2021 Fiat Panda facelift makes its official debut – Sport variant added, 1.0L mild hybrid available across range

2021 Fiat Panda facelift makes its official debut – Sport variant added, 1.0L mild hybrid available across range

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Fiat Panda and to celebrate the occasions, the company has released an updated model dubbed the New Panda. Five trim levels are offered at launch, including the base Life, City Life, Cross, City Cross and a new Sport.

The facelift brings with it some styling changes, including a new front bumper, restyled side skirts and fresh wheel designs. Meanwhile, the interior gets revised upholstery, new colour themes, a dashboard that incorporates recycled wood (Cross and City Cross only), and a seven-inch touchscreen head unit with support for DAB digital radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

As mentioned at the start, the Sport variant is a new addition and features two-tone 16-inch wheels as well as body-coloured side mirrors and door handles. With the optional black roof, the latter receives a gloss black finish instead, while other highlights include “Sport” badges and an exclusive matte grey paintjob.

Inside, the Sport gets a titanium-coloured dashboard, a black headliner, door panels covered in sustainable leather, along with two-tone seats. There’s also a Pandemonium Pack that adds tinted windows, red brake calipers and a sports steering wheel with red contrast stitching.

As for the City Life, Fiat says it is aimed at “those who are looking for the best relationship between price and product substance in a city car without sacrificing an attractive style”. Standard items on this trim level include 15-inch alloys, mudguards and contrasting trim elements on the outside, while the cabin is decked out in out by two-tone fabric seats and a grey dashboard.

The City Cross and Cross adds some off-road cues to the Panda’s design like rugged front and rear bumpers, side rocker panels, roof bars and front fog lamps. Available with front- or all-wheel drive, these variants also come with new eco-friendly seats that use a fabric with at least 37% recycled plastic, and have specific “Cross” logos printed on them.

Under the bonnet, the mild hybrid 1.0 litre three-cylinder petrol engine that was previously reserved for the Panda Hybrid is now standard across the range. The FireFly engine serves up 70 PS (69 hp) and the mild hybrid system consists of a 12-volt belt-integrated starter generator as well as an 11 Ah lithium-ion battery – the former provides assistance during acceleration and to facilitate the engine’s start-stop function.

Fiat says compared to the 1.2 litre engine from the Fire family used in the Panda, the mild hybrid powertrain offers the same performance but with reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by as much as 30%.

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • Pretty interesting, for boasted 1000cc MHEV run as good as 1200cc.

    Larger and better looking than Proton Iriz, but engine using as much as Kelisa 1000cc.
    Hopefully the gear ratio is ultra wide range and smooth.

    Nice design in and out, cute compact SUV looks for affordable price.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • JOACHIM on Oct 22, 2020 at 2:23 pm

      Some had dissed small CC 3 cylinder engines and made worse no turbo, plus the high cost of replacing hybrid batteries. Either remain as ICE or go for EV, half-half like this makes little sense.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
      • dream_125 on Oct 22, 2020 at 5:31 pm

        It’s not an hybrid, it’s a mild hybrid. The battery is only used for the start/stop function. It has a capacity of 11Ah only (same like an electric bicycle), so it’s not too expensive.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
        • Celup King on Oct 23, 2020 at 11:38 am

          Full hybrid or mild hybrid you still have to pay extra for the added battery.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • dream_125 on Oct 23, 2020 at 10:48 pm

            In Italy one liter of petrol is around RM9.50, so saving 30% petrol will outweight the cost for a small battery.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Chavez on Oct 22, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    Bring it on Milan Auto! perrrggh FIAT

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Danny Tay on Oct 23, 2020 at 12:01 am

    outdated design inside out. car would still jerk during start after idling, making mild hybrid a joke and only good on paper to show low mpg. 1.0L engine, limited to city driving speeds, meaning there will definitely be alot of traffic lights in town. people would turn off the start-stop function eventually.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
 

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