If you don’t like center screens perched onto a car’s dashboard, we may have found something that’s even worse. The new Grande Panda is available without a touchscreen, which some people past a certain age will find admirable in today’s screen-obsessed car industry. But a problem immediately becomes noticeable. Yes, Fiat didn’t bother to design a different dashboard since that would’ve cost more.
Instead of the 10.25-inch infotainment, you get a slab of plastic staring at you, judging you for not upgrading to a nicer trim. Fiat does install a phone mount with a USB port next to it, but it probably won’t be long before you start regretting not springing for the touchscreen. The Grande Panda has a fully digital 10-inch instrument cluster, even on the base model, so even affordable cars from mainstream European brands are starting to ditch analog dials.
Photo by: Fiat
But the austerity doesn’t end here. The entry-level trim has manually adjustable mirrors, manual air conditioning, and even crank rear windows. Stepping outside, the little crossover gets 16-inch steel wheels. Stuff like this wouldn’t fly in the United States, where a base model is generally far better equipped than the cheapest version of an equivalent car sold in Europe. At just 157.1 inches (3990 millimeters) long, the dinky Grande Panda is also too small for America.
But how cheap is the base Fiat Grande Panda anyway? In its domestic market, it starts at €18,900, which works out to about $19,600 at current exchange rates. That doesn’t necessarily sound like a great deal, but we must consider that the price includes the 22% value-added tax (VAT) applicable in Italy. Some European countries have even higher rates, Hungary (27%) and Finland (25.5%), while Croatia, Denmark, and Sweden all have 25%. The lowest VAT is in Luxembourg, at 17%.
If you want the screen, which I suspect most people do, it’s included in the next trim level. Customers must fork out an extra €1,500 ($1,600) to upgrade to the nicer variant. The more expensive Grande Panda also includes LED headlights, cruise control, electric rear windows, and other goodies.
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