are not cheap second hand. Everybody would like to own one, especially these 4x4 models. :) Keep up Zak.
What a legendary car. Italians living in the mountains all had it, some are still around today. They liked it because it could go literally everywhere and it was so easy to fix. Simplicity and practicality were the primary goals of this vehicle's design. Iconic
Genuinely love how visually clear and diagrammatic the instrument cluster is. Very intuitive, and looks like instructional plate on a piece of industrial equipment. Yeah, the car in the center is generic, but all the warning lights appear logical relative to their positions in the vehicle.
Loads of people tell me it has been their first car or their mum had one. Childhood memory was getting in one and being amazed by the amount of steel on display. Loved it ever since and cherish my own red italian classic for a few years now.
I come from Germany and the even more cheaper version then a Fiat Panda, was its spanish twin sister, the Seat Marbella. Seat worked with Fiat together for some time, making the Seat Panda and later on giving it its own facelift and some minor details and called it a Seat Marbella. I had one as my first car and third car even. Super cheap and thanks to the design and folding seats, you could realy transport stuff with them. Nack then fellow teens and people looked down at you because it was a poor person car in 2000... 23 years later I got my hands on the same version which I had as my first car. Its amazing to drive it again and I lonly take it out when the sun is shining. Its bright red and people start to stop and stare and smile. Eventhough they were made millions of ... the have become super rare. it was like a trolly. you used it for what it was good for and then just dumped them when it was falling apart. Surely the Fiat Panda has a cult following it like the fiat 500 etc ... the Seat Marbella is the odd ball out and as far as I know, only 500 are still running in Germany ... kinda sad and that is why I will be keeping it till I fall over some day :D If you are in Cologne Germany for some reason, you can gladly do a review of it
There were many Fiat based cars here in Serbia that were labeled as Zastava's and Yugo's (Yes, that Yugo) but we also had the Panda, Uno, Tipo, 126p and many other models but the Panda and Uno were loved a lot due to the FIRE engine being almost indestructible and because the cars did great MPG and were roomy!
I live in Portugal and I haven't seen one on the road in years. A cousin of had a panda 750L they were great basic transportation . Seat, a Spanish car company, now part of the Volkswagen group had a joint venture with Fiat and produced the Seat Marbelha which was a Fiat Panda.
Living in Belgium I grew up around cars like the Panda. I was in my ten-ish when the first gen Panda came out (during the 80s) and I was instantly sold. Of course I could not get one back then but the panda in this form made it until the 90s when it got finally replaced by a new model. By the time I was able to get one I came this close to having one but sadly enough decided to go for a Toyota (although it was a luck to choose for a Toyota as that car did hold for 20 years and had over 200000 km when we decided to opt for another car). But still sadly because now I still think of the moment that I stood in front of a Fiat dealer and wondered at that little but beautiful car and didn't enter to get one.
I still have the Fiat Panda Wild 4x4 made in June 2021 with electronic locking differential being one of the last ones sold in the UK. It has the 2 cylinder twin air turbo 875cc petrol engine with a six speed gearbox. It’s great as a second vehicle if there’s bad weather say snow because being 1050kgs in weight and only 3.6 metres long it seems to get anywhere within reason.
Panda FTW. Steyr-Puch knows what offroad is. When Fiat made good cars. Fiat is now Crap and has been for years. More than one workshop swapped the 1.3 NA Diesel from the PandaVan into the 4x4 and they are unstoppable. They were (and still are) used for electrical and Telecommunication maintenance in the Apennines mountains and similar harder to reach areas, even in winter. One last thing in Spain SEAT built Pandas on license calling them Marbella. Great review.
In the very early days of the internet there was a British review of this car, and it was tested for 0-30 and 0-60 mph. When put in 2nd, revved and dumping the clutch in 4x4, it actually beat many super cars of the era to 30 mph. The review has since been lost to the echos of 90s WWW….. would be fun to try and recreate it.
