The Italian carmaker Fiat decided not to wait anymore and reveal the 2013 Panda 4×4 before the car’s public debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show scheduled for late September. Fiat says that this is the only 4WD car in the A-segment, and it was designed by the company’s Centro Stile. As you might have guessed, it’s based on the 5-door Panda hatchback and has a 2,300 mm wheelbase with a 1,410 mm front track and a 1,400 mm rear track. The car is 3,680 mm long, 1,600 mm tall and 1,670 mm wide. To make it look more masculine, Fiat installed chunky door sills with matching black moldings around the wheel arches, while the bumpers have skid plates painted in silver.
The 2013 Fiat Panda 4×4 is fitted with 15-inch alloy wheels wrapped around in 175/65 R15 M+S tires and it is available with two new colors: Toscana green and Sicilia orange. As far as the inside is concerned, the rugged Panda has an attractive green frame around the dashboard, along with new door panel and seat upholstery. There’s more storage room available thanks to the new console installed over the center tunnel.
Customers will have the possibility of choosing from either the 0.9-liter TwinAir Turbo gasoline unit with 84 hp or the 1.3-liter MultiJet II diesel with 74 hp. Both of them are mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox that has a low-range first gear, while for improving fuel consumption these engines are equipped with a stop/start system.
The “torque on demand” transmission has electronically-controlled coupling and two differentials. We are talking about an all-time 4WD system which is being managed by the electronic control unit distributing the traction between the two axels, based on the road grip. Also as standard, the Fiat Panda 4×4 comes equipped with the ELD – Electronic Locking Differential and the ESC – Electronic Stability Control systems.
