Fiat Panda hatchback - Practicality & boot space
The Fiat Panda is impressively spacious for such a small car, but you need to add some options to maximise its practicality
Given the Fiat Panda's compact dimensions, it offers an extremely impressive amount of space. That’s got a lot to do with the car’s upright stance, but it’s a shame bits like split-folding rear seats are on the options list as part of a Pack Flex Light pack, which costs over £200 and also adds a third rear seatbelt.
Fiat Panda interior space & storage
Four adults can easily travel in the Panda in comfort – which isn’t something that can be said for some of its rivals. There’s plenty of headroom thanks to that high roof, but more long-legged people might find it a bit of a squeeze in the back. The Panda with mild-hybrid tech also has a battery located under the front passenger seat, reducing foot room for a rear passenger. There are a total of 14 different storage compartments dotted around the cabin, so you’re never going to be short of somewhere to keep your odds and ends in the Panda.
Boot space
The Panda’s rear seats slide forwards and backwards, allowing you to expand the standard 225-litre boot capacity to 260 litres if necessary – although this won’t leave your back-seat passengers with much legroom. In comparison, the Volkswagen up! and Hyundai i10 manage around 250 litres without compromising legroom.
The rear bench can also be folded down, but if you want to be able to fold down part of it while still leaving room for one back-seat passenger, you’ll need to spend £60 extra for the split-folding rear seat.
You can also spend a little more to add the optional Flex Pack to the Easy and Lounge models, which gives you extra practical touches. These include a folding table for the passenger seat, a slip cover for the driver’s seat, a height-adjustable driver’s seat and the comfort kit (which incorporates rear grab handles, a sunglasses holder and height-adjustable front seatbelts).
Towing
Cars the size of the Panda aren’t normally used for towing, but all petrol models can haul up to 800kg, so pulling a small trailer for carrying something like gardening waste is by no means out of the question.
