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The Panda and i

By on April 4, 2008

When the Mitsubishi i broke cover back in 2006,  I couldn’t help being reminded of the 50-year old FIAT 500. Like the miniscule and much loved original Cinquecento, the i’s tiny engine is tucked between its rear wheels and every inch of the car’s restricted length is given over to interior space, thanks to a design that puts a wheel at each corner.

Then last year,  FIAT launched an all new Cinquecento, setting up a classic battle royale of city cars that I am just itching to referee—but not today alas, as this is Tokyo Families, and the new 500’s lack of rear doors make it impractical for those with kids of child-seat age. The car on which the 500 is based however, the FIAT Panda, is a true five door hatchback and is currently the pick of the small car bunch according to motoring pundits from Top Gear, Autocar and Auto Bild.

It’s great if you live in Europe then, but does the Panda feel at home on Tokyo’s streets? In short, yes. It’s got a fantastic turning circle, and like all Italian small cars, loves to be revved, handles well and, most importantly, manages to put a smile on your face (even when you’re just popping down to National Azabu for a tin of baked beans).

The trunk isn’t exactly commodious, but there’s enough space for the monthly Costco run, and with two average sized adults up front the kids in child seats have to stretch to be able to kick you between the shoulder blades.

Surprisingly, despite conforming to Japanese kei car dimensions (3.4m long and 1.48m wide) the Mitsubishi has even more legroom in the rear, keeping my spine out of my 3-year olds range, but a price has been paid for those extra inches. The rear engine, rear wheel drive layout, has done wonders for cabin space, but leaves the trunk a little paltry. Sure, you can fold the rear seats down to make some decent storage space, but who’s going to look after the kids while you shoot out to Makuhari? To be fair, it is just possible to cram a Japanese stroller back there, but you can forget about stowing one of those cool all terrain three-wheelers.

Both the i and the Panda have their fair share of quirkiness. The i has a dedicated box built in to the dash ready to accommodate a standard sized upturned tissue box. A simple, yet brilliant innovation in my opinion. The Panda’s party piece is a button that puts the already light steering in to featherweight mode, taking some of the effort out of parallel parking. Another button tells the automatic transmission to shift gears a little earlier than normal, thus keeping revs down at the expense of power, but who needs power when you’re inching along Aoyama Dori?

As you’d expect, the Panda’s one and a quarter litre engine is extremely frugal, returning over 20 kilometres per litre if you’re careful, but the little FIAT likes the finer things in life, turning its little nose up at regular gasoline in favour of premium high octane gas, which costs ¥10 – ¥15 more per litre.

The i’s Lilliputian 660cc motor can be had in either turbo charged or non-turbo charged form. The former is a little more powerful than the Panda, while the latter has a few horsepower less, but counter intuitively, both are slightly less economical than the FIAT, though you should still average over 15 kilometres to a litre of (regular) gas, even in the city.

Both cars have pretty good green credentials too. Low fuel consumption equates to low emissions and the i in particular produces even less carbon monoxide than the environmentalists’ current star: the hybrid Toyota Prius. Our Panda was literally green as well, courtesy of paint and design titbits from the chic designer Alessi, of gaudy plastic kitchen utensil fame, but also comes in every other primary color. The i’s color palette is a little more restrained, but there are a couple of weird hues available too: sakura pink or ginger brown anyone?

If your motoring needs are pretty much restricted to the 23 wards of Tokyo, either one of these cars will serve you just fine. Across the board, it’s pretty hard to choose one car over the other until you get to one highly significant point: price.

A basic i will set you back just one million yen, though adding a turbo, nicer seats and a cool paint job will knock that figure up to 1.5 million, which coincidentally is the price of the basic Panda. One with all the bells and whistles costs a cool 1.7 million, but that’s not the half of it.

Because the i meets Japan’s kei car stipulations, it qualifies for huge tax breaks, both at the time of purchase and at bi-annual shakken inspections which, when coupled with reduced tolls for expressways and cheaper insurance, will save owners between a quarter and half a million yen over the first five years of ownership. In real terms that makes the Panda twice the price of the i, which is simply too much.

If I lived in London or Paris, I might plump for the chic of the Panda. But I don’t, and while living here in Japan at least, the i is an absolute bargain.

About Justin Gardiner