On and off-roading in the Panda Cross

The new Fiat Panda Cross combines off-road functionality with the practicality of a city car, finds Angela Pisanu

The new Fiat Panda Cross is based on the Panda 4x4, but has even more capability for off-roading, including hill-descent technology, large, all-weather tyres, increased ground clearance and additional body protection.

The exterior has style cues that indicate it’s capable of off-roading. The front has a chunky black bumper and a large metal skidplate with bright red tow hooks. It has new LED daytime running lights and its headlights are framed with matte black casing and incorporate fog lights.

Three modes of driving
The vehicle’s ‘terrain control’ function allows the driver to choose between three driving modes – auto, off-road and hill descent control – to adjust the driving characteristics of the vehicle according to how it is being used.
    
Auto mode automatically distributes the engine torque between the front and rear axles. On normal roads in good conditions, the Panda Cross is 98 per cent front-wheel driven, but when a loss of traction is detected the system reacts by redistributing the engine torque between axles in just a tenth of a second.
    
In off-road mode, the all-wheel drive function is permanently activated up to 30mph. The electronic locking differential is engaged, ASR intervention is disengaged and to improve traction on slippery or icy ground, the ESC system is employed to brake slipping wheels and transfer the engine’s torque to those wheels with the most grip.
    
Hill descent control activates automatically on tricky downhill terrain and uses the ESC sensors and ABS brake system to maintain a constant speed and avoid unexpected movements.
    
The Panda Cross also has all-season mud and snow tyres, which are larger than those of the standard Panda 4x4. These tyres were specially developed to ensure optimum traction and responsiveness on wet, snowy and dry surfaces.
    
The Panda Cross comes in one specification, and a choice of two engines – the 89bhp 0.9-litre TwinAir petrol with a six-speed manual gearbox and the 80bhp 1.3-litre diesel engine with a five-speed gearbox. I drove the latter model. It can do 0-62mph in 14.3 seconds and has a top speed of 99mph. On paper it’s combined fuel consumption figure is 60.1 mpg and its CO2 emissions are 125g/km.

Off-roading
On the short distance of off-road terrain that I took the Panda Cross on, it performed as desired; it griped to slippery bumps, dips, ascents and declines with confidence. On the normal roads, the Cross performed well as a city car, feeling agile and responsive in towns. At high speeds however, the Panda Cross is noisy – both from engine hum and road/wind noise.
    
The vehicle has a good list of standard equipment, including automatic climate control; bluetooth connectivity; satellite navigation; heated electric door mirrors; remote central locking; ESC system complete with ELD and Terrain Control and all-season 185/65R15 M+S tyres.
    
Optional equipment and accessories include a useful winter pack (£250) with heated windscreen and heated front seats; rear parking sensors; and a City Brake Control system which received a ‘Euro NCAP Advanced’ reward for its contribution to road safety in 2013. This system operates at speeds of up to 19mph and employs a laser sensor to detect the presence of vehicles in front of the car and uses the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking, brake prefill and brake assist systems if the driver fails to stop.
    
The new Fiat Panda Cross is on sale now and is priced from £15,945 for the TwinAir version and £16,945 for the diesel-powered model.
    
For those drivers that a do a mixture of off-road trips and city journeys, the Fiat Panda Cross is worthy of consideration

Fiat Panda Cross 1.3‑litre MultiJet 80

ENGINE: 1,248cc, four-cylinder diesel
CO2: 125g/km
MPG (combined): 60.1
VED: Band D, £0 first year, £110 thereafter
BIK: 21%
PRICE (OTR): £16,495 (including VAT)