You get ten euros back
It was recently revealed that Fiat’s Pandina (Panda) is one of the four new cars you can still buy in the Netherlands for less than €20,000. Fiat will even give you ten euros back, but only if you go for this absolute base version.
Fiat Pandina Icon – €19,990
‘Pandina’ is the new name for a somewhat older car, as it’s actually just the gasoline Panda that has been in Fiat showrooms since 2011. It’s still there, even now that you can find a larger and newer model called Grande Panda in the same showroom. ‘Pandina’ initially seemed to apply only to the raised Panda, but now it appears that the old, faithful Panda in low form is also called that. The new name is extensively and repeatedly displayed on the rear side windows, but the license plates of the car in the configurator still just show ‘Panda’. Fiat itself doesn’t seem to take the name change too seriously either.
The standard Pandina is called Icon and is the only version besides the raised, toughened Panda Cross. The Cross is completely identical to the Icon in terms of drivetrain, also having front-wheel drive, a 70 hp three-cylinder engine, and a six-speed manual transmission. However, there is a difference in equipment that goes beyond just appearances. For example, the Cross has a 7-inch instead of 5-inch touchscreen, light and rain sensors, automatic high beam, and fog lights. Small things, but quiet.
What remains for the Icon is actually quite decent for a car in this segment. The cheapest Fiat, for example, has a height-adjustable driver’s seat, front electric windows, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors, and an audio system with Bluetooth. Air conditioning and cruise control are also present, as well as artificial leather on the steering wheel and of course the mandatory rear parking sensors.
Five-seater
Perhaps the most important equipment can be found in the back, because this base Panda simply has three headrests and three seat belts in the rear. So it’s a five-seater, which we can’t say about every car in this ‘lower class’. On the outside, such a Pandina does look somewhat simple with its halogen headlights, black mirror caps, and wheel covers. Furthermore, it’s a pity that Fiat never bothered to modernize this model a bit, because a new one is actually indistinguishable from a Panda from 2012. Like last week’s T-Roc, the Panda is standard bright yellow. At Fiat, only solid white is also free. For other colors you pay €700 extra, with the notable fact that there’s only one metallic paint (blue). There are no further options or accessories, so the Pandina’s price list is nicely clear.