Gran Turismo 5: Classic Fiat Panda

Sometimes though, even the world of Gran Turismo can be a bit too notorious for featuring so many bangers in the franchise, one of those bangers was this, the first generation Fiat Panda. By the time I drove one of those, the first thing that came out in my mind is simple...What am I doing in this old banger anyway?



First of all, let's talk about how it looks like. The first generation Panda, launched in 1980, was styled by Giugiaro, which seems to be an interesting name because he's the man behind numerous works including the first generation VW Golf, the Lancia Delta, and the Maserati MC12. It's not quite bad for a Giugiaro-designed car even though it looks kinda resemble to the Fiat Uno, the car I rarely saw one in the streets when I was a kid. However, let's get back to the question...



What I have here is the one with the 1.0L engine, complete with electronic fuel injection. This engine develops a very disappointing 44HP of power and when I take my foot down on the pedal...that noise from its engine which has the same capacity as a 1-litre bottle of Coke is about as similar as a vibrating chair, only a bit too dull. So, when the noise is too dull, how about cornering? When careful, the cornering of the Panda seems a bit generous but no. The handling is not generous. If I was an old lady, most of my spine will shred every time I turn round a corner in the Panda. Painful, isn't it?

Understeer-wise, I could get likely be crashed. Yep, this banger is all horrid to me. I wonder how did the owners of this old Panda handle this so seriously?

Another thing about the first Panda that since its discontinuation in 2003, about 4.5 million units were produced, making it one of the most common cars you can expect one not just in Italy but in most parts in Europe. By the time the Panda is good to drive in the past, it garnered so much recognition and oh, it was placed 2nd in the European Car of the Year awards in its first full year of production.



For stupidity, this car has been in the butt of stupidity. I saw Clarkson made a limo out of it from an episode of Top Gear and then it got split into two. Also, this Panda got flipped over by a bunch of rockets for some Brainiac experiment about stuff NASA never tried. Remember those? Me too...

But still, despite being too horrid for today's world, the Panda is still one of the most memorable rides made by the Italians. Even though it's all crud, I still appreciate how the Panda gave it all it had for the drivers.

3rd Generation Fiat Panda

The Panda has been around for over 30 years when the first Fiat Panda came out in the 1980's and the second-generation Panda reached a milestone of over 2,000,000 units made last year. For this third-generation model, the all new Fiat Panda will do anything to make Fiat stand up from the ongoing European debt crisis that was plunged last year. Produced at the revamped Pomigliano d'Arco plant in Naples, Italy, the new Panda is all about Italian pride that expresses the art of car passion, no matter which league you are.

2013 Fiat Panda

Previous generations of the Panda seems a bit more squarish and ugly to look at because everything seems to be squarish and "it's cool if you're an 11-year-old boy". For this new Panda, the design is finally went to the right direction and I was going to say that I love the new look of the this 3rd-generation model. Although it still has the same side view design from the previous model, the new design is definitely enough for the average Italian motorist who are looking for a city car that is stylish. So what I'm looking now that this new Panda is no longer the ugly squarish type of Panda. The round shaping really makes it up to its bubbly personality, which is nice. Good mark for Fiat there.

2013 Fiat Panda interior

Okay, what I don't really get about the new Panda is the new interior. When you get inside, you really don't get it that there is too much square around here. From the parts of the steering wheel, the instrumental panel, the climate control, everything is so squarish! If you have a decent top-of-the-line model, you would find out that there are so many squares are imprinted on the seats that can accommodate up to five people. Perhaps if you're a kid, you would find out that those seats with several squared imprinted on it are somewhat fun to touch and your parents won't be noticing it. If you're up to connectivity, the available Fiat Blue&Me, in collaboration with Microsoft, provides you with hands-free voice commands that lets you listen to music, make phone calls, navigation, and more, without letting your hands off the wheel.

2013 Fiat Panda

At the start, the all new 3rd-generation Fiat Panda is available in two petrol engine types such as the 1.2 69cv and the 0.9 TwinAir Turbo 85cv engine with idling stop function, and the 1.3 Multijet 16v 75cv engine.. Okay, the new 1.2 69cv Fire EVO II engine, which is the latest evolution of the Fiat FIRE engine range that boasts over 10 million units made. It provides 69PS of power and 102Nm of torque with improved fuel economy (combined) of 19.2km/L (5.2L/100km) and 120g/km of CO2 emissions. Lastly, the 0.9 TwinAir Turbo 85cv engine, which is the first of the new range of two-cylinder engines developed by Fiat Powertrain, develops 85PS of power and 145Nm of torque but it can be reduced to 100Nm if the driver presses the ECO key on the dashboard to save petrol, leaving the fuel economy up to 23.8km/L of fuel economy and CO2 emissions equal to 99g/km, which is impressive for an Italian eco-car. On the 1.3L Multijet 16v diesel engine, it produces about 75PS of power and 190Nm of torque. Thanks to its fixed geometry turbocharger with intercooler, this diesel variant promises about 104g/km of CO2 emissions and 25.6km/L of fuel economy. Most of these variants come with a 5-speed manual transmission but there will be more variants for the new Fiat Panda coming soon this year.

Ten exterior colors are available on the new Fiat Panda such as Beige Accogliente, Bianco Sincero, Marrone Avvolgente, Nero Seducente, Rosso Cupido, Turchese Sognante, Blu Dipintodiblu, Grigio Allegro, Rosso Gioioso, and Viola Profumato.

My comment:
With the all new, 3rd-generation, Fiat Panda had its design finally came to the right direction, it tries to be more bubbly and cheerful for this cheap and cheerful Italian 5-door hatchback. With prices start at around 10,200 Euros for the entry level 1.2L POP up to 14,400 Euros for the 1.3L Multijet 16v 75cv S&S Lounge, this new Panda is definitely a cheap and cheerful hatchback that is more affordable than the Toyota Ractis. I was going to say that (sigh) I love it. Mwah!



Photo: FIAT