New Fiat Panda to start at less than £9k

Fiat has announced prices for the new Panda which goes on sale at the end of February. The cheapest model is the 1.2-litre Pop which costs £8900 on the road, competitive with other small hatchbacks this size. At the top of the range is the 1.3 MultiJet Lounge which is priced at £12,250.

The new Panda will initially come with a choice of three engines: a 1.2-litre petrol with 69bhp, the efficient 0.9-litre TwinAir with 85bhp and the 75bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet 2 diesel. There are three trim levels - Pop, Easy and Lounge.

Standard equipment on Pop models includes electric windows, central locking, Dualdrive electric power steering, four airbags and body colour bumpers. One surprise though is that ESP stability control isn't standard fit, instead it's an optional extra. However, the Panda does have six airbags, double seatbelt pretensioners and an active anti-whiplash head restraint system

The Easy trim gets remote central locking, air conditioning, roof rails and an upgraded stereo system. The top Lounge specification comes with heated electric mirrors, 15-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, body coloured mirrors and door handles plus side mouldings.

A new Low Speed Collision Mitigation system is available as an option. This uses a laser on the windscreen to scan a space a short distance in front of the vehicle to determine the risk of a collision. It is capable of automatically activating emergency braking at speeds less than 18.6mph. The new Panda comes in 10 paint colours and six interior/dashboard combinations.