General New Panda - A Few Questions

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General New Panda - A Few Questions

ctiltman

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Morning everyone, this is my first post here, so firstly, hello.

I am going to be in the market for a small car in the coming months, and I am obviously considering a Panda.

My two priorities are practicality, and economy, although I'd like to have a few toys on the car too as it is something I am going to live with for the next 3-5 years.

In that time, I'm sure children will be on the agenda, so I am a little concerned about the bootspace - can you really fit a buggy in there?!

I have been for a test drive in a 1.2 Easy, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. However, I am concerned about the fuel economy - the computer was showing low 40's, but obviously this was based on town driving only. In reality, is 50+ achievable? I have heard mixed reports about the twin Air, can anyone vouch for its economy in real life? I used to have the 1.3 MJ in a Grande Punto, so I know that is a great engine, but don't really want to pay the diesel premium initially!
 
Re: mpg 1.2 engine

Two tankfuls so far with the 1.2 Lounge and 55.4mpg and 54mpg on trip computer - slightly lower according to my calculations. Mixture of town and A road driving. Seems to be about the same as the Mk 3 1.2.

That according to the Trip though? Our Mk3 Dualogic Eleganza always over read by about 5-7MPG, saying 50-55 at times (n)
 
Welcome to the forum as well!

Given what you have said, I think the new Panda will be absolutely fine for your needs.

We had our first child five months ago and have coped fine really in our 500; we would still be keeping it were it not for the fact that it was becoming hard to get our son in and out of the back (my wife has a joint condition which makes it harder, so we opted to get one of the new Pandas with the various flex options like the cargo box and 60/40 split seats).

A useful thread on this can be found on the 500 page - there are a lot of buggies which will fit comfortably in a 500 and so will defo fit in a Panda!

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/236121-babies-fiat-500-a-4.html

Re the 1.2 - as MEP says economy will always be a bit poor to start with whilst the engine is new. Test cars will also suffer a bit as well as they are never really driven more than 10 miles in one go, so they never properly have the chance to warm up either, thus affecting economy.

However the 1.2 really is a terrific little engine and provides a good mix of performance and economy. If you drive normally and do mixed journeys then you will easily achieve 45-55mpg on average without any effort.

As for the TwinAir, again it is probably worth having a nose on the 500 section for more info (there's a lot of it!). The general consensus is that it is an absolute blast to drive, but once the turbo kicks in economy falls away badly. Most on the 500 section seem to average between 40-47mpg, although some have done better.

Ultimately it depends what you are looking for in a car - my personal view based on what you have said is that a 1.2 will be more than enough in terms of performance, cost and economy. But as always it is worth trying different engines if you are not 100% sure what you want.(y)
 
Morning everyone, this is my first post here, so firstly, hello.

I have been for a test drive in a 1.2 Easy, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. However, I am concerned about the fuel economy - the computer was showing low 40's, but obviously this was based on town driving only. In reality, is 50+ achievable? I have heard mixed reports about the twin Air, can anyone vouch for its economy in real life? I used to have the 1.3 MJ in a Grande Punto, so I know that is a great engine, but don't really want to pay the diesel premium initially!

Re the 1.2 - as MEP says economy will always be a bit poor to start with whilst the engine is new. Test cars will also suffer a bit as well as they are never really driven more than 10 miles in one go, so they never properly have the chance to warm up either, thus affecting economy.

However the 1.2 really is a terrific little engine and provides a good mix of performance and economy. If you drive normally and do mixed journeys then you will easily achieve 45-55mpg on average without any effort.

As for the TwinAir, again it is probably worth having a nose on the 500 section for more info (there's a lot of it!). The general consensus is that it is an absolute blast to drive, but once the turbo kicks in economy falls away badly. Most on the 500 section seem to average between 40-47mpg, although some have done better.

Ultimately it depends what you are looking for in a car - my personal view based on what you have said is that a 1.2 will be more than enough in terms of performance, cost and economy. But as always it is worth trying different engines if you are not 100% sure what you want.(y)

Welcome to the Forum (y)

I've driven the 1.2 Mk3 Panda (the 'last' shape if you like) as courtesy cars when my car's been in for servicing and the Parents picked up a new 12 plate 500 TwinAir in March, so i have some experience of that engine too.

I would pretty much agree with what Super Uwe has said - the 1.2 is a damn good engine for its size & (albeit ever-increasing) price. The TwinAir feels loads faster to drive but if it's adequate performance combined with a reasonable purchase price & good economy you're looking for, the 1.2 would be the one to go for. Although only courtesy cars, the garage i use is a 100 mile round trip so i get to have a 'good' drive in them & i've always achieved 48mpg minimum on the computer. I've not done the calculation myself but i know that the 100 miles i did used £12 of petrol at todays prices, which is quite abit cheaper than my diesel Stilo.

The TwinAir 500 of my Parents seems to be getting a consistent 46-52mpg & from our rough calculations on a miles per tank basis, the on-board computers figures seemed accurate. You'll never achieve the official mpg for the TwinAir, whereas it's perfectly achieveable for the 1.2, but the TwinAir engine is an absolute riot. If you get hooked on the noise it makes for any length of time then mpg will suffer, but if you resist the urge then considering its pace, the economy is good. We've certainly not experienced the low mpg that early buyers of the 500 TA did.

