Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid review

Small dogs, like the famously cheeky Jack Russell Terrier, can be compact in size but big in personality – and you could say the new Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid gives off the same energy.

This small SUV is very compact but has chunky styling and several retro design touches to help it stand tall against the big dogs of the class. 

Who are those big dogs it's competing with? Well, the main contenders are the Dacia Duster and Seat Arona, which are similarly priced to the Grande Panda Hybrid. Along with those rivals there are also small cars like the Renault Clio to contend with.

It’s worth noting another important rival: the Citroën C3. You see, the Grande Panda Hybrid and the C3 are closely related, with mild hybrid and fully electric power on offer in both. That’s right, you can have a Grande Panda Electric if that’s more your thing, but in this review we’ll be focusing on the mild-hybrid version.

So does the Fiat Grand Panda Hybrid go far enough to nip at the heels of rivals or does it end up chasing its own tail in a competitive pack? Read on to find out…

There’s only one power option for the Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid: the 109bhp mild hybrid. It combines a 1.2-litre petrol engine and a tiny electric motor, and can travel on electric power alone when coasting, reversing or in traffic.

It’s only available with a six-speed automatic gearbox, although Fiat has suggested that a non-hybrid petrol version with a manual gearbox might be available later.

Officially, the Grande Panda Hybrid can go from 0-62mph in 10 seconds, which means it’s quicker than entry-level versions of the Dacia Duster and Seat Arona – and, indeed, the Grande Panda Electric. It feels quite spritely, with no shortage of power when overtaking or merging on to a motorway.

The only hindrance to making swift progress is the auto gearbox, because it’s slow to kick down when you need a sudden burst of speed. It’s otherwise quick and smooth.

On the road, there’s a clear distinction between the Grande Panda Hybrid and the Citroën C3 it shares its underpinnings with. While the C3 is geared more towards ride comfort, the Grande Panda has been set-up for agility.

Its suspension is not as cushioned as the C3’s but it feels impressively nimble. You’ll notice yourself jiggling around in your seat over bumps in the road, but the damping is supple enough to avoid it feeling crashy or harsh.

Overall, it strikes a decent balance between ride comfort and handling, although it doesn’t deliver the same driving enjoyment as the Arona. That's mainly due to its light steering, which is great for low-speed manoeuvres, but it doesn't add the necessary weight at higher speeds to inspire confidence.

In terms of refinement, the Grande Panda Hybrid's engine is smooth and reasonably hushed, but you will notice a little shimmy when it chimes in and out of electric mode in town. Road noise is reasonably subdued on motorways but you will notice some wind noise from the door mirrors.

“Fiat has hinted at the possibility of a four-wheel-drive Grande Panda Hybrid. If it has genuine off-road ability like the original Panda 4x4, I think it could be quite a tempting and fun proposition.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

The Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid’s interior is a real breath of fresh air. It’s bright and airy thanks to a mix of colour on the dashboard and seat upholstery. It’s much brighter than the interiors of the Dacia Duster and Seat Arona, which are dark and dingy by comparison. 

That’s not to say it doesn’t feel cheap. While some of the materials have a pleasant grain to them and there's bamboo-sourced fabric on the "Bambox" glove compartment, most of the interior plastics are hard and scratchy. The Skoda Kamiq has a plusher interior.

No matter your height or size, you shouldn’t have much trouble getting comfortable behind the wheel of the Grande Panda. There’s loads of adjustment in the seat, so even tall drivers can get comfortable, plus the seats are nice and supportive.

The steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake, but there’s not much movement available – although that shouldn’t cause a problem unless you’re over 6ft. The wheel never blocks the driver's display either, which is a bonus.

Despite being a small box on wheels, visibility isn’t great in the Grande Panda. The windscreen pillars are wide and the window lines are high so you don’t get a good all-round view. There’s quite a big blind-spot with the rear pillars too. 

On the plus side, you get a raised driving position, which gives you a better view of the road than from a small car such as the Renault Clio.

It’s also very easy to tell where the front of the car is when parking, thanks to the square shape of the bonnet. That's handy because entry-level cars only get rear parking sensors as standard. You have to step up to the range-topping trim to get front sensors and a reversing camera.

All Grande Pandas have a 10in digital driver’s display. While it can’t show a sat-nav map like the upgraded screen in the Arona, it has displays for trip information and the hybrid system, with sharp graphics and funky fonts.

