A new generation? Certainly. The old and much-loved Panda was so typically Fiat - the company has always excelled at making small cars characterful and fun - and those elements many thought were missing from the Cinquecento and Siecento, which served as successive replacements when the previous Panda was laid to a well-earned rest. Buyers of the new car may not even remember the old model, but rest assured the Panda character is alive and well, and looking every inch like a car that promises the breed an entirely new lease of life.
Of course, to compare old Panda with new, is like comparing VHS with DVD. The former, and very distinct, two-box design of the 80's Panda is replaced with a slick, modern interpretation of the same theme, but executed in a style that has turned angles into sweeping curves and basic functionality into a sophisticated rendition of modern technology.
Avoiding funk for its own sake, the Panda design is pretty much that of a large car made small. Fluent from a pedestrian-friendly bonnet to space-optimising upright tailgate, the lines express the concept of a flexible city car in a way that leaves many of its rivals looking bland. And a new range of colours, including some pastel shades, add to the effect.
A buzz word in current car design is 'packaging'. It refers to the art of optimising interior space whilst applying careful restraint to overall size. The technique is typified by the Panda. Despite its modest dimensions, the new baby Fiat manages to convey to its occupants the sense of being surrounded by space. I drove the £7,495 Dynamic SkyDome, and even with another burly journalist on board, there was nothing at all intimate in the experience. Shoulder room is more than ample, as is headroom, and the sense of spaciousness was enhanced by the twin-glass SkyDome, which adds a reasonable £500 to the basic asking price of the mid-range Dynamic model.
As well as the twin sunroofs, the SkyDome pack adds to the standard Dynamic specification such things as front fog lights, roof bars, side mouldings, a driver's vanity mirror and remote central locking. Without the SkyDome pack, the standard specification of the £6,895 Dynamic model is pretty comprehensive (for a small city car) and includes body coloured bumpers, a multi-functional instrument panel with a trip computer, ABS with electronic brake-force distribution and a height-adjustable driver's seat belt. All models feature electric front windows, Dualdrive electric power steering (remember the famous 'girlie' button?), twin airbags and a radio/cassette player.
A useful option on all but the lead-in, £6,295 Active model is a split folding and sliding rear seat (with a few degrees recline for the backrest). It will cost you an extra £200 but it greatly increases the Panda's flexibility, and the simple fold mechanism converts the 5-door Panda into a mini estate car quicker than you could read this sentence.
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