What's the news?
For all those fans of 1980s 'Turbo Look' Porsche 911s who were thinking 'I have my fake non-turbocharged lookalike German sports car, now I need a small Italian car that looks as if it should have four-wheel drive but doesn't' we have some good news; Fiat is making a front-drive version of the Panda Cross called the City Cross.
The idea is to cater for those who like and appreciate the off-roady looks of the Panda Cross, but don't want the extra expense and ability of its four-wheel drive system, nor the extra associated purchase and running costs. It comes with body-coloured front and rear bumper inserts and side mouldings and contrasting black door mirror caps, roof bars and door handles, just as does the Panda Cross. Completing the off-road look it comes with the same 15-inch alloy wheels, that can be found on the Panda Cross.
Power comes from the venerable 69hp 1.2-litre engine that'll do a claimed 5.5-litres/100km (51mpg) on the combined cycle, and has Co2 emissions of 129g/km. Inside you get a grey dashboard fascia with matt black instrument panel inserts and new seats, characterised by black and grey fabric with black eco-leather side inserts.
For those who really, seriously want to fake the farmer look and have the un-muddied Hunter wellies to go with it, an optional pack can also be specified to customise the car further: the City Cross Style pack adds ultrashine roofbars, side mouldings and skid plate as well as body coloured door mirrors and front red hooks, to bring it in line with the Panda Cross. Inside, the City Cross style pack includes an upgraded copper dashboard and panels and seat upholstery to match its four-wheel-drive sibling.
Point? There isn't one really. For our money, the proper Panda Cross is a brilliant little 4x4 with amazing skills in the mud, and the snow, and the rough. The standard Panda is a terrific little city car with space and style on its side. Mixing and matching the two to create a non-off-road off-roader is, well, is keeping up with the zeitgeist we guess. The UK price is STG£12,995 and we'll let you know an Irish price and arrival date as soon as Fiat have confirmed it with us.