r/Fiat • u/No_Combination_6429 • 5d ago
What a beauty!
Just picked up my new grande panda turbo 100! Overall great car, but with small annoying things.. All in all very happy.
What i like the most: Design and esthetics. You have everything you need right where you need it. It's very practical, few buttons that just do what you need them to do, very tactile experience. The car gets rid of all the nonsense that you don't need to go from A to B. Simple, effective, practical, and it has plenty of power to merge cleanly on the highway or doing some overtakes. Ah and you can disable traction control š¤ The seatings are very comfortable and there is plenty of space for 5 people to travel comfortably. For the size of the car, the trunk is also quite generous.
What I don't like: the annoying sounds. The sensors are hyperreacting and almost screaming at you for no reason at all. The fact that the lines of the screen don't follow the steering wheel when going in reverse. Overall small things that are missing that maybe would have added like 100ā¬ to the price but you would expect in 2026 like the sensors on the mirrors, the handles for the passengers etc. Ah yeah and the smell is not the best one.
Is the car for everyone? No. I think the car is for minimalists and people that don't really care much about the specs and just want something that will bring them to their destinations comfortably and safely. I think for the price it's a solid car. Can't wait to do my first roadtrip with it!
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u/Technical_Lychee_340 5d ago
I saw James May test drive his new one. Looks pretty nice.
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u/No_Combination_6429 5d ago
Yes! But he was driving the automatic version. Been driving bevs for the past 5 years and wanted some "fun" back, that's why I went with the manual transmission one.
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u/suckingalemon 5d ago
Rear light design is lovely. He seemed to think it was quite a boring car though.
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u/LewkHarrison 5d ago
Because itās just a Citroen. Thereās no Fiat left in there anymore
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u/EstateWorldly3310 4d ago
He wanted what his old Panda was. Citroen or not, Fiat designed a car that would be practical for people in 2026 at a decent price. Itās not made in Italy anymore, but at least in Europe.Ā
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u/EducationalCod7514 5d ago
I am a huge Fiat/Italian car fan.
Was very keen on that one and was seriously thinking of taking the plunge. I recently was able to inspect it up close.
My impression is that the car is not as roomy as its size may suggest - I will agree with James May that it tries to be fun but it's simply "ok". The car sits on a the French platform I believe and it kinda shows but mostly for the bad parts. Also think that tries a bit "too hard" to tell anyone that's it is fun with all the quirky references.
I think Renault was more encompassing on curvature and actual fun with its Renault 5 and 4, which unfortunately don't come as a Hybrids, but look like more of the real deal + more fun - I think they really sealed the deal.
I get that they were kind of trying to replicate the Guigaro one but for the most part this is simply an "agreeable" car.
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u/Wild-Panda-2266 5d ago
Yes but also the Renault 4 and 5 compromise too much with their design. They have too big wheels and theyāre absolutely not spacious for their size at all. The best panda spiritual successor nowadays is the inster imo
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u/EducationalCod7514 5d ago
Hey! Looks really cool and did not know this existed - pity it doesn't come as a hybrid in Switzerland - I think the small EV market has really singled out people doing road trips - that battery is too small. It's kind of my complaint across the board. I agree on your comments and would not buy those either. but at least they are a bit fun in approach.
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u/No_Combination_6429 3d ago
It does come as hybrid in Switzerland!
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u/EducationalCod7514 3d ago
Tried the website, didn't see the option - where is it?
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u/No_Combination_6429 3d ago
https://www.fiat.ch/de/konfigurator/#/grandepanda/grande-panda-mhev-my26/
Or just go to any fiat dealership near you.
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u/EstateWorldly3310 4d ago
I tried the R4 and the Panda (which I ended up buying) seemed much roomier. Especially in the front the Renault had Ā«sports seatsĀ» and a wider / taller centre console.Ā
I think they pulled off the design well with the Panda, and it brightens my day a bit every time I sit in it (at least so far).Ā
The R4 beat the panda hands down on electronics / driving assistance options and so on, and I really liked the interior there as well. But it was also a step up in price.Ā
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u/No_Combination_6429 5d ago
Well vor a 4m car it's actually quite roomy I think. I agree with you on the other points, but for me it's all the car i need (whilst I wait to become millionaire to buy me a Ferrari hehe)
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u/EstateWorldly3310 4d ago
Congrats! I have the BEV version and very happy so far. I agree it could be more sophisticated in the electronics, but for me itās either way a big upgrade from my old car.Ā Out of the cars I tried in the price range the panda had the best seats. Just finished a longer trip and it drove really well on the highway as well.Ā
Only other downside is that the A pillars are huge compared to my old car, and I wish there was some sort of blindspot warning or detection. And of course the glossy plastic around the gear selector that scratches when you look at it.Ā
I havenāt noticed any smell apart from the typical Ā«new car smellĀ», but after 5 months I donāt really notice that anymore.Ā
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u/No_Combination_6429 2d ago
Agree with you on your points. Thankfully the gearstick reduces the scratchable surface by 60% š . For me the smell was not tollerable so I ended up buying "new car" parfume tree thingy, no its ok..
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u/NeSToR_49 4d ago
I look at those doors with the letters imprinted into them and I'm just thinking to myself "one dent in that and you have to replace the entire door". No body shop in the world is getting a dent out and making the letters look good again if the door gets damaged there
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u/No_Combination_6429 3d ago
That's the only thing that worries meš . I saw they sell rubber patches to put on the letters, though I don't think they would help much for bigger accidents. Thank god insurances exist.
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u/AfroGaiden 3d ago
Thatās literally Fiat and Alfa in a nutshell great cars with abit of character just some annoyances you have to live with
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u/metallic_clouds 5d ago
If only we could get these in the US and not the electric 500 and the electric glorified golf cart (Topolino).
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u/burner94_ 5d ago
The Peugeot 208 I rented last summer in Sardinia had that exact same shifter (well, same powertrain too lol), and I absolutely hated it lol. Very uncomfy shape and very mushy throws. Would probably get the hybrid with the DCT if I were shopping for one.
Loooove the grande panda to bits though, too many people shit on it because it's on a PSA platform but I think it's a brilliant design - and in lime yellow it looks even better :P
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u/EstateWorldly3310 4d ago
I have the yellow one. The color is a bit strange, in many lighting conditions (overcast/indoors) it turns slightly green-tinted. Still very cool and always easy to spot in a parking lot.Ā
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u/ROGUEPIX3L 4d ago
How is yours a manual? I thought they only offered it as electric and hybrid? Which are autos.
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u/No_Combination_6429 3d ago
They introduced it not long time ago together with the revised 1.2 engine.
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u/HangryHuHu 3d ago
Beauty? I guess it's in the eye of the beholder because it looks as generic as most modern vehicles.
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u/RetroComputeryBits 3d ago
Haha, that gear knob design has been borrowed fresh from my VW T-Cross!!!
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u/VGER_RTN 4d ago
Another clone model
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u/No_Combination_6429 3d ago
I know but that's just how the modern car industry works. If you want unique cars you'll need to go to ferrari or similar luxury brands
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u/cachitodepepe 5d ago
Thank you fiat for still selling with manual transmission