Fiat Panda (04-11) - Review

It may only be three and half metres long but the Panda is a small car with a big interior. Passengers in the front get plenty of room plus the driver's seats is supportive and quite comfortable, while the tall and boxy profile means rear headroom is excellent - even for six footers. There's no escaping the fact that the little Fiat is quite narrow, but the ride is excellent and soaks up bumpy roads and potholes well.

With such a small body it's little surprise that luggage space is tight - the Panda has a boot capacity of slightly more than 200 litres, which although small is still more than a MINI. The boot area can be expanded by dropping the rear seats, boosting space to 861 litres, but most models only come with a folding rear seat - there's no 50:50 split unless you go for the Eleganza trim. In the city, the Panda is a trusty companion and perfectly suited to scurrying through the rat race. A 'City' button on the dashboard makes the steering even lighter for tight slow speed manoeuvres and parking.

It’s easy to get comfortable and find a good driving position in the Panda, even though the cabin has a utilitarian feel to it. The interior doesn't look particularly sophisticated but it's well laid out and easy to use while the hard-wearing plastics should stand the test of time. Despite the small wing mirrors, driver visibility is generally good overall, though the large rear pillars can be obstructive when parking.