Fiat Panda 1.3 16v MultiJet Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Fiat Panda 1.3-litre Multijet Diesel
Prices: £10,000 - on the road
Insurance Group: 2
Emissions: 114g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 12.8s / Max Speed 99mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 51mpg
Safety: Driver and passenger airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height 3538/1790/1540mm

Perfect Power

Our Rating: No Rating Available

Car of the day gone tomorrow. That seems to be the way of the car world these days. One day there is the ?it? car that everyone must have and then tomorrow there is another car taking its place. Fiat is trying to buck that trend with the Panda line. They have designed this line of cars to stand the test of time with a wide range of features not expected in urban aimed cars.

People seemed to be in awe when Fiat pronounced that the interior of the latest Panda line would be the only one in its class that has lining on 99 percent of the cabin. This fact allows the car to drive at motorway speeds while keeping the wind noise to a minimum.

Other people nearly fainted when they found out that Fiat also included some very unique safety features for a supermini. The Panda is the first in its class that comes with six airbags as an option and two airbags as standard. Fiat also built the Panda with a body structure that will cushion an impact and then direct the energy away from the passenger compartment.

Fiat also impressed the world by putting a 1.2-litre 4-cylinder engine under the hood and upped the ante further in their Eleganza trim level that included features like climate control, remote central locking, ABS and split/folding rear seats.

Now Fiat takes it even further by offering a 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel powered engine that runs on 70bhp that turns out to be the cleanest and most fuel efficient you can get. The fuel consumption is a staggering 52.3 in the city, 76.3 on the motorways and a combines 65.7 combined. These are estimates of course, but amazing numbers even for a supermini.

The 1.3-litre MultiJet is a 16 valve powerhouse that runs on a second generation common rail injection system that meets the Euro4 emission requirements. The normal function of a diesel engine have the fuel being injected by a couple of shots of fuel into the cylinder. The MultiJet system breaks the main injection down to a series of smaller shots that allows the engine to reduce emissions while increasing overall performance.

To prove the point this little car will get from 0-60mph in about 12.8 seconds and top out around 99mph. That may not sound like the quickest car on the block, but remember we are talking about a supermini that carries 4 people. These numbers are very impressive for the class. In fact you will be hard pressed to find something that delivers this much power and burns as clean as the Panda 1.3-litre.

The Panda 1.3-litre MultiJet is offered in the Dynamic trim level that comes with anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, a trip computer, power steering, body coloured bumpers and a trip computer.

At the end of the day Fiat has produced a line of superminis that will stand the test of time from all aspects. There is a lot to love about this car and very little to dislike. Anyone in the market for a supermini that is safe, powerful and inexpensive will be beyond happy with the Panda 1.3-litre MultiJet.