Next to the driver’s display there’s a 10.3in infotainment touchscreen. The system is quite basic but it’s intuitively laid out, with menus positioned close to the driver. The screen is responsive, and can mirror your smartphone apps using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

Unlike the Ford Puma, the Grande Panda has a set of physical climate controls below the infotainment screen. That's great because it makes it super-easy to adjust the temperature or fan speed while driving.

“The Grande Panda’s interior has some really neat design touches. I particularly like the Fiat stamps on the doors and the mini 1980s Panda on the dashboard." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

Even the tallest of drivers and passengers won’t feel short of space in the front of the Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid. There’s plenty of head and leg room on offer, plus you won’t feel like you're too close for comfort with the front passenger, thanks to its reasonably wide interior. 

Six-footers should be fairly comfortable in the back too, just as long as they’re not sitting behind a similarly tall driver. If they are, their knees will be brushed up against the seat – if not, there’s enough leg room to be comfortable. Thanks to the car’s tall, boxy shape, there’s plenty of head room on offer.

While there’s enough space to fit three abreast in the back of the Grande Panda, we wouldn’t advise it. Shoulders will most certainly be rubbing because of the small middle seat. On the plus side, the large footwells provide plenty of foot space.

As for interior storage, there’s a lot of it. In the front, there are two gloveboxes – one in the usual spot and the Bambox above it. In the middle of those, there’s a tray for odds and ends, while in the doors there’s a space for a large water bottle and a couple of smaller items.

Unfortunately, if you want to have the centre armrest with storage, you’ll have to go for the mid-spec Icon trim. In the back, it’s a similar story. You’ll have to go for Icon trim if you want a phone holder pocket on the front seatback, but otherwise there’s a cubby in the doors. 

The Grande Panda Hybrid's boot space has a volume of 412 litres. That's more than you get in a Kia Stonic or Seat Arona but less than in a Dacia Duster.

Unfortunately, there's no height-adjustable boot floor so there’s quite a large lip to lift things over. The rear seats don’t do anything clever either, such as slide like in the Renault Captur. All versions get 60/40 split-folding rear seats as standard, which is the same set-up as in the Arona, Captur and Duster.

“I’m 6ft 2in and I struggled to fit in the back with the front seat set to my preferred driving position. However, I did get in the back with a shorter driver in front of me and had plenty of leg room.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

The Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid is one of the cheapest small SUVs out there. It undercuts nearly all of its rivals, including the Dacia Duster, Kia Stonic, Renault Captur and Seat Arona. It’s even slightly less than the closely related Citroën C3 – although the Renault Clio small car is slightly cheaper.

Fuel economy is, on paper, a key strength of the Grande Panda Hybrid. It can officially average up to 56.5mpg, which is better than the Captur and Arona. It even matches the full-hybrid Duster for efficiency.

The amount of CO2 the Grande Panda Hybrid emits from its tailpipe is quite low at 115g/km for the entry-level Pop version and 117g/km for Icon and above. The fully electric Fiat Grande Panda Electric doesn’t have any emissions to emit so it will be a better option for company car drivers.

Considering how well-priced the Grande Panda is, the entry-level Pop trim is reasonably well equipped. It comes with LED headlights, rear parking sensors, manual air-conditioning, cruise control, and front and rear electric windows, as well as a digital driver’s display and infotainment touchscreen. 

Icon trim comes with a similar amount of kit, but adds a few more styling and comfort features, such as 16in alloy wheels (Pop gets steel wheels with aero covers), roof rails, a central armrest, an interior reading lamp and rear seatback pockets. It also gets a faux-leather-wrapped steering wheel and padded door armrests.

The range-topping trim – La Prima – does push up the price a bit but also adds some useful kit. It comes with a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, a wireless phone-charger, automatic lights and wipers, and sat-nav.

In terms of reliability, Fiat didn’t do very well in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing in 25th place out of 31 brands. That’s not as good as Dacia, Kia or Renault but it is better than MG. 

Fiat gives you a standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty on the Grande Panda. That’s not as good as Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited-mileage cover, or Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty but it’s pretty standard for the class. 

The Grande Panda has not been tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP yet, but as standard it comes with lane-keep assist, speed-limit recognition, a driver attention alert system and automatic emergency braking (AEB). It also comes with six airbags.

“La Prima is the most expensive trim but I'd be tempted to go for it because it gives you plenty of luxuries for less than the entry-level versions of the Kia Stonic and Renault Captur.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

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