Rented an 89 Fiat Panda and drove it from Brindisi, Italy (heel of the boot) to the French border with my girlfriend at the time. Our Panda did 1,800 miles round trip and got around 50 MPG as that screaming 750cc engine was a monster. OK, top spead was a touch over 100 KPH or 61 MPH but no issues screaming the engine for 1,800 miles... the mountains sucked though. There was a Panda Diesel 4x4 that Top Gear put against a new Range Rover and the wee Fiat kicked it's butt all over the flooded mine they were 4 wheeling in. Lived in Italy for 2 years, drove the Panda, the 126, Ducato pick up with 5 on the tree (yeah, five--good times) Still want one of those diesel 4 x 4 Pandas... I'd get some idiot to chase me out in the mud and laugh at them as they sink... Cool review, now for you to find the Citroen 2CV... now THAT you would love! The ultimate vehicle for the zombie apocylpse... 2CV. Glad you enjoyed the hot rod version of the Panda.
Yo tuve uno,soy fanatico de los coches y el panda 4X4 ha sido el coche que más feliz me ha hecho,en caminos rurales con barro,agua,nieve es una bestia.
I had the 0.75 liters version, 35 hp. great car, super cheap to maintain, and super easy to fix. The 4x4 was the ultimate mountain machine at least here in europe, she could beat most of the SUVs and offroads cars.
Less powerful than the 1.0L throttle body injection N/A Suzuki inline 3 in my old '91 Pontiac Firefly (you know it as a metro). That Firefly produced 66hp out of the motor which weighed only 149.5lbs (all aluminum) and since the car only weighed 1650lbs total it was actually fun to drive with it's 5spd transmission. If you want to drive a fun Fiat then track down a Fiat Coupe with the turbo inline 5, that car was so cool. I still dream of owning one.
Man, you gotta test this car offroad. I live in the middle of the Alps and in the most remote mountain huts you will only find 3 types of cars Toyota Hilux, Mercedes G-class and Fiat Panda.
Pandas are cool. They're everything you need and nothing you don't. They're perfect for tight European cities with expensive gas. They're small, light, and cheap, so there are legends of Italian drivers being unafraid to drive these places Land Rovers won't go off-road. One of my car books has a picture of a Panda completely disassembled and laid out. It's about as simple as you can get. Steyr-Puch knows a thing or two about off-roading. Besides the G-Wagen, they also made the Pinzgauer and Halflinger. Giorgetto Giugiaro also designed the original VW Golf, Scirocco, and Jetta and the Lancia Delta. He pretty much created the hatchback as we know it today.
I love basic economy cars. the fiat panda is one i would 100% consider importing. if i cant have a subaru justy or ford festiva, i can at least have a panda.
It would be cool if you managed to one day get a hold of the modern Panda - knowing US Import laws it'll take a very long while to get the 2004 New Panda there, but who knows.
Fiat also helped in starting Spanish car brand SEAT, so they had a role in make cars available to every person in the entirety of Southern and Eastern Europe.
Ahh yes, the poor man's 4x4... I remember them, still see them on the streets here in Croatia 👍... Some have even been fitted out, lifted, huge tires, engine swaps...cool lil car
I currently own a '97 Panda 4x4! Absolutely love it, though the no A/C can be difficult in the south. It turns heads anywhere I go, and the compactness makes the car super easy to drive on our roads. I don't regret it at all. The Facebook groups and forums are also extremely helpful when it comes to service and parts!
You could think about adding 1-2 minutes of pov driving the car. I think this gives an interesting perspectiv, on for ex the loudness of the dring car or just the generall feel of the car.
Guess this could be a video all by itself. Your thoughts on what TH-cam has offered you in a driving experience.. all the different places you have been to ect..
No A/C, no radio, no clock- seems to be a base model. BTW, they also made these in a four door configuration, which I suspect would have been the volume seller.
