As I’m about to depart for my Nevada overlanding trip with my one-wheel drive xB, this 4×4 Panda posted by Roshake77 caught my eye for obvious reasons. This one looks a bit more jacked up than stock, ready for just about anything. Some Panda 4WD models even had differential locks.
The Panda has a long tradition of offering 4WD on a very small package, going back to 1983.
Like these out on an adventure somewhere. My first direct exposure to them was in 1999 when I was in Austria for a while. We were staying in a guest house up in the mountains, and the mailman drove an Austrian Post yellow Panda 4×4. And did he ever “drive”, as in practicing for the Dakar. A madman on the loose. If it had been me, I would have been driving like that too; got to keep it interesting.
The gen2 Pandas used a variety of “Fire” gas engines from 1.1 to 1.4L, and the 1.3 L Multijet diesel. I’ll take the diesel, thank you. No need to bring along the two plastic 2-gallon gas cans I bought the other day.
List under “cars I wish we got in the USA”, but I could see them being bumped into ruts as fill on trails by the rednecks in the lifted pickups.
There was a rumor about it coming to the US some years ago. Branding matters, though. I can easily see it make a small splash before disappearing without a trace as a Fiat but being a segment-defining, million-selling hit as a Jeep.
I knew that the xB saga has just been a cover story – now we get to see exactly what you’ve been cooking up in the CC Skunkworks.
I know that it doesn’t fit in with the Bro’ Dozer crowd, but what a fun tool and plaything, one that won’t get confused for anything else!
Its true…there are “rednecks” in Europa!!!
Needs a set of cow testicles hanging from the trailer hitch.
Imagine “rolling coal” with the 1.3 diesel…next to a Tesla Model X in the middle of Vienna…..while yodeling your favorite mountain folk song 😙 😙 😙
I remember seeing lots of these in the mountains on a trip to Italy twenty years ago. As for selling it on the US market, it may not be exactly the same platform but effectively that’s what the Jeep Renegade is.
Saw one done up as an off roader on Wheeler Dealers, most of the powertrain is now a Jeep and likely better than the real thing.
Do you know if there is a mechanical relationship between the Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X and the Panda?
My brother had a regular one with 1.3 JTD. Believe it or not but it did low 60 mpg when driving longer stretches not exceeding 50 mph. Also surprisingly (or not) a trouble free engine.
Instead of the name “Renegade” if Fiat brought this over they could have named it the “Panda Trail Boss!” Now that’s a name that will cause your chest to swell with pride. Paul good luck with your Overland adventure, can’t wait to read about it!
ICYMI, the Panda is a Fiat 500 in working clothes.
I recall getting one of these – the regular FWD version – as a rental car in Italy around about 1984 or 5. Manual transmission. White…and I still recall that odd grill treatment.
Now mind you, I am a avowed fan of small as well as boxy, but this thing seemed small even in Italy at the time. Then again, it was just about the right size when I was winding my way through Siena and Lucca trying to find the pensiones recommended in Let’s Go. There were quite a few alley-sized “streets” that I’m sure I would never have been able to navigate with anything larger than the Panda.
Wish Fiat had sold that here rather than this “thing”