Real Road Test: 2019 Fiat Panda Cross TwinAir - sounds amazing! 

The Fiat Panda is one of the few modern cars that I actually like. The other notable one is the new Dacia Sandero.

"I like goth chicks" Hubnut for life 🤘

Delighted you get it Ian - we have one, and it's been flawless for 3 years. Honestly, I can't stop laughing when I drive it (it's the wife's car and school run machine), bags of charisma, hilarious engine note, and it rides wonderfully for a small car. We live in the Chiltern Hills and get snow in winter, Fiat specced it with All Season tyres, and it's a proper mountain goat. On snow, and the green stuff, unstoppable. 1st is short, on ice and snow, you let the clutch out and all the EBD/4x4 gummings takes over. The torque is there, it'll idle happily and crawl you along. So you can just work the throttle, one less pedal to worry about. It embarrasses a lot of heavy Teutonic machinery (usually on the wrong tyres). We'll definitely be getting another, and we won't be parted with the one we have.

It's so great to see that quirktastic, small-ish cars are still being made, and it's undoubtedly Italian

Well, at least you know what to look out for in 10-15 years time when you're looking for a "Hubnut" car,,, I love small fiats, they have character and (for the driver at least) are more comfortable than you'd imagine for cars of their size.

I drove it back from North Wales to Dorset today. I took me 9 hours because I wanted to go the long way :).

Is it just me, or does this car look like Deadpool?

These always make me happy when I see them - cheerful and purposeful at the same time. Loving the fuctionalist approach of all Pandas.

Great video Ian you should make some stickers with the text "hubnut tested" to put on tested cars!

Actually Ian if you don’t thrash it all the time you’ll discover that it is “acceptably smooth” and refined, especially at motorway speeds, and due to the torque it is nicer to drive than say a 107/Aygo/C1. The non-turbo variant which was sold here in the Netherlands (first 65 and then 60 horsepower) is much louder outside and has a very distinct exhaust sound. Not *that* engine sounds like something from the past.

Couple of years ago I was up on the Cairngorm,s, the Mountain rescue people and found out they were still running around in market one Pandas 4x4 because they said they found they could get to places in snow that the bigger four-wheel-drive couldn’t, the thought of a Land-rover stuck and a little Panda whizzing past I think that deserves a little respect I think

When you lifted the bonnet and revealed the lack of paint, that bugged me alot but other than that , the styling and function is really good and i think these cars keep Fiat in the market place. I think they really moved on from the Fix It Again Tomorrow Jokes. A four wheel drive system in a small car, not alot of companies do that .

Ian you will get arrested these days for saying I like Goth chicks.

What with you raving about the X1/9, loving this and buying a Multipla, I'd say you're finally converted to the Fiat life 😉

I agree, this is a modern car done right! All it needs is some color to the interior.

I think Fiat didn't market this engine properly. It was hailed as a fuel-sipper, but it actually is quite an enthusiast's engine, fun to drive and... Not as economical as people expected, consequently. Brilliant piece of engineering though.

Love this! I had a Mk1 Panda back in the early 90’s, not new, and was a really good, honest little car. Loved it. I have a 1970 500 these days, my small, slow, noisy, air cooled but really enjoyable Italian ‘Super car’. Well, you know. The Panda is so much better than the new 500. Great review.

Every time I’m watching one of your videos I quickly find myself flicking over to auto trader to see if I can have whatever you’re driving in my life

I really like the panda. There's something sort of plucky about it with that boxy practicality and shrunken off roader looks. The engine sounds brilliant too. Also, loved that the day running lights appeared to flicker in time to the music at the end

You see a Hubnut road test and you soon learn about the good and bad points of a car. As always very watchable.

I bought my son a Alfa Romeo MiTo with the 105HP Twin Air engine. I love it! Such a characterful happy car. We have had a fantastic summer with the Alfa Romeo Club and even took it around Brands Hatch. I think you need a MiTo TwinAir in your life. You are welcome to try out our one.

@10:50 Yes, because they depreciate like a rock. ^^ You get one way under 10,000 quid with less than 10,000 km on the odo. If it is a good car, people shouldn't be too mad about the "Fix It Again Toni" cliche. :) It is always nice if a car is under-apreciated than overhyped with too much stupid money in the game like e. g. the Nissan Skyline GTR-R34.

