Missed this thread. Must have been a load of these I saw on a transporter near Milan about 3 weeks ago.

Best model I reckon but may erode 4X4 sales . One of these on decent tyres would go along way in mud or snow and save a fortune on running costs.

Gallery with lots of pictures.

http://www.autoblog.it/post/81995/fiat-panda-trekking-panda-4x4-nuove-immagini

A nice looking car, thats for sure. However I can't imagine wanting 4x4 looks without 4x4 running gear However, I'm guessing that plenty of people do, hence bringing this to market... I suppose its a similar idea to those 'fat Minis' which I think are mainly 2wd unless you go for the top of the range 4x4 version.

But with the addition of the electronic gubbins that improve traction, so it's not all show & no go!

4x4Panda said:

A nice looking car, thats for sure. However I can't imagine wanting 4x4 looks without 4x4 running gear However, I'm guessing that plenty of people do, hence bringing this to market... I suppose its a similar idea to those 'fat Minis' which I think are mainly 2wd unless you go for the top of the range 4x4 version.

Click to expand...

Yep, and the vast majority of Quasqai and Ford Kuga are 2wd. People want the look but not the price tag or increased running costs.
At least the Trekking has the trick diff.

And increased ground clearance and reinforced suspension - important on our crap roads and for people who like to ride high and have accessibility problems - and the Trekking is more economical and quieter. So, unless you really are constantly going off road or live in mountains the Trekking is the best bet. The electo-gubbins really does help too, apparantly.

I've driven in many countries and in all climates and conditions, for over forty years, and I have never once needed 4x4. It might have stopped me needing to reverse up a snowy hill in order to gain taction once, or on a very muddy hilly road in Oman after a deluge, but £1000 is a lot to pay for a once in a lifeltime benefit. For me anyway.

I think too many people discount the accessibility and ground clearance thing when considering 2x4 cars. It isn't all about show at all

all good points and i had not appreciate that it came with the trick diff, beefed up suspension and the rest. I'm sure it will be right 99% of the time for 99% of people. Our 2006 model gets a bit of muddy field use every now and then and has once navigated a treacherous 1/4mile in snow and slush <gasp!>

There's some info on the trekking from auto express here
Although i'm unsure of the mpg and emission figures as it says 4 wheel drive.
What I have gathered from the italian site is that the 4x4 multijet gives 4.7 l/100km which is 60mpg UK. I would expect the trekking to be somewhere inbetween the 2wd and 4wd.
2wd is 72mpg, so the auto express mpg of 67 sounds about right I reckon.

I can find no info on the 4wd twin air mpg. In fact, at the moment the italian fiat web site doesn't even show the option of TA 4wd model.

I think that what with the price being €1800 more in italy for 4wd over trekking, and the fact that you will pay more for fuel with 4wd, then the trekking has to be where the smart choice is?

This might help a bit.

http://www.carkeys.co.uk/launch-review/fiat-panda-4x4-and-trekking-2012

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/fiat/panda/4x4/review

We'll have to wait for more reviews to get a better picture, because there seems to be some confusion on various sites as to which car gets the five speed gearbox.

But all the reviews are very positive. I loved driving the Twinair Panda, it was a real joy, but the increased ride height of the Trekking makes it even more attractive to me. I 'discovered' yet another new speed hump last night when I was at work: not quite finished so no paint on it, and it was foggy. Across a wide main arterial road too. Thank you Norwich City Council.

For me at least, ordinary unbeefedup cars are becoming almost obsolete on our damaged, lumpy and ever-deteriorating roads.

And I had a blow-out at 03:00 the other morning (roofing nail shot out of the tyre into the wheelarch - tyre toasted to a shred). The AA changed the wheel in one and a half hours and I was able to get a replacement tyre put on the following day for £50. The punctured tyre was practically shredded, so gunk would not have worked and I would have been out of commission for I don't know how long, and even more out of pocket.... so, if I can't get a proper spare wheel I won't be buying anything. This has been a deal breaker all along for me, but reinforced by the other night's experience.

Mmmmmm... Panda... spare wheel? I don't think so..?????? But I do hope I am wrong.

At 2,000 miles on the clock, mpg isn't much better than an average 41 mpg with the Easy Twin Air, and the raised height of the Trekking wont improve things.

As for the tyre issue, there was info on this forum somewhere about a cheap deal for a tyre and wheel complete from a dealer doing online sales that seemed very reasonable, cheaper than through a dealer.

Yes, I'd hope for about 40mpg with a Trekking, but I dare say the reality would be worse. But is that really so bad for a petrol car that drives like a puppy on acid, I just don't know?