@2:02 ... and that is the most American friendly engine ever build because if the yank skips maintenance and the timing belt breaks it won't destroy the non-interference FIRE engine. He might have bigger fish to fry because he might be stranded in death valley and engine parts are the least of his concern. 😉 @6:55 No, but with particularly cheap vehicles like this.
If you’re wondering, it sucked as a “fun car” tbh. Steering feel was horrendous, build quality wasn’t great, and it was slow as balls. Great little eco box though
I have friends who daily them as their first car, it’s very common in italy. A very cool feature some models have is that seats fold completely flat (front and back ones) making the whole car a full sized bed, which is, let’s say, pretty handy for a teen hahaha
Lol, that's a hell of a lot more convenient than any sports/GT car! Also means you could haul some serious cargo.
@@rushnerd Or some serious ass.
Do you know what models have this Feature?
@@simonhille3702 pre facelift models
As an automotive engineer -- as soon as you mentioned the "backwards" FIAT on the one rear side window, I had to grin. Parts commonality is a big factor!
Also I'm not surprised Giugiaro designed this. Like FIAT itself, he's from the Turin area, and he's done a lot for them -- and the angular design *is* sorta his thing.
The Panda isn't my favorite FIAT model -- I'd want a 600, an 850, and an 850 Spider as the top three -- but the Panda is still in that group I would buy if I had all the money to do so.
As a Catholic I would like to see “Mary’s Fiat” 🤭
@@glennso47 Personally I'm still waiting for the "Fiat Lux" :P
In Italy it is not a problem, you can easily find other broken Panda from which you can cannibalize parts.
That is such a cool little car. It has a nice design and with the 4WD it really seems like it would be a good experience.
I think the 80's 4X4 Tercel is the only vehicle like it in America and those are collectors cars (which also look really good!)
Civic wagons could have 4x4 as well.
That's my husband's car! He loves that thing, so funny to see him and all his bois pile into it 😅
And just to add to the pile, this is my son's car. I'm so proud he managed the import and all the paperwork on his own! The surprising fact is that he fits in it!
@@bellutta import to where?
@@reezlaw From Italy to the USA. The car you are seeing in this video *is* his car.
As an Italian who owned, drove and ADORED this little car, I can confirm you got all of your facts right, and understood the insane cultural significance that the Panda had in Europe. Mine was the basic model, though (yes, there were even more bare-bones versions that came with naked door panels - picture a slab of metal, with no plastic, no cloth, nothing). Also kudos for understanding how Fiat motorized Europe, including the Balcans and Eastern Europe, thanks to its cheap and flexible designs. Even more impressive is that they pulled off this motoring "democratization" multiple times: first with the 500, then the 124, all the way down to the Panda and then the Punto. Good stuff. Love your channel, your insights, and your interest and openness to "other" cultures. Keep it up!
As you mentioned, Fiat and it's licensed models helped motorize the Eastern block and Soviet countries. And so many more places too: Turkey (Tofas), Spain (Seat), Nasr (Egypt), they were also popular in Argentina and Brazil and had their own custom versions.
This was a wonderful machine and a wonderful car. There are reasons that it was a best seller. Cheap to maintain and drive. Wonderful. Nowadays they are not cheap second hand. Everybody would like to own one, especially these 4x4 models. :) Keep up Zak.
What a legendary car. Italians living in the mountains all had it, some are still around today. They liked it because it could go literally everywhere and it was so easy to fix. Simplicity and practicality were the primary goals of this vehicle's design. Iconic
Genuinely love how visually clear and diagrammatic the instrument cluster is. Very intuitive, and looks like instructional plate on a piece of industrial equipment.
Yeah, the car in the center is generic, but all the warning lights appear logical relative to their positions in the vehicle.
There's an Italian here on youtube that went from Italy all the way to China with a Fiat Panda
Loads of people tell me it has been their first car or their mum had one.