Fiat Panda 4x4, even going as far back as the originals, has always been the best small 4x4 for the money...great little workhorses. Very difficult to find second hand ones, even the previous generation, as owners just hold on to them forever

Fab video, Ian, thanks a lot. Glad you liked it. Our Panda 4x4 Twin-air is epic. Feels extremely solid, is very nippy, and goes great on the farm as well as the road. Mud & snow tyres do help! The Naples build quality is top notch. All of the tech tricks work and seem well implemented. Couple of anomalies noted: Ours is the 'normal' 4x4 and has a funky two tone dash with rear centre seatbelt and head rest. Legroom in rear is fine and I'm 6 foot tall, odd that you didn't fit.

I wsn't a fan of the Panda until my MIL loaned us her Mk3 when we were visiting, it was a decent car and dealt with the Finnish winter roads well; combine it with a TwinAir and AWD has to be a winner. On the subject of AWD coupled with unusual engines, have you ever driven a Subaru with the boxer Diesel engine?

You should try a 100hp. I owned one of these a while back and for what it was it was a hoot to drive!

Many laughable videos of a Fiat 4x4 beating off road kings up snowy hills are available here on RU-vid 😂

I had a MK2 in 1986 and was really happy with it, 4 speed and a 999cc F.I.R.E. engine(which i found funny at the time a fire engine in a panda car that just happened to be 999cc) and it cost a whopping £3400 new on the road, Like the look of this panda but i would have no use for a 4X4. Thanks for the video Ian

Boring fact...It shouldn't have been the Panda, you can thank Renault that it was. Up until a few weeks before release the MK3 Panda was being released as the Gingo but Renault threatened legal action, hence the Panda was reborn.

God, I can´t stand those sodding gear recommendations on modern cars, that for some reason, you cannot switch off! They're great if you're a stupid driver but the rest of us could do without.

I like that, it is different and stands out. That engine is very interesting as well.

City steering the most pointless thing ever , they should’ve spent the cash making better sturdy than Door Handles on the 500 , steering really light just don’t need city steering

At one point there was a rumor FCA would bring this car to the US (with the already Federalized Tigershark four). I think it would be a case of branding mattering - as a Fiat it would've disappeared without a trace but as a Jeep it would've been a million-selling, segment defining hit.

I love engines with character. This Panda sounds great. I had a Fiat Seicento Sporting Schumacher edition back in the day! We currently have two Dacia Dusters. One is a 1.3 4 cylinder turbo and goes really well, but my favourite is our 1.0 3 cylinder turbo! I know you don't do modern stuff, but would be nice to see what you make of the 3 cylinder Duster. I am pleasantly surprised with the performance for such a big lump of a car! The computer in the Duster definitely suggest gear changes way too early too!

I had a twinair panda trekking, 4x4 styling but front wheel drive with a button on the console that improved traction. Absolutely loved the engine, really sad when I had to let the car go. Really glad you've had the chance to feature this car, I'd definitely have another if one came along!

In 30 years the shopkeepers of Naples will be using these to get to their stores at the top of Vesuvius, just as the present owners use Mk1 Panda 4x4s!

I had a bright yellow fiat 500 twinair, as a male, mid-30's, I think a lot of people thought I was a wolly. I honestly loved driving that around, really nippy and that smile inducing engine sound. May keep an eye open for one of these Pandas.

The wipers with the twist one the end of the lever are on other cars too. I'll tell you of a worse set up. Mitsubishi thought it would be good to put the rear wiper intermittent settings in the touch screen. They are grayed out and not adjustable when the car is moving! You have to stop to change the wipers speed of sweep.

It's worth saying that the twin air engine really smooths out after bedding in around 25,000 miles; after that they remain buzzy, but silky smooth.

Live on a small (hilly) Greek island and almost got one of these, but went for the new Jimny instead. Would have been equally happy with both. Great review as always Ian. Thanks.

Subaru made a two cylinder engine in the late 80's that fired simultaneously and rotated in unison. It was smooth and free revving and a bundle of fun to drive. I had one in a Sherpa.

Always loved the look of the Panda Cross's, I had a 1965? 500 nova and drove it for many years, maybe 6, I know that sound, and often wished it had a turbo on it... I brought an Uno Turbo, and now have a couple of 20vt coupes. I am now looking for a Panda Cross again, thanks Hub Nut, for reminding me of how driving flat out in an under powered car is more fun, and safer, than doing it in a wildly over powered one. I say all power to the under powered, you have to drive it, not the other way round... As always a good watch.

Ive had two twinair Fiats. The lag and surge between gears I found tiring after a while due to there only being two cylinders, and learned that the key to smooth progress is to change up gears quickly before the revs get too high. Its not built for fast acceleration, its built to pull from low down the rev range and is a more relaxing journey by driving the way I mentioned.

