Fiat has unveiled the new Panda Cross, a nice combination of the versatility of the little city car that we all know as well as the off road capabilities of the Panda 4×4.
While more and more SUVs are cropping up on the market, adding a lot more variety to the term, Fiat claims that the Panda Cross is still a very unique take on this type of car.
The original was unveiled in 2006 and its looks are an aspect that Fiat has tried to incorporate into the new version of the Panda Cross. Its front end has a chunky bumper as its stand out feature, which is complete with scratch and bump resistant corners as well as a big skidplate which is finished in silver ultrashine. This also has perforations in the squircle shape that is associated with the Panda.
It is an all wheel drive car with different modes controlled by different parts included as standard; these are the electronic stability control, electronic locking differential and hill descent control.
In automatic, torque can be distributed to the front and rear wheels without any input from the driver. For example, when on standard roads, 98 per cent of torque is located in the front wheels but this gets redistributed as soon as a loss of traction is detected. This is controlled through an electro-hydraulically controlled multi-plate differential and can direct all power to the back wheels if it needs to.
However, the car can be switched to off-road mode, where all-wheel drive is activated permanently from 30 mph to make sure response is immediate and consistent. To make sure it performs best on slippery ground, the electronic locking differential is engaged while in this mode.
The new Fiat Panda Cross was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, now its specs and prices have been released. For the TwinAir version, prices start at £15,945 while the diesel version begins at £16,945.
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