Childhood memory was getting in one and being amazed by the amount of steel on display.
Loved it ever since and cherish my own red italian classic for a few years now.
I come from Germany and the even more cheaper version then a Fiat Panda, was its spanish twin sister, the Seat Marbella. Seat worked with Fiat together for some time, making the Seat Panda and later on giving it its own facelift and some minor details and called it a Seat Marbella. I had one as my first car and third car even. Super cheap and thanks to the design and folding seats, you could realy transport stuff with them. Nack then fellow teens and people looked down at you because it was a poor person car in 2000... 23 years later I got my hands on the same version which I had as my first car. Its amazing to drive it again and I lonly take it out when the sun is shining. Its bright red and people start to stop and stare and smile. Eventhough they were made millions of ... the have become super rare. it was like a trolly. you used it for what it was good for and then just dumped them when it was falling apart. Surely the Fiat Panda has a cult following it like the fiat 500 etc ... the Seat Marbella is the odd ball out and as far as I know, only 500 are still running in Germany ... kinda sad and that is why I will be keeping it till I fall over some day :D If you are in Cologne Germany for some reason, you can gladly do a review of it
There were many Fiat based cars here in Serbia that were labeled as Zastava's and Yugo's (Yes, that Yugo) but we also had the Panda, Uno, Tipo, 126p and many other models but the Panda and Uno were loved a lot due to the FIRE engine being almost indestructible and because the cars did great MPG and were roomy!
I live in Portugal and I haven't seen one on the road in years. A cousin of had a panda 750L they were great basic transportation . Seat, a Spanish car company, now part of the Volkswagen group had a joint venture with Fiat and produced the Seat Marbelha which was a Fiat Panda.
I live in Italy and we had both a Fiat Panda and a Seat Marbella at one point ahahah
Living in Belgium I grew up around cars like the Panda. I was in my ten-ish when the first gen Panda came out (during the 80s) and I was instantly sold. Of course I could not get one back then but the panda in this form made it until the 90s when it got finally replaced by a new model. By the time I was able to get one I came this close to having one but sadly enough decided to go for a Toyota (although it was a luck to choose for a Toyota as that car did hold for 20 years and had over 200000 km when we decided to opt for another car). But still sadly because now I still think of the moment that I stood in front of a Fiat dealer and wondered at that little but beautiful car and didn't enter to get one.
I love the 4x4 pandas! They remind me of the golf all country
Love it. Whoever owns this thing has good taste in cars. 👍
I still have the Fiat Panda Wild 4x4 made in June 2021 with electronic locking differential being one of the last ones sold in the UK. It has the 2 cylinder twin air turbo 875cc petrol engine with a six speed gearbox. It’s great as a second vehicle if there’s bad weather say snow because being 1050kgs in weight and only 3.6 metres long it seems to get anywhere within reason.
I've owned a couple of these, imported from other countries into the usa. Love them. Have another one coming in October.
Panda FTW. Steyr-Puch knows what offroad is.
When Fiat made good cars. Fiat is now Crap and has been for years.
More than one workshop swapped the 1.3 NA Diesel from the PandaVan into the 4x4 and they are unstoppable. They were (and still are) used for electrical and Telecommunication maintenance in the Apennines mountains and similar harder to reach areas, even in winter.
One last thing in Spain SEAT built Pandas on license calling them Marbella.
Great review.
A comparable car would be a Subaru Justy 4wd. I believe that they didn’t have much power either.
I would say the 4X4 Tercel myself, but you are right. Absolutely love the pony car in your profile pic.
Neat!! Liked the Pandas ever since they had one on Grand Tour. May drove it and it performed exceptionally well.
In the very early days of the internet there was a British review of this car, and it was tested for 0-30 and 0-60 mph. When put in 2nd, revved and dumping the clutch in 4x4, it actually beat many super cars of the era to 30 mph.
