The new Fiat Panda - yours for under £9000

Fiat has just announced prices of the eagerly awaited new Fiat Panda, which goes on sale here at the end of this month (February).
 
With a starting price of just £8900 OTR, the new 5-door Panda represents outstanding value for money and positions the car among its benchmark rivals. At the top end of the range, a highly specified version equipped with Fiat’s 1.3 MultiJet 2 turbodiesel engine costs £12,250 – an OTR price that includes air conditioning, roof rails, Start&Stop and alloy wheels as standard.
 
Available initially with a choice of three frugal, ultra-low emissions, Euro 5-specification engines: 69bhp 1.2-litre petrol, 85bhp 0.9-litre TwinAir, and 75bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet 2 turbodiesel, the new Fiat Panda can be ordered in three different trim levels – Pop, Easy and Lounge.
 
With more than six million examples sold, the Fiat Panda has proved its popularity, and this larger, more sophisticated version retains that appeal, extending it with an even stronger, more emotional design which will attract a still broader audience.
 
Standard equipment in the entry level Pop includes electric windows, central locking, Dualdrive electric power steering, four airbags and body colour bumpers. The extensive options list includes ESP, roof rails and black pastel paint.
 
Easy trim versions add remote central locking, air conditioning, roof rails and a higher grade audio system, while Lounge additionally receives heated electric mirrors, 15-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps, body coloured mirrors and door handles, and side mouldings.
 
Safety is of course top of the agenda with up to six airbags, double seatbelt pretensioners, an active anti-whiplash head restraint system, and available ESP. In addition, a new Low Speed Collision Mitigation system will become available for the first time. This uses a laser sensor on the windscreen to scan a space a short distance in front of the vehicle to determine the risk of a collision. It is capable of automatically activating emergency braking at speeds less than 30km/h (18.6mph).
 
A vast list of available options will allow customers to specify a car to suit their own needs and, with a huge choice of 10 exterior colours and six interior/dashboard combinations, everyone will be able to create their own special Panda.
 
“I’m delighted that we remain highly competitive against our key rivals in this small car sector,” says Elena Bernardelli, marketing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. “We are particularly good value when you take into consideration the levels of equipment offered in standard specification across the range.”