Used Fiat Panda 4x4 for sale: everything you need to know
If you’ve visited the Alps over the last decade or two then you’ll have seen Fiat Pandas absolutely everywhere - and specifically, the four-wheel drive variants. Where some SUVs and crossovers struggle to mount a kerb, the Panda 4x4 is a four-wheel drive that people actually rely on.
It just so happens to be bursting with character too, and not particularly expensive to run, so even if you don’t need four-wheel drive or any real off-road ability, it’s still an appealing small car. It went off sale in the UK in 2022 but is easy to find on the used market in both standard and pumped-up Cross forms. Below we’ve covered the Panda and its engines and trim lines in more detail.
Should you buy a Fiat Panda 4x4?
Whether you want a small car with a big personality, or need the abilities of a four-wheel drive but not the size of most off-roaders, then the Fiat Panda 4x4 could be the car for you. It’s one of only a tiny number of genuinely compact 4x4s and one of even fewer that cost buttons to run, but it’s top of the pile for Italian verve.
Based on the already excellent Fiat Panda city car, the 4x4 packs a proper full-time, electronically controlled all-wheel drive system, and can use the brakes to simulate a locking differential, such as you might find on larger and more expensive 4x4s. Naturally the system has its limitations, but the Panda 4x4 is still impressively capable off-road, in part thanks to its light weight, narrow width, and relatively short wheelbase.
It’s fun to drive on the road too, helped by a choice of burbly TwinAir petrol and torquey Multijet diesel engines. The boxy styling - which looks especially good in Cross form - means plenty of space for passengers too, and while the boot is small, folding rear seats mean you can maximise it when required.
The Panda’s limited and disparate pool of rivals includes Allgrip versions of the Suzuki Ignis and Suzuki Swift, the more serious (and tiny) Suzuki Jimny off-roader, and on budget if not size, 4x4 versions of the much larger Dacia Duster. Only the retro-styled Jimny gets close to the Fiat for character (and edges it out on off-road ability), but the Panda has it licked on the road and is far more comfortable too.
What’s the best used Fiat Panda 4x4 model to buy?
If you’ve got a little extra money to spend and really want to maximise the Panda’s character, then we’d go for the Panda Cross. In purely objective terms you don’t really get anything over and above the regular car, but it looks so funky (and comes in some truly wild colours) that it’s hard to resist. The 0.9-litre TwinAir engine goes well with the 4x4 (and again is bursting with character), but if you actually want to save money on fuel then the Multijet diesel is 10-15mpg more frugal in real-world driving.
Used Fiat Panda 4x4 fuel economy and performance
- Fiat Panda 4x4 0.9 TwinAir: One of the most unusual engines of the last few decades, the TwinAir is a 0.9-litre turbocharged two-cylinder petrol, which in the 4x4 made up to 90PS. A six-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel drive are standard, and you get a 12.8-second 0-62mph time, and combined economy of up to 37.7mpg.
- Fiat Panda 4x4 1.3 Mutlijet 95: Despite being called the ‘95’ the 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel actually makes 98PS, and has more torque than the TwinAir too. 0-62mph takes 12.1 seconds, and up to 64.2mpg was claimed of some models, albeit on the older NEDC test cycle.
What used Fiat Panda 4x4 trim levels are available?
- Fiat Panda 4x4 was the de facto range-topper of the Panda range until it went off sale, and therefore one of the best-equipped. Standard kit includes air conditioning, front electric windows, central locking, and a smartphone cradle on the dash, to be used in conjunction with the car’s audio as your infotainment system.
- The Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross is visually quite different from the regular 4x4, with completely different front and rear bumpers with skidplates, roof rails, extra front spotlights, and some different interior trim options from the regular car.
Used Fiat Panda 4x4 dimensions and boot size
The Fiat Panda 4x4’s exterior dimensions are:
- Length: 3,686mm
- Width: 1,672mm
- Height: 1,605mm
The Fiat Panda 4x4’s boot capacity is:
- 225 litres
- 870 litres with the rear seats folded
Used Fiat Panda 4x4 road tax
Some of the earlier Panda 4x4s can be very cheap to tax, thanks to their low CO2 emission figures - the TwinAir as little as £35 per year, and the Multijet £160. From April 2017 onwards, this changes to a fixed rate that’s more expensive than either earlier rate, currently £190 per year.
How much is it to insure a Fiat Panda 4x4?
The Panda 4x4 might be among the more expensive Pandas to insure, but in the greater scheme of things it’s still pretty affordable - the entire range can be found between insurance groups 7-10. A similarly-sized Suzuki Ignis Allgrip is all the way up in group 18, while even the boxy Suzuki Jimny is group 13-14, so by 4x4 standards the Panda is about as cheap as it gets.
