The Fiat Panda takes on the VW Up

JM What are you saying?

PH Most people who buy a Panda get one because they need a cheap small car.

JM That's why I bought mine.

PH Ok, fine. But you also own a Ferrari.

{It should be understood that Comrade Horrell is something of a Communist at heart, and says the word ‘Ferrari' out of one side of his mouth, with a hint of disdain. He forgets Ferraris are built in the Bolognese region and so are also a product of Communism...}

JM (indignant) Well, I wasn't about to spend the extra money on a silly frippery that looks like a car from the Fifties. I think it's cooler to buy a Panda - a car that looks like it was designed in its own time. But maybe they've gone too far with this new one. It's too glitzy. I still think the thing that appeals most about small cars is that they become interesting when they are performative, rather than about performance. And this Panda still has a bit of the soul of Caruso about it, even without the trendy engine.

PH Yes. It does have more vivacity. The Up is tremendously quiet and refined and feels solid. But it has a bit of that German dourness.