Fiat will take the new Panda Cross to Geneva

The Fiat Panda range will soon be completed with the renewed Cross variant. It will be one of the main novelties from the Italian brand at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, alongside the Freemont Cross, also characterised by its off-road styling. Although the Panda will be shown to the public in March, the manufacturer has announced that it will not reach dealerships until autumn 2014.

The exterior modifications are the usual ones for the Cross version: protective casings in plastic on the headlights, grille and front bumper as well as on the widened wheel arches, the sills and the rear light clusters, metal mouldings covering the underbodies on both bumpers, the towing hooks under the new front LED strips, a metal strip with the version’s logo on the sides, a chrome exhaust outlet and specific alloy wheels of 15 inches with a polished metallic finish.

In the cabin, the Cross logo on the seat backrests stands out, along with the seat upholstery with brown edging to match the door trim, the satin metallic finish on the dashboard and centre console, and the new Terrain Control selector.

The latter allows three driving modes to be chosen: Auto, so that the system automatically takes care of distributing torque between the two axles according to grip; Lock, with which the 4×4 function is permanently active and sends power only to those wheels that have traction; and Hill Descent, which helps on downhill slopes or rough tracks.

The Panda Cross runs on tyres measuring 185/65R15, and its bodywork offers approach and departure angles of 24° and 33° respectively. Its engine range will consist of the 0.9 TwinAir Turbo petrol engine with 90 CV, paired with a six-speed manual gearbox whose first gear ratio will be shorter than usual, and the 1.3 MultiJet-II Turbodiesel with 80 CV.

Source | Fiat