Great review! I've got the mk3 1.1 eco going in for my fifth MOT next month..will have over 140,000 miles on by then! Engine is sweet.. gearbox or linkages aren't great anymore TBH. Very notchy..did change the box fluid..I just drive it like I used drive older trucks..rev balance and the gears drop in..lol..no racing car. I've replaced the front struts/springs and disks, pads about 40,000 miles ago along with the rear dampers. Still on the original exhaust system! The sump did rust..a very common issue on the fire engine but cheap and reletevly easy to replace. I change oil twice a year. If she passes next MOT I'll fit a new cam belt kit from Gates and mebe some gear linkage cables;) Then to hit 200,000 miles! That's my goal for her! My old very rusty Cinquecento got to 170k miles...but with a lot of welding and head work etc etc etc.

I like this, I like this a lot! I LOVE the sound of the engine! How I wish Fiat would import this to the US!

I drove a Fiat Panda 4x4 twin air quite a lot for work some years ago and got a love/hate relationship with the drivetrain. My direct comparisons were a boring diesel van and a 75hp VW Up with a naturally aspirated 3 cylinder. I quite like cruising at low revs and being careful not to labour the engine, but you probably discovered the same as me at 15:35 that this engine starts to vibrate quite a lot at low revs and mid-high torque. Eco mode helped a lot here because it significantly reduced torque and minimized the shaking or forced you to downshift. The high torque is not helping economy either since high boost usually means high fuel to air ratio. Low revs in general were strange because you had all the torque at 2000, but coast down to 1500 and the car would apply throttle as if that was the new idle. I think it’s a six speed simply to give you enough ratios with the narrow power band. The performance was great for a cheap small car, even in Eco mode you still got most of the power if you revved it out and it was much better than the Up I drove which requires frequent downshift. The economy was pants though and even with my best effort in Eco mode (I weirdly like hypermiling) I couldn’t get the fuel economy anywhere closer to the Up. The 4x4 capability was excellent in the snow, I think the ELD brakes spinning wheels too as a faux LSD and I dug through really deep snow with it. I felt a lot more confident than in the 4x4 van I usually drove.

Here during Winter in the French Pyrenees, people are dusting off their Panda 4x4 and Lada Niva. This annual practice serves as a warning to drivers who have not heeded the local laws regarding requiring snow tyres and chains to go to the weekly village market. The latter to be found awaiting a passing Lada Niva driver to haul them out of roadside ditches and hedges.

Great review Ian. On the subject of quirky cars I'd love to see you review a smart four two 451. Yes the gearbox is awful (but you get used to it) and the suspension is crashy but it's so far out there and fun to drive.

Fast forward to the channel in 2041.... "Today I purchase a new car, a 22 year old Fiat Panda Cross TwinAir"

I own a 2CV and a Panda 4X4 TwinAir, I'm a very happy man! So pleased you got the chance to try out the Panda. Great content as always Ian.

And I thought my Honda jazz was noisy… You were at 5,500 revs pulling away😮 My Honda goes to 8,000 because of VETEC…but not pulling away. They also make a cheaper version of this with body kit but w/out the 4x4…they fitted an uprated traction control to make the front wheels more intelligent in slippery conditions. Also better economy…but tbh, of all the pandas…the 4x4 is the one I would go for. Keep fit windows in the back is still a thing for some modern cars…cost cutting + allows that money to be spent on things like infotainment systems….the new micra was the same at launch. ….IMO there’s something very rip off Britain when a car costing nearly £19,000 doesn’t have electric windows in the back.

I don't like much after 2000 or so, but I really like the little Fiat ☺️

Blimey, £19,000 is now regarded as a budget car!

£19,000. Wow, that seems expensive for such a tiny car. Still, it looks like a lot of fun.

I do like the Fiat Panda i have one right now 1.1 09 identical to the one you drove last time even down to the colour i can get around 56 MPG Panda's have to be the most under rated cars around they are just brilliant . just a little side note i did like the musical outro on the end thought it gave the video certain something.

Interested to know how you think it compares to the Ignis Allgrip, Ian

Am I the only person who thinks that this gen. Panda (shorn of the ridiculous 4X4 plastics) owes quite a lot to the old Renault 4? I must admit that I'm one of those who find the engine noise 'Buzzy and Irritating' as you so correctly say. Fun for 5 minutes, but annoying there after. Also the Twin-Air engine has a reputation for delivering very poor fuel economy figures in the real world.

I like Fiat Pandas.. driven a MK2 1.1L and it feels as quick as my corsa d 1.2

I confess I couldn't get to love a car engine that sounds like a ride on lawnmower. I travel in a friend's panda 4x4 twin air and next to a Fabia it seems like a toy. Three cylinders sound so much better. We regularly do 200 mile trips in the Fabia 1.2 . Not sure I could take the Twin Air noise over a long distance.

