ENGINES

The decision to buy a supermini is often taken after considering their low running cost. The Panda 4x4 does not disappoint on this score: the new model comes with engines that deliver a spirited performance but are decidedly thrifty on fuel.

This makes them a viable proposition for use around town and out of town. At the launch, the car will be available with the 60 bhp 1.2 8 valve unit belonging to the Fire family that can boast manufacturing figures of more than twelve million to date.

Pride of place goes to the 70 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet engine, the best automotive engineering can offer in the small turbodiesel field. An engine range that can meet diverse application and mileage needs while also satisfying growing concerns for environmental respect. Both Panda 4x4 power units are in line with Euro 4 emission limits.

The two engines are combined with a five-speed manual gearbox able to transmit a torque of up to 14.8 kgm that takes up little space and offers excellent selection lever manoeuvrability. This has been achieved by reducing clutch driven plate inertia and introducing new gaskets. The gearbox configuration is transverse with two shafts in a cascade, while the gear mechanism is internal over four selection planes.

The exterior mechanism is twin cable type to filter out engine operating noise and vibrations transmitted from engine to gear lever. The gear teeth offer high meshing capacity while the fifth speed and final drive gear sets are machined to a superfinish after heat treatment (for lower noise levels). The gear casings are light and very effective at absorbing noise.

The gear cases are developed using finite element structural computing methods. The Panda 4x4 manual gearbox is also equipped with a syringe mechanism to prevent involuntary reverse engagement.

60 bhp 1.2 Fire

The tried and tested 1242 cc Fire power unit makes its appearance on the Panda 4x4 after undergoing a whole series of refinements to make it a paragon of fuel consumption thrift without affecting performance.
 
The power unit generates a power output of 44 kW (60 bhp) at 5000 rpm and a torque of 102 Nm (10.4 kgm) at 2500 rpm and propels the car to a top speed of 145 km/h. And more. When equipped with a 1.2 8v engine, the Panda 4x4 excels in two areas. Firstly, the 6.6 litres of fuel it consumes per one hundred kilometres over a combined cycle, one of the best results in its category. Similarly, the time taken to accelerate from 0 to 100 Km/h is outstanding: 20 seconds. The fuel consumption figures for an urban cycle (7.9 l/100 km) and extraurban cycle (5.8 l/100 km) are also good.

These attractive results are achieved through a number of effective improvements. For example, the car comes with new convergent/divergent intake ducts and new cam profiles that optimise power unit fluid flow for improved efficiency. Again with the aim of reducing fuel consumption, the engineers chose an active knock sensor that can manage advance effectively in all conditions and above all the Marelli I.A.W. phased sequential multipoint injection system that was, until recently, found only on models with more sophisticated power units. Performance has been improved through the use of a specially developed electronic control system based on a new generation Marelli electronic control unit able to communicate on-line with the electronic devices in the vehicle through serial lines.

Quality of life on board has been improved by optimising the efficiency of the intake and exhaust systems. The mating clearance between crankshaft and crankcase has also been optimised through computerised selection of main bearings. A special installation system has also been developed for the engine in the engine compartment. This minimises the transfer of engine vibrations to the body. In particular, a barycentric-type power unit mounting system has been developed that consists of two blocks plus a reaction rod that acts as a link. The new mounts are aligned along an axis that passes through the engine's centre of gravity to obtain reaction forces with zero offset.

An efficient engine and also a clean engine. On the environmental front, the 1.2 8v features a catalytic converter located in the engine compartment and welded to the side of the exhaust manifold. The device is highly efficient in this position because it can reach very high temperatures in very short times and thus reduce emissions even when the power unit is heating. The array of equipment designed to minimise the environmental impact of the new Panda 4x4 1.2 8v is complemented by a returnless fuel supply system. A new auxiliary drive circuit has also been developed for improved reliability. This features built in mountings in aluminium squeeze casting (computer modelled) and an automatic low torque tensioner.

70 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet

The Fiat Panda 4x4 range would not be complete without the 1.3 16v Multijet, the smallest, most advanced of the second-generation Common Rail direct injection diesels.

The 1.3 Multijet 16v is a 1248 cc 4 cylinder in line power unit with a bore of just 69.6 mm and a 'long' 82 mm stroke. The four valves per cylinder are driven directly by a twin overhead camshaft. Maximum power output is 51 kW at 4000 rpm (70 bhp) and the torque delivered is 145 Nm (14.8 kgm) at just 1500 rpm.

All in all, the 1.3 16v Multijet is a true masterpiece of miniaturised technology: when clad with all its accessories, it weighs in at just 130 kg. Its size is small at less than 50 centimetres in length and 65 in height. The component layout has been designed to ensure it takes up the smallest possible space. Yet it guarantees the same advantages as bigger engines because it has not been reduced but miniaturised.

The power unit has thus been built to ensure the greatest rationalism, efficiency and reliability and is the smallest Common Rail four-cylinder diesel on the market. The only power unit that can pack no fewer than six normal-sized components into a cylinder with a diameter of less than 70 mm. In other words, four valves, an injector and a glow plug.

The new engine also adds another record to this major feat of miniaturisation: it is the most powerful. Despite a truly miniscule cylinder capacity of 1248 cc, the pocket Multijet comes out on top when compared with all the small diesels with fixed geometry turbines currently present on the market. Even the most vaunted. Suffice it to say that it offers the best specific performance of any diesel engine with 800 to 1500 cc of cylinder capacity. Power output of 41 kW/l and torque of 116 Nm/l.

This compact, technologically sophisticated new engine also offers outstanding efficiency and is practically guaranteed for life. The 1.3 16v Multijet is designed to last for 250,000 km instead of the usual 150,000.

During this long lifetime, it does not require any maintenance to mechanical parts (even the normally essential fan belt change at 80,000 km is not required). The oil change intervals have also been increased from 20 to 30,000 km. The oil is naturally low viscosity (i.e. designed for fuel economy) and environmentally friendly.

The 1.3 Multijet 16v is environmentally friendly because it already meets Euro 4 emission limits not due to come into force until 2006. It is also one of the very few cars in the world that has been able to achieve this result without the need for a sophisticated exhaust post-treatment device such as a particulate trap. All in all, an intrinsically clean car: the particulate emission level (responsible for dust and fine dust) - for example - is even lower than that established by the forthcoming Euro 4 standard. The 1.3 Multijet 16v therefore represents a true technological leap that translates into a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions for the customer. All this comes with: