Fiat Panda 100HP – Kung Fu Panda

Small and full of cheer, Fiat’s rambunctious Panda 100HP is a city car with a kick

When we drove the Fiat Panda 100HP in December 2006, our testers described it as “a wee bundle of fun”. And how could it be anything else? Taking the enjoyable but underpowered Panda as a basis, Fiat added some performance by fitting it with the 99bhp, 1.4-liter FIRE petrol engine more usually found in the Punto. The 100HP’s performance was on the milder side of wild – 0-62mph took 9.5sec – but even so, it brought some real brio to the Panda line-up.

Small and full of cheer, Fiat’s rambunctious Panda 100HP is a city car with a kick

The Panda was well into its production cycle when the 100HP was added to the range for 2007. It benefited from better-quality materials inside, although Fiat later added a leather-covered steering wheel and gearknob and more deeply bolstered sports seats covered in grey and black cloth. A Sport button also featured, the pressing of which lessened the Dualdrive electrically powered steering’s assistance by around 20 per cent and sharpened the throttle response, albeit marginally, below 3000rpm. The Panda 100HP’s brochure also boasted “huge” brakes, but the 15-inch alloys meant that translated into 257mm ventilated front discs and 240mm solid discs at the rear.

Punto-spec 1.4-liter engine makes 99bhp

Relatively mundane specs, then, but huge potential for fun – if you could put up with the rather uncompromising ride. The suspension was lowered by 25mm all round and featured 25 per cent stiffer springs and dampers plus a thicker front anti-roll bar, which conspired to rob the 100HP of its usefulness over speed bumps. It’s a small price to pay for the enhanced roll control, but a painful one if there’s no opportunity to enjoy the pay-off beyond the city limits.

Visually, the 100HP gained unique front and rear bumpers. The front one contained a mesh grille in contrasting black, while the rear got a non-functioning diffuser-style insert with a chrome-tipped exhaust popping out the bottom. A small, roof-mounted rear spoiler, flared wheel arches and side skirts, dark-tinted rear and side windows and red badging all marked out the 100HP over its lesser relatives in the Panda line-up.

Standard kit was comprehensive for the city car class. The 100HP came with climate control, Bluetooth telephone connectivity, remote central locking, a height-adjustable driver’s seat and a 50/50 split-fold rear seat. Optional extras included roof bars, a ’Skydome’ panoramic roof, a 150W subwoofer and CD multi-changer. UK dealers also offered the Pandamonium Pack, which added red brake calipers, red stripe decals, a darker finish to the alloy wheels and silver door mirror caps.

Standard kit is generous for a city car

Costing just $14,993 in 2006, the Panda 100HP can now be picked up for $4500 in the classifieds, with the last, lowest-mileage examples around the $9000 mark. Those early cars represent a lot of fun for not much outlay, and running costs are tiny. Sabatino Andretta, dealer technician at Fiat and Alfa Romeo specialist Continental Cars Center (020 7281 444, continentalcarslondon.co.uk), rates the Panda 100HP highly, preferring it to its Fiat 500 relative. Andretta has worked on plenty and says there are few big issues, as long as it’s regularly maintained. He recommends a full service annually, at around $390 a time, rather than a small service followed by a large one on alternate years. Consumables aren’t expensive, suggests changing every three years, costs around $600, fitted, including a new water pump at $51.

Routine maintenance aside, the 100HP should prove cheap to run. Andretta has seen cars go nearly 60,000 miles on an original clutch (a new one costs around $600 fitted), but he adds that it’s very much dependent on how hard the car is driven. That’s also true of the brakes. Pads can last more than 40,000 miles, but Andretta also has customers that need them replacing annually. A pair of front discs and pads costs $480, fitted.

Mild body kit includes a spoiler and flared arches

Even so, the Panda 100HP seems up to the abuse. It’s also a difficult car to resist, and all the more so now that it’s such an affordable used buy.

Design and engineering

Mainstream cars aren’t as much fun as they used to be. That they’re stronger, safer and more refined is beyond question, but they’ve lost much of their excitement along the way. The arrival of the Panda 100HP is refreshing because it’s a bundle of fun.

Interior

The interior is rather more standard. Front seats are well bolstered, but while Fiat claims the grey trim looks sportier than usual and the steering wheel is clad in leather, it’s the gearknob’s six indicated speeds and the discreet Sport button that are the only obvious signs that this is anything other than a regular Fiat Panda.

Performance

Fiat says the Panda will hit 62mph from rest in 9.5sec and go on to 115mph, both of which sound ambitious. Our test car revved towards its red line with less enthusiasm than expected, but it had only covered 1500 miles, so it might be inclined to loosen up. The gearbox gets the best from the engine and the sweet shift is accurate and short of throw.

The 100HP traded a soft ride for improved agility

Ride and handling

The ride is just the right side of acceptable. True, it’s a little jittery on bad roads and, because of its compact size, speed bumps tend to unsettle both front and rear at the same time. But those are small prices to pay for a car that’s otherwise so willing to change direction.

Buying and owning

If it hasn’t already made a decent case for itself, consider too that the Panda 100HP comes well equipped with electric windows, air conditioning and a CD player, plus it returns 40mpg-plus, is in insurance group five and costs just $14,993. Sounds like a winner to us.

Verdict

Beyond the glamour of Modena’s finest, the 100HP shows what Italians do best: affordable, functional fun.