Fiat just completed the Grande Panda trifecta. After leading with hybrid and electric, the brand has opened orders for a petrol version, rounding out a lineup that now genuinely offers something for everyone who still loves a small, honest hatch.
Think of it as the Panda you remember from the posters and family photos, only cleaned up for 2025, with pixel lights, a cheerful palette, and a powertrain menu that reads like a choose-your-own-adventure.
The New Engine Is Simple, Manual, and Precisely What Many Buyers Wanted.
The big news is not a wild horsepower figure. It is the format. The petrol Grande Panda gets a 1.2-liter, three-cylinder turbo rated at 100 hp and 205 Nm, paired with a six-speed manual and standard start-stop. That combo is unashamedly old-school in the best way: light on complexity, friendly on running costs, and perfect for squeezing joy out of second-gear roundabouts.
It is also a smart hedge for markets where charging is patchy, hybrids are pricier, or buyers just want a clutch pedal and a warranty. Fiat’s pitch is plain: practicality and a traditional driving feel for cost-conscious city life.
If you prefer some electron assist without going full EV, the hybrid stays in the middle lane with 110 hp, a 48-volt lithium-ion battery, and an electrified dual-clutch (eDCT). It is the quiet commuter of the bunch, engineered to sip fuel and smooth out stop-start traffic. And for zero-emission errands, the electric version continues with a 44 kWh battery and an 83 kW motor (113 hp). No, that is not a mega-pack meant for cross-continent cannonball runs. It is rightly sized for what a Panda does best: short hops, school runs, quick detours for gelato, and a guilt-free commute.
Trims and Toys: Pop, Icon, and la Prima
Fiat wisely kept the lineup simple. All three powertrains are available in POP, ICON, or La Prima, allowing you to keep your preferred driving experience while still getting the look or kit you want.
- POP is the honest entry spec: manual A/C, a clean 10-inch digital cluster, a phone dock, and a robust safety set with six airbags, lane keeping, automatic emergency braking, drowsiness warning, and rear parking sensors. This is the spec you’ll see stacked outside city dealerships wearing hubcaps and optimism.
- ICON adds the downtown shine: full LED front and rear lights and a 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless mirroring. It is the “treat yourself” trim if your car is also your living room between appointments.
- La Prima is the maximalist Panda: 17-inch alloys, a wrapped steering wheel, the charming “Bambox” dashboard treatment, an upper closed glovebox, automatic climate control, built-in navigation, plus front sensors and a rear camera. It is still a Panda, but dressed for a rooftop aperitivo.
The mood board is peak Fiat. Seven paints with actual personality—Gelato White, Cinema Black, Passione Red, Acqua Azure, Limone Yellow, Lago Blue, and Luna Bronze—help the Grande Panda dodge the grayscale trap so many small cars fall into. If you buy a playful city car, it should look playful. Fiat got the memo.
Design: Old Panda Soul, New Panda Pixels
Fiat leaned into the right kind of nostalgia. The Grande Panda borrows attitude from the 1980s original without pretending to be a retro clone. Boxy, upright, useful shapes return, only now they are dressed with pixel-style LED headlamps, cubed rear lights, and big 3D PANDA script pressed into the doors.
It reads as confident and a little cheeky, which is precisely what you want from a small Italian hatch. Inside, Fiat talks up “best-in-class shoulder room” and lots of clever storage nooks, the sort of packaging grace notes that make a tiny car feel big enough for daily life.
Opinion: This Is the Right Kind of “Choice.”
Many brands claim to offer choice, but they often funnel you into a single drivetrain to please the factory. The Grande Panda genuinely gives you three distinct paths to the same vibe: a light, tidy, city-first runabout that is easier to park than to pronounce in English. The petrol car keeps the manual flame alive. The hybrid smooths out the grind without scaring off traditional buyers.
The EV does the urban thing exactly right, with a battery sized for days, not for the occasional road trip you can do by train.
And the trims are not just upsells. POP looks honest, ICON looks grown-up, La Prima looks like you coordinated your shoes with your dashboard. In an era where small cars too often feel like an afterthought next to SUVs, the Grande Panda feels cared for. It’s great to see a brand incorporate design love and real options into the footprint that most of us actually need.
Who Should Buy What
- You love driving, and you want cheap insurance: get the petrol manual. It will make you grin on a back street and save you money every weekday.
- You want smooth, efficient, no-drama commuting: the hybrid is your friend, especially if your city driving is heavy and your right foot is light.
- Your life is short trips, and you can charge at home or work: take the EV and enjoy near-silent errands, instant torque, and fewer service visits.
The Panda has always been at its best when it felt honest about what it is. This one does. Small on the outside, valid on the inside, cheerful to look at, and now available in three flavors so you can match your energy, your budget, and your infrastructure. That is not just good product planning. It is a vote of confidence in the small car as a thing worth doing well.
Key details at a glance: orders for the petrol version are open now; petrol is 1.2-liter turbo, 100 hp, six-speed manual with start-stop; hybrid is 110 hp with a 48-volt battery and eDCT; EV uses a 44 kWh battery and 83 kW motor; POP, ICON, and La Prima trims across all three; seven color choices; design and packaging nod to the original Panda’s spirit.