Skip to main content
Read page text
page 94
YEARCARCAR 2000s CAROFTHE ‘The Carofthe Year jurors havepredominantly favoured hatchbacks and saloons in the early partofthis century’ Think what youwill about the modern market ʼs lovefor SU Vs (sports utility vehicles) andcrossovers, butCotYʼs jurorshave predominantly favoured hatchbacks and saloonsthis centur y, with only the 2007-winning Ford S-Max MPVbucking that trend before 2017. Despite its mini-SUV overtones,our first contender,the 2004-winning Fiat Panda, was stillaproper five-door hatchback. Perhapsnot quite as radical andinnovative as Fiat ʼs 1980 original, the second-generation modelwas based on the all-newʻFiat Miniʼ platform, whichwentontounderpin the second coming of the Ford Ka,aswellasFiat ʼs own 500 of 2007 (another CotY winner).Inone of the closest contests in the competitionʼs histor y, the Panda narrowly pipped the Mazda3and VW Golf to the topspot, withjudgesfalling forits compact dimensions, spacious cabin, greatergonomics, andthe option of Fiat ʼs ultra-frugal1.3-litre Multijetdiesel.Adesign collaborationbetween BertoneʼsGiuliano Biasio andFiat ʼs Centro Stile,the Pandawas an instant sales success in standardguise, andspawnedavariety of derivativesuntil it finished its run in 2012. And one of those variantsiswith us today. Gary Axonʼs Panda100HP–adaily commuter, showing morethan100,000 miles–isamodel launched in 2006, spicing up therange with a99bhp,1.4-litre, 16-valveʻFIREʼ motor from the largerPunto,mated toasix-speed gearbox. The 100HP ʼs chassis wasalso beefedup, with uprated springs anddampers,and disc brakes 94 Classic&Sports Car February2024 From top: 100HP isabit ofaringerhere, but lots of fun; venerable ‘FIRE’ motor; compactFiat is roomyinside From top: Jagishugely competent but feels weighty; cabin is loaded with tech; I-Pacebuild quality is high
page 95
Both Prius and I-Pace were at the forefront of automotivetechnolog y, whereas the Panda is merelyacompetent, engaginghatchback From left: Toyota becameahatch for its second generation; notmuch foraDiY mechanic to tackle; interior is dull but typically well made all round. “It ʼsahoottodrive ,” laughsRay,“and has worn well considering it has morethan 100,000 miles on the clock.”But perhaps notfor much longer,reckons Matt:“It doesnʼt feel as if itʼllbearound at 120,000, whichisprobably how itʼll still feel at 200,000! ButIremember whyIlikethem so much now.Ithas allthe Italiancity-car charma carsuchasthis should have–and itreallywantstobedrivenhard.” Steveagrees:“It ʼs the kindofcar that putsagrin on anyoneʼsface.Distinctive design inside and out, whichwas flexible enough to be just as effective asababysporty carasacity runabout. Suchalot of carfor the size andmone y, too .” While ournext contendermight have lacked the Pandaʼsfun-factor,asabellwether for automotive technologyitled the wa y. The 2004 Toyota Prius wastobecome Carofthe Year for2005,making it thefirst hybrid-powered winner in the competitionʼs histor y. The second-generation Prius had evolved substantiallyfromthe original, whichwas launched asafour-door saloon in 1997, and went on sale in the UK andEuropein2000 as the worldʼsfirst mass-produced electrified ca r. The newmodelwas repackagedasafive-door hatchback, andata strokewas morepowerful, faster,cleaner andmoreeconomical thanits predecessor.Key to thecar ʼs improvements wasToyotaʼsnew Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD), whichchanged the powertrainʼs balance between its petrol andelectric motors. Instead of relying on the carʼspetrol engine forpeak performance, with the electric motor as an ancillar y, the50kWunit now had 50% more power andplayedabiggerroleinboosting the 76bhp,1.5-litrepetrol engineʼsperformance. In conjunction withanew batter y, whichwas lighter,with fewercells andahigher output, the Prius could reputedlyachieve 65.7mpg, yetstill accelerate from rest to 60mph in acommendably brisk10.9 secs. Judge Rayhas skin in the game here, because he isactuallythe long-time owner of ʻourʼPrius, forthe past 16 years. “It hasprovedreliable, easy andrelaxing to drive ,” reports Ra y. He also believes that it is amongthe mostprophetic winnersinCotYʼshistor y, whichisborne out by comments from his colleagues. “It makes the technologysoeasy andnotweird,”remarks Matt.“It ʼs strange to think how it has become sucharather likeablestaple. Iʼm genuinely sad we donʼt getthe newone here.” Steverecalls that therewas perhaps too much obsessing at the time about the complexity of its powertrain: “The Priusʼ terrific levels of economyand refinementwereoverlooked because the mechanical layoutwas still considered ʻfunnyʼ.But it wassimpletodrive, very comfortable andhistoricallydurable, February2024 Classic&Sports Car 95

Page Text

View plaintext

YEARCARCAR

2000s CAROFTHE

‘The Carofthe Year jurors havepredominantly favoured hatchbacks and saloons in the early partofthis century’

Think what youwill about the modern market ʼs lovefor SU Vs (sports utility vehicles) andcrossovers, butCotYʼs jurorshave predominantly favoured hatchbacks and saloonsthis centur y, with only the 2007-winning Ford S-Max

MPVbucking that trend before 2017.

Despite its mini-SUV overtones,our first contender,the 2004-winning Fiat Panda, was stillaproper five-door hatchback. Perhapsnot quite as radical andinnovative as Fiat ʼs 1980 original, the second-generation modelwas based on the all-newʻFiat Miniʼ platform, whichwentontounderpin the second coming of the Ford Ka,aswellasFiat ʼs own 500 of 2007 (another CotY winner).Inone of the closest contests in the competitionʼs histor y, the Panda narrowly pipped the Mazda3and VW Golf to the topspot, withjudgesfalling forits compact dimensions, spacious cabin, greatergonomics, andthe option of Fiat ʼs ultra-frugal1.3-litre Multijetdiesel.Adesign collaborationbetween BertoneʼsGiuliano Biasio andFiat ʼs Centro Stile,the Pandawas an instant sales success in standardguise, andspawnedavariety of derivativesuntil it finished its run in 2012.

And one of those variantsiswith us today. Gary Axonʼs Panda100HP–adaily commuter, showing morethan100,000 miles–isamodel launched in 2006, spicing up therange with a99bhp,1.4-litre, 16-valveʻFIREʼ motor from the largerPunto,mated toasix-speed gearbox. The 100HP ʼs chassis wasalso beefedup, with uprated springs anddampers,and disc brakes

94 Classic&Sports Car February2024

From top: 100HP isabit ofaringerhere, but lots of fun; venerable ‘FIRE’ motor; compactFiat is roomyinside

From top: Jagishugely competent but feels weighty; cabin is loaded with tech; I-Pacebuild quality is high

read next page

My Bookmarks

Buy this Book
Skip to main content