| Fiat Panda Eco | ||
 |
||
|
(Tue 30 Sep 08) The third new version of the Panda to appear on the market in the last three months (after the Mamy - designed for young mothers - and the four-wheel drive Cross) is the Eco, which is on sale now at prices starting from £7105.
Like the larger Bravo Eco, the Panda is one of the vast number of recently-introduced cars to boast official CO2 emissions of under 120g/km, dropping it from VED Band C to Band B with a resulting £85 saving in annual car tax. Unlike most cars of this kind, however, the Panda Eco has a petrol rather than a diesel engine, petrol being by far the more popular fuel among buyers of small cars. In fact there are two engines, a 54bhp 1.1 in the Active Eco and a 60bhp 1.2 in the Dynamic Eco, which also has remote central locking, colour-coded bumpers and a CD/MP3 player. Although the Dynamic is quicker, both cars share the same combined fuel economy and CO2 figures of 56.5mpg and 119g/km. These are better than the numbers for their non-Eco equivalents, and Fiat has made the difference without too much fuss by simply using low-viscosity engine oil and fitting low-resistance tyres. The modifications add just £100 to the price, so the Active Eco costs £7105 on the road and the Dynamic Eco £7705. With the improved fuel economy and lower VED, it won't take long to reclaim the £100 in reduced running costs. Previous: Skoda Superb Wins Caravan Award Next: New Gearbox For Audi S3 |
