Fiat Panda crosses off another top award from the list

The rugged Fiat Panda Cross has continued to demonstrate its popularity after scooping another off-roading honour – this time the Junior Crossover class in Total Off Road magazine’s 4x4 of the Year awards.

Launched in 2008, the highly capable Panda Cross has continued to be a favourite not just among customers, but with media experts too, and it’s no stranger to awards.

Total Off Road’s judges praised the Panda’s styling, handling, ease of controls and its punchy 1.3 16v MultiJet turbodiesel engine. The car’s crisp steering, ride and brakes were also highlighted by the magazine’s testers, as the Panda Cross beat 11 other vehicles in this class to the title.

“The Panda Cross has loads of style but plenty of substance too,” say the awards’ judges. “It’s great fun in town, a rough diamond on B-roads and pretty acceptable on the motorway. And it can do remarkable things off road.”

“The Panda Cross is one of a long line of Pandas that have surprised and delighted customers for years,” says Elena Bernardelli, marketing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK and Ireland. “I am pleased that it is still collecting top honours – it certainly deserves them.”

As with any Panda, the Cross’s fuel consumption and emissions are exceptionally low. It returns 42.1 mpg in the urban cycle, 67.3 mpg extra-urban, and 54.3 mpg combined. The CO2 figure is 136 g/km.

Standard equipment includes ESP with Hill Holder, air conditioning, alloy wheels, radio/CD/MP3 player with steering wheel audio controls, and electric power steering. The Panda Cross costs £13,695 on-the-road.