The review has since been lost to the echos of 90s WWW….. would be fun to try and recreate it.
Being from Canada, I never knew this car existed until I saw James May drive one on the Grand Tour Colombia special
I’m italian
Legend says this car can climb any mountain
Reality is it can also climb walls
Rented an 89 Fiat Panda and drove it from Brindisi, Italy (heel of the boot) to the French border with my girlfriend at the time. Our Panda did 1,800 miles round trip and got around 50 MPG as that screaming 750cc engine was a monster. OK, top spead was a touch over 100 KPH or 61 MPH but no issues screaming the engine for 1,800 miles... the mountains sucked though. There was a Panda Diesel 4x4 that Top Gear put against a new Range Rover and the wee Fiat kicked it's butt all over the flooded mine they were 4 wheeling in. Lived in Italy for 2 years, drove the Panda, the 126, Ducato pick up with 5 on the tree (yeah, five--good times) Still want one of those diesel 4 x 4 Pandas... I'd get some idiot to chase me out in the mud and laugh at them as they sink... Cool review, now for you to find the Citroen 2CV... now THAT you would love! The ultimate vehicle for the zombie apocylpse... 2CV. Glad you enjoyed the hot rod version of the Panda.
Yo tuve uno,soy fanatico de los coches y el panda 4X4 ha sido el coche que más feliz me ha hecho,en caminos rurales con barro,agua,nieve es una bestia.
That generation Panda 4x4 never had a Diesel engine. A Panda 750S was my first car .... great little thing to drive
I had the 0.75 liters version, 35 hp. great car, super cheap to maintain, and super easy to fix.
The 4x4 was the ultimate mountain machine at least here in europe, she could beat most of the SUVs and offroads cars.
I remember them being popular in the UK in the 80s. I always wanted one
I love the small boxy form and small little wheels. It's so cuteee
Less powerful than the 1.0L throttle body injection N/A Suzuki inline 3 in my old '91 Pontiac Firefly (you know it as a metro). That Firefly produced 66hp out of the motor which weighed only 149.5lbs (all aluminum) and since the car only weighed 1650lbs total it was actually fun to drive with it's 5spd transmission. If you want to drive a fun Fiat then track down a Fiat Coupe with the turbo inline 5, that car was so cool. I still dream of owning one.
Man, you gotta test this car offroad.
I live in the middle of the Alps and in the most remote mountain huts you will only find 3 types of cars Toyota Hilux, Mercedes G-class and Fiat Panda.
Pandas are cool. They're everything you need and nothing you don't. They're perfect for tight European cities with expensive gas. They're small, light, and cheap, so there are legends of Italian drivers being unafraid to drive these places Land Rovers won't go off-road. One of my car books has a picture of a Panda completely disassembled and laid out. It's about as simple as you can get.
Steyr-Puch knows a thing or two about off-roading. Besides the G-Wagen, they also made the Pinzgauer and Halflinger. Giorgetto Giugiaro also designed the original VW Golf, Scirocco, and Jetta and the Lancia Delta. He pretty much created the hatchback as we know it today.
I love basic economy cars. the fiat panda is one i would 100% consider importing. if i cant have a subaru justy or ford festiva, i can at least have a panda.
It's so cute! I love that plaid interior too!
It would be cool if you managed to one day get a hold of the modern Panda - knowing US Import laws it'll take a very long while to get the 2004 New Panda there, but who knows.
Fiat also helped in starting Spanish car brand SEAT, so they had a role in make cars available to every person in the entirety of Southern and Eastern Europe.
Ahh yes, the poor man's 4x4... I remember them, still see them on the streets here in Croatia 👍... Some have even been fitted out, lifted, huge tires, engine swaps...cool lil car
Love these little cars.
I currently own a '97 Panda 4x4! Absolutely love it, though the no A/C can be difficult in the south.
