So now we see the light Bob Marley (Burnin’, 1973)

Lucas can’t drink, I keep saying that, but today after lunch he went overboard. It’s true that tragedy is brewing in the company, because we have little work and the boss walks around the production lines with a worried air. She almost always interrupts his disturbing walk with a cell phone call, to which he always responds with “No, No, No!” and goes to his office overlooking the packing house. We know something is up because he pulls the blinds and he never did. But Lucas has moved on from shots to mixed drinks and I’m afraid he might pass out on leftover flan. Just when he seems about to collapse, he looks up and without hesitation begins to speak in a clear voice. It doesn’t look like yours. “There is a place in the factory that few people know about, a hidden door behind the sealing machines that is partially covered by a torn poster. That door leads to a cellar that was used by the ranchers who owned the property before Bustos bought it…”

“Lucas, don’t talk nonsense, you’re drunk” I tell him and make a move to stand up. But he grabs my hand. “You think the boss cares about orders? I know the truth. He has been refusing any contract for months. What’s going on is… something else.” I sense. Lucas has managed to get my attention, so I ask Paqui for my solyumbra to sync up with his paranoia about the greasy paper tablecloth. “It’s… the basement.” Govt. she told him he had to stop everything without arousing suspicion…” I finish my shot and ask for another. “But what’s in there? Fertilizers, poisons? Are we in danger?” Lucas shakes his head vigorously. He leans his elbow on the table and brings his face closer to mine as if to whisper a secret. “None of that Damian. Nothing from this. What’s down there is… alien. From outside, from far away.” He says making noise towards the ceiling. “You mean an alien?” Lucas now looks like he’s been struck by lightning. “Hi! And he is… alive.”

There are few famous proponents of vintage utility vehicles left who faithfully maintain the concept of a car with smaller dimensions and price. The market is constantly renewing models that relatively recently shared the window with utility vehicles with an electric motor, looking to an urban future without emissions. But for nostalgic models like the Fiat Panda, they will always have their place in this exciting story of the evolution of mobility.

In particular, the Fiat Panda has been on the market for more than forty years as a replacement for the legendary 126, designed by the prestigious Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, with many cost-cutting solutions and a truly spartan and practical interior with solutions. such as the ability to draw the seats for washing the upholstery in the washing machine. Panda has survived many revolutions and changes in the market with health to this day.

The last generation

In this case, we were able to test the latest generation of the Italian utility vehicle, which is fitted with a mild hybrid drive system that gives it the designation DGT ECO. This latest generation is the result of a facelift of the model launched in 2012, which retains all the characteristics that make this small car an alternative that is always present for those who need a supreme city car.

At first glance, one of those signs of identity is discovered: the Panda is a utility vehicle with a relatively tall body, to the point where one might think that it is just a step below a small SUV. Thanks to this height and contained size, an excellent combination of visibility and maneuverability in operation is achieved.

For our tests, we chose the Sport version with some aesthetic details that give it a sportier look. At the front, the headlights sit high on the sides of the hood and below is a prominent, well-proportioned bumper that’s ideal for fending off bumps or scrapes when maneuvering around town. On the sides of the bumper, we find position lights in the middle part and fog lights at the bottom.

Personality

At the height of the front headlights, there is a decorative strip of black plastic with the Fiat logo in the middle. Below is an air intake with several elements, a narrower intake above the area where the license plate is located and another area made up of several elements. The set is casual with a certain sporty touch.

The side line, as we indicated, is high and reminiscent of an SUV design. The glass surfaces are also proportionally large, and there is even a third transparent element at the height of the trunk. The rims feature an irregular geometric design and this variant features red brake calipers to provide an additional sporty element.

The rear part is dominated by a large gate, the upper part of which is dominated by a large glass surface, flanked on the sides by two elongated optical groups. At the bottom is the bumper, also a good size, from which a black plastic bumper protrudes to provide additional impact protection.

simple interior

Inside, Fiat has kept to the tradition of extreme design simplicity with rounded shapes that give the dashboard an original feel. In the middle is the infotainment screen in an ideal elevated position so you can consult it without taking your eyes off the road. It is an efficient and modern system that can be connected to mobile phones with Android Auto and Apple Car Play.

To the right of the screen we find a large storage compartment, which is quite practical and also leaves a lot of room for the passenger’s legs, as this part of the dashboard is very advanced. On the driver’s side, two traditional dials work to indicate speed and revs, with a small screen between them for additional information about the car’s operation.

The seats are quite comfortable with a sports-inspired design with red stitching and lateral support in both the seat and back. The steering wheel also features red stitching and a three-spoke design with buttons and dials that allow for quicker access to the car’s various functions.

functional design

The shifter is pushed forward in an element that protrudes from the bottom of the dashboard, leaving a free space in the front between the seats, between which we find only the handbrake lever. Above the gear lever is the control of the air conditioning and other functions of the car.

At the back, the habitability is somewhat more sacrificed, which is inevitable due to the size of the car. There is enough space in height, but on the other hand, it is not enough for legs, and especially if three people want to travel, because the space in the central square is very small. On the other hand, large glazed areas give a lot of light and create a spacious impression. Despite everything, it is among the compacts in which there is more space in the back seats.

The trunk is another element that suffers from the short body length. The capacity is 225 liters with a very curious tub with a relief that allows you to place objects and prevent them from moving when the trunk is closed. By folding down the seats in the second row, we increase the capacity to 870 liters. Both numbers are slightly lower than the competition offers.

small engine

It’s time to test the little 1 liter petrol engine of this little Italian. As we expected, it receives help from a small electric motor with a power of only 5 horsepower, which serves as a starter motor and contributes to the thrust of the internal combustion engine at certain moments of its operation.

The three-cylinder engine produces a characteristic sound, but somewhat rounder than others from the competition. Sound deadening isn’t very effective, but it’s not a particularly noisy engine either, especially after a certain period of operation. Since there is no electric motor powerful enough to move the car, the internal combustion engine runs constantly.

Although it doesn’t have a lot of power, it’s quite nimble around town and at low revs, and we won’t need to rev it too much unless we need too much acceleration. On the other hand, as soon as we need decisive acceleration, it is necessary to rev the engine a lot and with a not very dazzling result. The result is an acceleration from zero to sixty that takes almost 14 seconds.

The city of its territory

It is clear that urban routes are the natural habitat of this car: its good visibility, high driving position, closed size and details such as the City mode that can be selected for the direction that facilitates maneuvers allowing easier turning of the steering wheel make the city undoubtedly the preferred territory.

It doesn’t do badly on the road unless we need to overtake or need power to climb hills. Although with effort it manages to maintain a decent cruising speed if the terrain is flat. On twisty roads the car is safe as long as we’re not looking for a tickle, but at no point did we feel like it was leaning or losing grip worryingly by a reasonable amount.

Conclusions

Fiat Panda continues to maintain the practical and youthful spirit of previous generations, with an important modernization of the micro-hybrid engine, which, although not very bright, manages to maintain really low consumption, which is around five liters per hundred kilometers. without management.especially austere. We really liked the updated exterior and interior aesthetics and sporty details of the version we tested.

We liked the habitability and lightness of the cabin, somewhat more sacrificed at the back, but with a height that is very practical. In the city it is very easy to handle and fits anywhere, and on the highway it can be used, provided that it is not a champion in acceleration. The final ingredient is an attractive price, which can be the deciding factor.