My uncle was in a Salvation Army band. He used to play what his fellow musicians dubbed the pandemonium. In fact it was a harmonium, but since he played with more piety than skill, the notes would not always emerge in the same order as the composer had intended, earning him the nickname Gunga, in view of the Din he created.
Pandemonium (or should that be Pandamonium?) of a different sort ran through Fiat's European showrooms last year as sales of the newly launched Panda went through the roof. With orders likely to have exceeded 100,000 units by the end of December 2003, the company is said to be 'buoyant'. The fact that it's afloat at all is a mystery to some observers. But after an annus horribilis or two, the company has emerged from the gloom and re-established itself as one of Europe's front runners.
At the turn of the century, the verdict on Fiat might well have been summed up as 'Must try harder'. That much the company certainly did, and the new Panda is an example of renaissance in action. Another example is the new 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine, which first broke cover in the latest, and much improved, Punto, and which is set to join the Panda line-up in the summer of 2004.
Meanwhile, customers of the UK version of the Panda must content themselves with narrowly separated 1.1- and 1.2-litre petrol engines. Why so similar? Apparently the 1.1-litre engine is something of a psychological gambit intended to tempt buyers away from 1.0-litre rivals. In horsepower terms, the similarity is retained, the smaller unit delivering 54 bhp, and the larger, 60 bhp. In performance terms, the gap is equally small - with top speeds of 93 and 96 mph respectively, and the 0-62 mph dash being accomplished by the 1.1-litre in 15 seconds, and in 14 seconds by the other.
If anything, the distinction lies in the trim level that accompanies the two engines. The smaller unit is offered only in the lead-in Active model, whereas the two more-loaded options - Dynamic and Eleganza - get the bigger engine. The Dynamic will, in due course, also play host to the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine, which is the fastest and most powerful engine of the lot.
The Multijet will also exhibit the extraordinary parsimony of multiple-pulse diesel injection. A combined fuel consumption of 65.7 mpg is promised, derived from an extra-urban figure of 76.3 mpg, and an impressive urban figure of 52.3 mpg. By comparison, the petrol units seem quite thirsty, both returning combined figures within a spit of 50 mpg. But diesel engines and A-segment cars are not yet common bedfellows, and so Fiat quite rightly expects that the two petrol models will take a clear sales lead.
But whatever power unit you choose, one thing is certain, the Panda is bound to please. In some ways it re-defines small car qualities, both in design terms and in the way it benefits from trickle-down quality - many of its features and virtues are derived from the Punto, and even the Stilo - thus raising the expectations for a new generation of Panda customers.
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