Double Success For Fiat In New Fleet Awards
Published: 14th May 2004
Fiat Panda
The awards, which took place at a special ceremony on Tuesday 11 May in central London, were judged by a panel of experts representing the leasing industry, fleet managers, residual value guides and Fleet World’s editorial team.
Fleet industry consultant and former IBM Fleet Manager George Emmerson says: "There’s tremendous interest in small cars at the moment, but people seldom want to abandon all trace of style when they make the move to down-size. Fortunately, in the new Panda they have a car that’s not only stylish and chic, it is also competitively priced with a good engine range and impressive build quality – essential characteristics for fleet buyers."
Fleet World editor Ross Durkin commented: "The new Panda is a super car to look at and was a deserving winner of the award for European Car of the Year 2004. Fleets often see things differently to consumer journalists but in the case of the new Panda there is general agreement all round that this new small car really is something special. Small cars sometimes lack personality and character… that’s certainly not the case with the new Panda, which has both in abundance."
Fiat Auto has also won the award for Best Engine in the 2004 Commercial Fleet World Honours. Commercial Fleet World editor Gibb Grace comments: "The best engine award has been introduced to acknowledge the tremendous efforts that vehicle manufacturers have put into improving diesel engine technology, and the results achieved. It’s fair to say that every manufacturer has a story to tell, but the work done by Fiat to bring the common rail system to fruition as long ago as 1997 deserves recognition. So the award goes to a little 1248 cc twin overhead cam, 16-valve, second generation, common rail engine, developed by the Fiat-GM Powertrain joint venture.
"The 1.3 MultiJet, as it is known, is very compact at just 460 mm long by 500 mm wide and 650 mm tall, making it suitable for small car-derived vans such as Fiat’s Punto Van," adds Mr Grace. "It meets Euro 4 emissions standards, and is thus very clean, but it is also very frugal. On test with Commercial Fleet World, Punto Van comfortably exceeded 60 mpg. That said, such fuel consumption is not achieved at the expense of performance, as the 1.3 MultiJet develops 70 PS and has a peak torque of 170 Nm – both of which would have been typical of a 2.0 litre diesel of 10 years ago, making for an enjoyable drive."
For more information about the Fiat model range [ click here ]
Fiat Panda
Our Fiat Panda Guide lists the full specification of the current UK Panda range, including car prices, fuel consumption, dimensions and other vital data.
Price Range: £7,005 - £10,260
Body Style:
Fuel:
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Models in the range: 8
Our Car Buyer’s Guide covers all of the UK’s major new cars and includes CO2 ratings and car insurance groups. Data updated on the 6th July 2008