As Super Uwe suggested, drive both engine variants & see which you prefer. I'd say given the performance advantage of the TwinAir, the small mpg drop you might experience should be easy to swallow, but the initial purchase price premium is certainly one to weigh-up.

Liam
 
I've been driving my 1.2 Easy for 3 weeks now and the computer says that I'm getting 44 mpg, but I only have to drive 6 miles to work and most of that is spent in traffic queues. Hoping to get out this weekend to give it a longer run.

The boot is plenty big enough to take a buggy and all the other bits that go with babies & toddlers. The new Panda is great for a growing family IMO, go for it! :)
 
Thank you for all of your responses, sorry it has taken so long to reply.

I have also been looking at the VW Up/Skoda Citigo, have any of you had experience of driving them both? Obviously I mean the up as Citigo isn't available yet!

If anyone has I would be interested to hear your thoughts of a comparison. From what I have read inthe motoring press, they are both fantastic cars in their own ways!
 
I haven't driven the Up! Yet but I can see it suffers the same dangerous boot cost cutting design as the Aygo, 107 & C1 triplets. Any objects you accidentally trap when slamming the boot down will result in the boot being smashed into smithereens! Keep well away when prams are involved!!!!
 
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I drove the Panda TA and the Up 60 three weeks ago.
I drove the Up first. I’m six feet tall and found it relatively easy to get a decent seating position; the seat adjusted for height, and I was comfortable, although without ideal support under my thighs. The Up is very quiet. The engine is inaudible at tickover and not much louder at speed; and the ride is very well cushioned and perfectly damped. It really does feel like larger car. The fact that it is wider than the Panda enhances this large car feel. It’s a doddle to drive and I was impressed by the silence and comfort. However the 60hp motor had no torque that I could find and starting off was a trial. I was desperately hunting for a gear to make the thing move! Once going it was fine of course. I confess to being impressed. I don’t mind painted steel in a car and the Up, in its white ‘ambiance’, was very attractive, in a hard German kitchen way! White is a silly colour though, and even the grab handles were stark white; not too clever. There is decent leg room in the back and the boot is very deep. Too deep for me because I have a bad back and lifting stuff up and over the highish sill would be an agony. There is sightly less leg room in the back of the Panda, but nothing to notice. The only real mistake here could be easly corrected. Fiat has chosen to place the rear window winders so that the knobs dig into the kness of six foot rear passengers. Re-fitting them on the spindles would immediately cure this 'problem'. Not important though.

Drive the Panda and the differences are obvious. First off, the Fiat sits about three inches higher, making access far easier and giving better visibility. Because I sat a long way from the wheel in the low-riding VW I found myself craning forward to see round the A Pillars; not so in the Panda which has better visibility. The TA starts immediately and is noisier that the Up’s three cylinder engine. It reminded me of the engine in my old Lambretta, which I liked! It also has masses of torque and took off like a scalded cat; in fact I had to rein it in to prevent myself slamming into the car in front. This immediacy of response took some getting used to after driving my own Diesel. But, like a Diesel, the TA delivers masses of torque low down, so I enjoyed riding the torque wave and changing up through the box very quickly. This was great fun and before I knew where I was the salesman told me I was doing seventy: I had no idea: Beep-Beep! In fact, I enjoyed the Panda so much I actually found myself laughing – no joke!

I couldn’t see the point of the Panda’s handbrake, but it caused me no problems, and I appreciated the storage options. The driver’s seat was, for me, more comfortable than that in the VW and the Panda was infinitely more fun. However, it is essential to have the height adjustable option because the salesman and I had the seat set at opposite extremes to be comfortable, and we are roughly the same height. The height adjustment should be standard. The ride was firmer but very well controlled and comfortable, and there seemed to be little roll. The handling is brilliant and the turning circle is better than that in the VW too. The 75hp VW apparently has no more torque than the 60hp version, so it won’t have the sporty get up and go of the Panda. In order to see what the Eco button did I drove with it on and found no particular difference, until the salesman switched it off at my request, and we shot forward again: Beep –Beep!!

The Panda is fun. Did I say that? It is also very handy, has very well judged steering and handles like an obedient yet eager puppy dog.
I will have another go before I decide which new car to buy, but whatever I choose it won’t be the Up. Good car though it is it’s too low for me, I couldn’t get really comfortable behind the wheel and it just didn’t make me laugh. The Panda is a bit noisier, but not at speed, and in fact really only when using the TA engine as intended. And the Panda is fun. Did I say that! Beep-Beep!!
 
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I second all comments, apart from the handbrake, which I love, and. Feels totally natural and better to use than a conventional one.
 
I second all comments, apart from the handbrake, which I love, and. Feels totally natural and better to use than a conventional one.

I have to say I agree with you now. I was really skeptical about it to start with, but now I've got used to it it does feel really easy to use.

I was trying to grip it like a normal handbrake to start with, but instead of holding it on the side you just need to put your fingers under the front of it and pull it up/down.

It's actually a very natural fit IMO.
 
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