The Fiat Panda 4x4 is back, and it's not an EV!

Fiat is "going further" with the 4x4 version of its Grande Panda, revealed as a concept but confirmed for production with a hybrid drivetrain and a suite of ingenious accessories. 

The regular Grande Panda's design is inspired by the beloved and very boxy Panda 4x4 from the eighties, which posed a one-upmanship challenge for the design team. 

"We had to go a bit further," head of design Francois Leboine exclusively told Auto Express at Fiat's design centre in Turin. "But we didn't want to make it a caricature. We just wanted to [add] things to make it even cooler, the layer that was missing to finish the car as a 4x4. To say, 'now I'm ready to go off-road' – that was more or less the exercise."

The 4x4 is a fond part of the Panda’s heritage, with three iterations of the off-roader to date. But it hasn't been a big-seller, Fiat's head of Europe told us in Turin. "When we stopped the Panda 4x4, we had a revolution!" said Gaetano Thorel. "People saying: 'You're crazy, everybody is driving a 4x4. But when you look at the number, you realise that the 4x4 was [less than] 5 per cent of the mix!"   

The Grande Pande is set to be the first four-wheel drive model based on Stellantis’ 'smart car' platform, which also underpins the Citroen C3 and Vauxhall Frontera, enhanced by an extra electric motor on the rear axle. Fiat says “[the electrified rear axle] feature would enable the Grande Panda 4x4 to deliver impressive performance in urban settings and on more demanding terrain.” 

Sister brand Jeep already has the hybrid Avenger 4xe, albeit on a different car platform. It packs one e-motor at the rear and another up front, working together with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine to power both axles. Given the technology already exists, surely there's nothing that can stop the Panda 4x4, Auto Express asked head of Europe Thorel? 

"Certainly this is a benefit of Stellantis [ownership. We] have access to technology. We want to do it now. We [just] need to find a way to do it at the right price," he confirmed. 

And Thorel also poured cold water on the prospect of it being an electric vehicle. "To me, the 4x4 is meant to be at 2000 metres above sea level, in winter. As far as I remember, batteries in winter are not really too comfortable..."

Fiat Grande Panda 4x4: the design story

The styling makeover includes some trademark off-road upgrades, including a jacked-up ride height that's a combination of new, chunky tyres and suspension mods. “We kept the wheel as it is because we already have a cool steel wheel and went for a special tyre that is a bit bigger and [all-terrain]," explained head of design Leboine. "We will work on the suspension because the car will have to be a bit higher. It's simple tuning and engineering design.”

Look closely at the accessories, as the design team is striving to bring them to market. The ambition is to have a foldaway roof rack that can be easily stowed in your garage, as well as movable lamps with Fiat's pixel-effect design on the concept car. They could be positioned around the car to illuminate a camping spot, for instance, or be removed entirely and taken inside your tent. “The [Grande Panda 4x4] philosophy is of a ‘cool tool’ you can use whenever and wherever you want,” explained the head of design.

There are some unique 4x4 badges dotted around, while stickers down the side spotlight the Panda name that’s stamped into the doors while providing some scratch protection.

The cockpit also gets a new brown hue. “We had to give the interior a rustic feeling," said Leboine. "So we went to a velvet [upholstery] finish – velvet is actually very fashionable at the moment. We use this because it was really '80s and it’s a nice way to play with time." 

Finally, the concept is finished in deep Dark Red paint, with a skid plate-effect painted on the front and rear bumper. These may yet become reality as the Grande Panda 4x4 will need underbody tweaks to accommodate and protect the revised drivetrain. Expect the production version to turn up within the next 24 months.

It's not just Fiat taking the path less travelled. Renault also wants to get in on the 4x4 act, with a similar version of the new Renault 4 hinted at very recently by the R4 Savane 4x4 concept. 

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