What a GREAT sound !!! Its very very much a FIAT !

It sounds like someone has put wheels on a chainsaw LOL Great review, I love how enthusiastic you are but really not the car for me

I don't understand why more cars don't have the gear lever higher so that it's closer to the steering wheel.

Those gear change indicators are useless. I have a naturally aspirated i10 with a whopping 65bhp and the damn thing tells me I should be in top gear at 30 mph. Completely absurd!

Engine note reminds me of an old parallel twin British bike. Is it worth dumping some of the other cars and making this the new daily?

Ian, you could be accused of "panda-ing" to the interests of Fiat here! LOL

My Kia Ceed company car with it's 3 cylinder turbo engine also has an annoying computer telling you to change up far too early with the same labouring as you have experienced here with the Panda. Definitely another modern Hub Nut car in my opinion.

Rev o matic engine. I love small engines. Plus a fiat panda 4x4 is great off road and will easily keep up with a Land Rover

Ive got one and its an amazing car. Way better than the usual soft roaders or heavy range rovers. Great in cities. I even head up the dales in the worst snow and it ploughs through drifts and never ever gets stuck. One amazing car off road as its got so much grip and its so light. Clutch gave up at 33,000 miles though. Only does 40mpg. Eco mode kills the character of the engine. First gear is very short but really helps off road. Otherwise a great car, full of character, one of the best off roaders around and ill keep it till it dies.

The gear leaver has a touch of the Multipla about it!!!

If you take the front seats out of your Matiz you will probably find the seat bases are bare steel, no primer or plating.

Great review Ian. A friend of mine had one of these and we took it off road a few years ago. We took it off road along with a Discovery 2 and the Fiat went everywhere the Land Rover did. The only difference would be that push come to shove the Landy could have towed the little Fiat but not the other way around. I run two 500 TwinAirs. We've had an 85hp version for over ten years and a 105 hp for over three years. The 85hp 500 is five speed and the 105 has six with closer ratios (top is same in both cars). The 105hp produces the same torque but at 100rpm higher and had better brakes. The TA engines as you pointed out produce the most go in the mid range and start to run out of steam as soon as they got peek hp at around 5500 rpm. I think the gearbox in that Panda is set lower ratio than in the 500 to substitute a low range gearbox. Whichever TA you go for they are great fun. The Panda in many ways is the better car if you look at price and practicality.

I drove a Lancia Ypsilon with the same engine for a few days, really quite impressed with the performance. Not terribly economical once your journeys are on motorways a lot, but otherwise pretty fun.

My Merc is the same ref the wipers. Annoying after the logical Japanese and Australian setups…

Did someone mention how cute the MK3 cross is? That's why we bought ours. Next time your over Oxfordshire way Ian I'll make sure the o/h has taken my car to work.

There’s very few modern cars I like but the Panda, and the 500 “classic” and maybe the Ford Fiesta ST are the only new cars I would happily own. I like that dash and centre console where the gear lever is “near to hand”. Great review again Ian, thanks!

Tssk, tssk, tssk, Mr. HubNut, as I tell my students (I teach evening courses in Italian) you used the wrong language: Fiat 500 "Nuevo" would be Spanish, in Italian it's "Nuova" (feminine, singular) 500. Nitpicking ? yes, absolutely. Now, the car: I really see this car as a missed possibility. When Fiat re-entered the Canadian market with the 500, many articles were published claiming that the Panda would soon follow. I specifically told my wife that a Panda 4X4 would be my next car and specifically the twin. As a former Triumph motorcycle owner, I love the sound of a vertical twin. Alas, those claims never came true and the 500 was never followed by any other models...

Fiat 2 cyl engines sound amazing. Don't worry Elly sounds good too.

When I last called out the RAC for a check engine light on my twinair alfa mito, the guy said it also had a missfire. I couldn't convince him that they just sound like that haha

You’d think there would be a niche in the States for this as an economical snow buggy….But Fiat does offer the 500X so they would probably not bring us this little cutie ☺️

I've been waiting to see your reaction to that engine, glad you liked it! You really do make you change your driving style to suit. Imagine the board meeting 'Right, new idea, we'll chuck away 2 cylinders and the inlet cam, add a turbo and balance shaft and see what happens, ok?...... 😋 only Fiat. Fun little things 😁 I can't believe they've been around that long (I was still an apprentice when they appeared) look up 'Uniair module' on RU-vid for some interesting technical bits

Love the sound of that little engine, I think my 19 year old C3 might get replaced with a Panda, when I can finally wear it out! I too dislike the 'Change Up Now' indicators on modern cars. Our C4 Picasso isn't happy until 6th is engaged, but unless it's at motorway speeds the car is less economical than in 5th, which all seems a bit pointless.

