Seventy thousand kilometres across Europe, Asia and Africa in a Panda Cross 4x4 1.3 Multijet. The “Fiat Panda Cross Around Africa 2007” tour, an adventure sponsored by Fiat Auto Poland and involving two young Poles, starts from Krakow today. Jolanta Czupik and Domink Stokłosa have plenty of energy and love travelling, and they are always ready to try something new and challenging.

They have already completed other similar journeys: in 2004 they drove to Kazakhstan through Ukraine and Russia, a total of 16,000 kilometres. They then travelled more than 27,000 kilometres in 58 days, visiting Iran, Pakistan, and Kashmir. Their travelling companion on all these trips was a 900 cc Fiat Cinquecento. This time the journey is definitely more demanding.

It will take them to Germany, France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine, and will conclude back in Krakow in June.
 

The Panda Cross 4x4 1.3 Multijet they have chosen is equipped with six airbags, ABS with EBD, automatic climate control, radio controls on the leather-covered steering wheel and a radio with MP3 player, in addition to the standard outfit, which includes Dualdrive power steering, central door locking, electric wing mirrors and a height-adjustable driver’s seat. Only the tyres are non-standard: 185/65 R15.

The Panda Cross is certainly no less well equipped than larger, more expensive four-wheel drive vehicles, on the contrary! It offers a similar level of comfort and enjoyable driving, plus excellent safety. “We chose the Fiat Panda Cross 4x4 1.3 Multijet,” said Jolanta and Domink, “because we have every confidence in the car and in the brand. On our previous journeys with the Cinquecento, the car always performed perfectly and never let us down.” It will be the first time that such a small car has tackled such a demanding itinerary: another great challenge for the Panda!