FIAT Panda 4X4 ‘the Giant Panda’

About This Competition

THE LITTLE PANDA THAT THINKS IT’S A LAND ROVER

4X4s… we all have a guilty pleasure for them. The bigger, the tougher, the more ridiculous, the better, right? Well… apparently not. Because while the Land Cruisers and Land Rovers are busy weighing approximately the same as a small moon, our little Fiat Panda has been off doing things that frankly a tiny Italian hatchback has absolutely no business doing.

This isn’t just any Panda either. This Panda has survived the Arctic Circle. Yep, the actual Arctic Circle. Freezing temperatures, snow, ice and terrain that would have some considerably larger 4x4s reaching for the recovery gear. But the Panda? It just carried on. Being tiny, light and ridiculously nimble means it can skip across terrain where the big boys start digging themselves into a very expensive hole. And should things get REALLY interesting, there’s a 1,500kg winch hidden behind the front bumper ready to pull this little green monster out of whatever stupidity you’ve driven it into.

And that’s exactly what makes this thing so brilliant.

This isn’t really a car… it’s an escape plan.

Point it towards the wilderness, leave civilisation behind and go and find somewhere that Google Maps probably doesn’t even know exists. When the sun goes down, you’ve got upgraded lighting to keep the adventure going, or you can park up, pop the tent box and settle in for the night. The tent comfortably sleeps two people… although we’d probably recommend checking with Ed before getting too excited. He absolutely hates tents, managed to fall off the ladder and has consequently developed a rather personal hatred for this particular bit of kit.

The Panda itself, however, he bloody loves.

Under the bonnet is Fiat’s wonderfully bonkers TwinAir engine — an 875cc, two-cylinder turbocharged masterpiece that sounds like someone has trapped a thousand angry bees inside a bean tin. It isn’t exactly going to win any concours awards for refinement, but paired with the 6-speed gearbox, it gives the Panda surprisingly punchy performance and cracking fuel economy, which is exactly what you want when your idea of a Sunday drive involves crossing several counties and potentially a small mountain range.

And because this Panda clearly wasn’t content with simply being capable, it’s been given snow/mud tyres, adding even more ground clearance to that already lifted suspension and giving it the grip to match its attitude.

You’ve also got:

• Rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Dash cams
• Upgraded lighting
• 1,500kg hidden winch
• Snow/mud tyres
• Roof-mounted tent box
• 6-speed gearbox
• TwinAir 2 cylinder turbo engine
• Proper 4×4 capability
• 30mm Lift kit

Inside, it’s classic funky Fiat. Quirky, cheerful and completely unpretentious — and apparently designed by people who understood the most important requirement of any adventure vehicle…

CUP HOLDERS.

Seven of them.

Yes, SEVEN.

Because apparently Fiat looked at the Panda and thought, “What if someone goes to the Arctic Circle but needs seven different beverages?”

And then there is that colour. Green. Proper EP-COMPS green. It looks brilliant, suits the whole adventure theme perfectly and makes this Panda look like it’s permanently ready to disappear into a rainforest somewhere.

It’s cute, it’s tiny, it’s economical and, on paper, it really shouldn’t be capable of half the things it has already done.

But that’s the charm.

While everyone else is spending £60,000 on a massive 4×4 with 14 driving modes, air suspension and enough cameras to film a feature-length documentary, you could be rocking up in an 875cc Fiat Panda with a winch, mud tyres and a tent on the roof.

And honestly?

We’d rather have the Panda.

So, if you’re ready for your next adventure, fancy a car that’s already proven itself in some seriously hostile conditions, or simply want to own the world’s most entertaining way of making Land Rover owners question their life choices…

GET ENTERING.

The little Panda is waiting.