I can see why it's likeable. I'm not a 3 cylinder engine fan but I think I could warm to a 2 cylinder! It sounds like a Briggs and Stratton v twin. I think the cars overall simplicity is very hubnut, and something I like too.

i really like the Panda, i hope you will drive a Panda 100hp to very fun to drive

Wowsers, multi-camera shoot… just like the car itself, so modern! :-) Loving your work, as always Ian.

I'm not a fan of most new cars but this is a nice blend of old school and modern tech. Surprising performance from a twin cylinder. Fiat does need to up their quality game. It's killing them in the states. Thanks for sharing

I loved both my 500 Twin Airs, great, characterful engines and fun driving on the edge. They never returned the mpg promised though, but that might have been more to do with my driving style! P.s Goth chicks rock!

I had a 2012 non-Cross one of these (e.g. a very early Mk4, think that was the year they came out) with the 1.2 engine. It was actually a surprisingly capable car, even on long motorway trips. Note that was a Pop (e.g. super low spec) so no AC and no boot latch either, you had to open it with the key--you had to get a higher spec to get such luxuries.

That's a fine little car there

That sound reminds me of a two stroke.

A 19 plate? He'll be getting an EV next....

Thanks for this video Ian, I've always wondered what the twin air sounds like. I wonder what the life span is ?

I have had my 2014 panda 4x4 for over 3 years now , best car I have ever had such a novelty to drive

seems really well silenced, i bet aftermarket exhaust (or when it rusts into pieces just outside the waranty) would reveal nice engine sounds?

Hi Hubnut. I am a 77-year-old retired car mechanic. In my time I have owned many cars, and have also modified many, my first was a 100e van that I fitted a 1340cc Ford engine in, I later installed a Mk1 2263cc, Ford Zephry engine and gearbox with a Wooller Engineering floor change conversion, fast and fun, but it kept breaking half shafts. Some of the other cars I have modified was a Mk 2 Cornina, that I fitted a 289 small block V8 ford engine and RUG 4 speed gearbox from a written off Sunbeam Tiger. My most fun car a 1959 Mk1 Austin A40 Countryman, that I fitted with a 1608cc twin cam Fiat 125s, with twin IDA weber carbs, Mk3 Sprite discs, Riley 1.5 diff, and rear brakes, Morris 1000 rack and pinion steering. In that car I was clocked at 117 mph on the M2 motorway, by a police Rover 3500s, lost my licence for a year! Anyway, to the point, if you ever get a chance, try a Smart Fourtwo 453, auto, turbo, 2014 on. I have one, and it is amazing, I am the third owner, I wonder if it has been remapped. The engine is three cylinder 898cc turbocharged with supposed 89bhp and 100lb of torque, and mine has the six speed auto/manual gearbox. It is so fast I cannot believe it, going up quite steep hill, it will hit 90/100 mph! Maybe mine has been remapped, but if not, wow! Celtic Tuning, down here in Cornwall where I live, tell me they can stage one remap the engine to 129bhp and 142lb torque. I am tempted. If you were nearer to where I live I would bring my Smart over to you for a drive, but in any case, if you can, get a test drive of a 453 Smart Fourtwo Turbo, It is like a mini Porsche 911, with the same swap end tendency, in short a real driver car, well mine is, as to top speed, I chickened out at 115 recorded on my satnav. Best regards, Len. PS don't tell the fuzz!

I was told a long time ago that new cars spoil you for old 🚗

Wow that unpainted inside is BAAAD!

That engine - the thirstiest 'eco' engine around, I recall Top Gear saying, because you want to thrash it all the time. Officially rated sub-100g CO2/km Iin 2WD application at least), but empirically likely to struggle to better 40mpg (more like 180g/km). The wiper controls - what are you on about? Plenty of cars have similar controls (ie turn the stalk to change the intermittent speed). One thing in favour of the Panda - it's NOT the 500 (which should be renamed 5000 for being a vastly-inflated rip-off travesty of a 'small' car). At least the Panda is ergonomic.

I prefer the Trekking which have an intelligent limited-slip differential 90% on the front wheel driver instead of have a four wheel driver, I ought, you should test one day on a muddy/snow day in the future.

Amazing little cars australia missed out on. We never got the 4x4 here.

Love these, would love to get one