At the Bologna Motor Show this week the new four wheel drive Fiat Panda Cross and Sedici, as well as the Alfa Romeo Crosswagon Q4, can be test driven by show visitors on a specially-built track with different road surfaces and typical off-road test obstacles which has been set up Fiat Auto over an area of some 2,400 square metres. Here visitors can also enjoy hours of fun watching the three cars tackling the various tough challenges.

The new four wheel drive "off road" capable Fiat Sedici received its 'world premiere' at the Bologna Motor Show a week last Thursday. The Sedici marks a veritable leap in the compact SUV scenario because it is the result of a style and design approach that is intended to be applicable across the board. The new model is a fusion of different vehicle types: it combines the driving satisfaction and handling features of a compact Fiat with the off-road performance of an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle). Incidentally, the car’s name says everything about its off-road proclivities: Sedici (sixteen) is what you get when you multiply 4x4 – the code used to identify four-wheel drive vehicles. Its design was developed in conjunction with Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign company as part of the Fiat-Suzuki manufacturing project. These are the winning features of the new car that will be world-premiered when it is made available to the organisation of the Twentieth Winter Olympic Games, due to be held in Turin next February.
 

Innovative design, cutting-edge technology accessible to all and clever solutions to make life on board simpler and better, the chunky little Fiat Panda Cross has also made its world debut in Bologna. The Panda Cross has a distinctive personality of its own and is imbued with a desire to get away from it all and live life in the fast lane. The new car immediately conjures up a wish to travel in complete freedom, even to places that are inaccessible to conventional vehicles. Yet this does not detract in any way from the driving satisfaction the car offers when navigating the narrow streets of a city centre. Altogether it is the ideal car for customers who seek handling and exterior elegance in addition to off-road attributes.

The third four wheel drive model on the test track is the Alfa Crosswagon Q4, a model that marked Alfa Romeo’s return to the world of four wheel drive vehicles. The car’s transmission features 4 permanently engaged drive wheels, three differentials and torque distribution preferentially to the rear. Torque distribution between the front and rear axles is modulated continuously according to the grip of the Q4 system. This feature is very suited to a sporty drive and increases active safety. The Alfa Crosswagon Q4 exhibited on the stand is equipped with a sizzling 150 bhp (110 kW) 1.9 JTDm engine in a Luxury specification and includes a host of features including safety features (ABS with EBD, VDC, ASR, 6 airbags and xenon headlights) and on-board comfort (dual zone climate control system, Cruise control, rain sensors, Bose^® Hi-Fi system, CD changer, satellite radio navigation system, radio controls on the steering wheels and electrochrome mirror with compass). The vehicle also features sophisticated beige grosgrain leather interiors, 17” alloy wheels and stylish roof bars.