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Fiat Grande Panda

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 12:00 AM

Quasi-rugged retro throwback gains the option of a petrol-electric powertrain Has the trend for retro-fuelled comebacks gone too far? Based on the Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid launch event, I’d say yes, it has. Not because of the car itself, you understand. Instead, someone within Fiat has clearly been listening to Now! 32 and decided it would be a great idea to ask Shaggy to re-record his 1990s hit Boombastic, except retitled – wait for it – Pandastic. And no, I’m not making that up.Thankfully, the Grande Panda is a far more welcome revival than that wretched tune now embedded in my head. We first sampled the raised hatchback in its pure-electric form but, as with other cars on Stellantis’s cost-conscious Smart Car platform, it can accept a hybrid powertrain: a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine aided by a 29bhp electric motor mounted in the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.With a starting price of £18,035, the Granda Panda Hybrid will take on the likes of the Dacia Duster and Citroën C3 in the compact, affordable SUV market – so can its Italian flair and Shaggy endorsement make it stand out in a competitive market?

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