FIAT Panda 4X4 claims top Towcar Award
- Judges praised its stability, its pulling power and its comfortable and funky interior
- This Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2015 accolade is the latest in the FIAT Panda 4X4’s long history of significant award wins
It has already proved its off-roading credentials, but now the FIAT Panda 4×4 has added towing to its long list of attributes.
A 1.3 MultiJet II turbo- diesel version of the popular four wheel-drive city car has just scooped the ‘Vehicles Under £16,500’ category in the demanding Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2015 Awards. The results of the competition were announced this week at the Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards ceremony, held at the Royal Automobile Club in London.
The panel of expert judges – comprising experienced towcar journalists and Caravan Club members – evaluated all this year’s entries with a series of tough tests including acceleration, braking, reversing, ergonomics, hill start and traction.
Additionally, the towcars were tested for ‘caravanability’ – how much typical holiday gear and caravan equipment they could take, how easily they could be hooked up to a caravan and the quality of towing information contained in their handbooks.
The judges noted that the attributes that made the Panda 4×4 such a capable towcar include its “rock-solid, amazingly good stability at all speeds and good all-round visibility” and its 1.3-litre MultiJet II turbo-diesel engine which was considered “such a sweet engine and it pulls really well”. The judges also commented on the comfortable seats and felt the “interior is stylish and funky”.
“It’s well over 30 years since we launched the FIAT Panda 4×4 and I’m delighted that, three decades later, we are still winning top awards with it,” says Kate McLaren, head of FIAT UK. “The Panda 4×4 has won the under-£16,500 category, but it does not look out of place up against much more expensive cars.
“We have proved once again that Panda 4×4 offers so much in terms of practicality and style, but with huge benefits in running costs and looking after the environment.”
The FIAT Panda 4X4 is powered either by FIAT’s award-winning 85hp TwinAir turbo petrol engine or 75hp 1.3-litre MultiJet II turbo-diesel engine. Priced from £14,295, it offers combined-cycle fuel economy figures of 57.6 and 60.1 mpg respectively, with CO2 emissions of just 114g/km and 125g/km.
