After Jeremy Clarkson and his pistachio-green Fiat Grande Panda, it's James May's turn to get behind the wheel of the new Italian city car. The former host of Top Gear and The Grand Tour knows the Panda particularly well: he owns one and has driven the three previous generations. Suffice it to say that this Fiat Grande Panda The «Lemon» yellow model has a heavy legacy to live up to. And unlike Clarkson, who was thoroughly won over by the newcomer, James May came away from his test drive with much more mixed feelings.
«Is that really a Panda?»
From the very first minutes, James May recognizes the qualities of a modern car. The windshield wipers work perfectly, the air conditioning quickly clears the fog from the windshield, fuel economy remains reasonable, and the electronics keep an eye on the occupants. In his view, the Fiat Grande Panda already meets «90 % of what any reasonable person could ask of a new car.» The problem lies elsewhere: is it really still a Panda?
James May finds the car imposing and massive for a model whose name has historically been associated with a small, simple, and lightweight car. He does, however, acknowledge the many nods to the original Panda: its boxy silhouette, the “Panda” lettering stamped into the bodywork, the uniquely designed wheels, and references to the Lingotto plant in the headlights and instrument panel.
Inside, he also notices the materials made from recycled beverage cartons and the «Bambox,» which contains 33 % of natural bamboo fibers. But after listing so many features and stylistic details, James May finally lets slip a little dig: this Fiat strikes him as almost… «French.».
A pleasant car… but lacking in character
Behind the wheel of the Grande Panda hybrid—a 1.2-liter three-cylinder with about 110 ch—May criticizes the suspension for being a bit stiff and, above all, the steering, which he finds particularly sluggish. He does, however, appreciate some very simple design choices, such as the temperature control, which jumps directly from 17 to 18 degrees, without those half-degree increments that he considers unnecessary.
But what it really lacks is the character of his old Pandas. His own car, with its 75 ch and five-speed manual transmission, demands—in his opinion—to be driven, pushed to its limits, and kept revving. The Grande Panda, on the other hand, is simply comfortable. For May, «the Panda has mellowed out.».
His assessment becomes quite harsh when he compares it to a household appliance: after more than thirty years of writing about cars, he explains that he has always rejected this comparison… before admitting that this Grande Panda gives him precisely that impression. There’s nothing he really dislikes about it, but nothing really stirs any particular emotion either.
Clarkson is charming; James May, not so much
That’s ultimately what makes the opinions of the two former partners particularly interesting. Clarkson had been surprised by the space, comfort, originality, and—above all—the value for money of his pistachio-green Grande Panda. James May, for his part, acknowledges all the model’s objective qualities but laments the loss of the rebellious, no-nonsense spirit of the old Pandas.
In the end, however, he turns his own reasoning on its head. For someone who isn’t passionate about cars and simply wants a practical one, the Grande Panda would, in his view, be «a wonderful thing»: it does everything you ask of it, and it does it well. But here’s the thing: James May loves cars. And this yellow Fiat, as capable as it may be, doesn’t give him that famous «fizz,» that little spark he was looking for. His conclusion, in the end, can be summed up in a few words: he remains completely indifferent.
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