It turns heads anywhere I go, and the compactness makes the car super easy to drive on our roads. I don't regret it at all. The Facebook groups and forums are also extremely helpful when it comes to service and parts!
My Grandma has one and I'm definitely going to buy one in the future when I have the money
You could think about adding 1-2 minutes of pov driving the car.
I think this gives an interesting perspectiv, on for ex the loudness of the dring car or just the generall feel of the car.
Great reviews these are the sort of cars that are really interesting.
I want Fiat Pandas (1986-2002) to be sent to North America except US and Canada, but the exportation failed!
I own a 2014 Fiat Panda. It's actually a good car. It has over 163,000 kilometres.
Did you know, that there was a parallel sister car, looked almost the same and same interior was the Seat Marbella!
Old 4x4s are legendary ❤️
When I first saw the thumbnail for this video I thought it said “Fat Panda” 🤭🐼
A neighbor had one, that, the Cinquecento and the Renault Twingo are so cute
Guess this could be a video all by itself. Your thoughts on what TH-cam has offered you in a driving experience.. all the different places you have been to ect..
La panda 4x4 è un mulo ed arriva ovunque tu voglia e'un po spartana ma non ha nulla da invidiare a fuoristrada più duri
It was my starter car in gran turismo 4 lol Maxed it out bc it was definitely slow as a panda 😅😅
This was my favorite car in GT6... sad they don't have it in GT7
It was a fun car in Sunday cup GT4
I think the rear hatch, behind the seat area would probably fail the Big Friggin Bottle test!
A wonderful car that is fully appreciated only 30 years after
I think if the big friggin bottle fits in that shelf thing that counts as passing
Gen 1 Pandas are where car design peaked.
was this car imported to washington? I live in oregon and would love to have one. is there any options here?
As well as a twin cylinder engine, it also had the 45hp 903cc ohv engine, these were very popular. We never had the twin cylinder option in Britain.
@@christga100 on the current panda yes but with the mk1, the 2 cylinder engine from the 126 was not available on this version in Britain
10:16
SA - Sarajevo number plate.
These days Bosnians are scared to show where they are from, so they do not have region specific number plates.
I noticed it doesn't have a passenger side view mirror. Interesting
My Grandfather had one but it sadly got stolen. It was a very cool car. In south italy it gets stolen bc its 4x4 and you almost cant find it.
🤌🍷 majestic
No A/C, no radio, no clock- seems to be a base model. BTW, they also made these in a four door configuration, which I suspect would have been the volume seller.
The 4 door version came out in 2004 with the new generation.
I had my own for, 20years, it's a, two wheels drive one, very good cars, good,
Loved it
I really would buy this car today
My grandmother has one
@2:02 ... and that is the most American friendly engine ever build because if the yank skips maintenance and the timing belt breaks it won't destroy the non-interference FIRE engine. He might have bigger fish to fry because he might be stranded in death valley and engine parts are the least of his concern. 😉
@6:55 No, but with particularly cheap vehicles like this.
Brilliant 💯
In Turkey I rented a Dacia Duster, wish I could’ve rented the SANDERO.
If you’re wondering, it sucked as a “fun car” tbh. Steering feel was horrendous, build quality wasn’t great, and it was slow as balls. Great little eco box though
how did you get the Fiat Panda 4X4 in the USA
20 years rules
The spare tire is bigger than the motor!
*sighs*
looks on import sites and junkyards for a hyuabusa swap
Never a panda, had two x1/9's though.
Aunt Barbara would daily the shit outta this car.
Very interesting
I daily a 124 spider! 🇮🇹
My fist car was Fiat 124 Berlina. Grande FIAT.
That's a big engine
Two words... JAMES MAY.
Naaais quirky car 🔥❤️
❤️🇧🇩
This my mom's first car lol
Hmmmm 🤔 I could fit this in the driveway too hmmmm
I louis from israel i owen fiat punda kefore 30 years it was kright car
A Fiat Panda 🐼 not in black and white.