First things first; we already own a Panda, a 2011 1.2 MyLife, which has been used for driver instruction by my wife for about a year now.

The car's held up well but we're thinking of upgrading to a 2012 Panda and wondered if anyone had views on its suitability for learners.

The Mk3 Panda has proved itself to be ideal in most respects; great visibility, enough power but not too much, flexible driving position. There are a few areas though where it's not been so good:

- It can be a bit tricky for learners finding the biting point with the accelerator being a bit 'unpredictable', especially after a warm start. At first we thought it was just a light pedal, but it's more that it doesn't seem 'connected' at times. (I don't mean that literally, I know it's 'fly-by-wire'). This means it's easy to stall.

- There's a problem when accelerating briskly in first; it cuts out briefly then picks up again. This is covered in a thread in the Panda section, it seems to be a common problem but I haven't seen a confirmed fix yet.

- No rev counter

- Image; girls are happy with it, young lads don't want to be seen dead in it (except for one who specifically wanted to learn in this car because his Dad's bought him a Panda!)

The main concern is the clutch/accelerator issues; even I sometimes struggle to drive it smoothly and I've been driving 30 years. Has anyone encountered any similar issues with the 2012 1.2? Is it generally easy to drive?

Also; how drivable is the Twin Air at town speeds including manouvering? Would typical gentle learner driving benefit economy with this engine? (I'd thrash the pants off it of course).

Rev counter - what trim levels include one of these? (I think we'd go for Easy anyway because we want air con).

Image: well, that's personal and we're getting enough business anyway. The MyLife does feel a bit basic and cheap but on the other hand it's astoundingly simple to operate.

We're aware that you can't see the speedo from the passenger seat and thought this would be a deal breaker, but it's not a requirement for tests and we can get a GPS speedo for instruction.

The car is also our runabout and gets used for all sorts of jobs; from taking stuff to the tip to long motorway runs (legal limit; it's plastered in driving school vinyls). It has been amazingly useful, and we'd be reluctant to go away from Pandas if we can help it.

If you were generally happy with your present car, I think you'll love the new model.
I've driven both 1.2 and twin air versions (but don't own one yet) and didn't experience the throttle issues you have on your car. Anyone else?
Certainly in 11 months of driving a 500 twin air I didn't have any problems either.

If you went for the twinair, there's a few things which are kind of unique to it.
It doesn't really like running under 1300 rpm, and flooring it at those low revs in a higher gear will not feel great.
You will only just be in 4th gear at 30mph.
It has a lot of grunt, and if you switch eco mode on it will smooth out the power delivery, so low revs use will feel better.
I think it would be fine for driving school, just don't let them change up too soon.

As for economy, the 1.2 will win hands down in the city.
On the open road it's a close match, but I wouldn't expect much over 35mpg around town.

I'm pretty sure that all models get rev counter (correct me if I'm wrong)

Why not ask your dealer to borrow one for a day and see what you think?

I find the Panda very easy to drive, I know my 1.2 easy has a rev counter.
one thing to spec would be an adjustable height seat.
It has a height adjustable steering wheel but not for reach.
A friend of mine is a driving instructor, used to be on a Yaris (I had a 03 one too) until there was no dealer, he's got a Citroen C2 haven't asked him or seen him to ask what car he'd go for next.
I remember him telling me about dual control with bars that connect from the drivers side behind the gearbox lever, had a look and there's no room behind there.
I passed my test in an e plate fiesta diesel, remembering at the time I didnt like it.
Have had a 500 multiair engine found a few quirks of the engine but it was fun to drive, not sure you'd want your learner drivers driving like they stole it.
No hesitation at all on my 1.2, have a few nasty junctions to pull out of. Clutch is very nice easy bite, My civic had a horrendously weak clutch. The brakes are nice and sharp.
The multiair has stop-start? I found that very strange and un-nerving, glad my 1.2 hasn't got that, however they're coming as standard on a lot of cars so something learner drivers will adapt to?

Thanks for the comments; I suspect it'll be the 1.2 rather than Twin Air but depends what the dealer offers.

I'd forgotten about the Stop-Start, that has the potential to be a real pain for instruction; mainly because it could confuse a learner, possibly make them panic if they think they've stalled it. I know it can be disabled by pressing a button, but can it be switched off permanently through a menu of some sort? (It's not a deal breaker, as this is only really an issue with beginners; if they can't cope with it they're probably not up to test standard).

Regarding dual controls, most these days are 'universal', being connected by cables rather than rods. They certainly fit to the Mk3 no problem at all.

That stop start was something I didnt like. It was years ago when we talked about the rods from the drivers pedals, he had a yaris way back then.
The Easy has air conditioning and remote central locking.

Hi Sheepy1209,

I have owned a 1.2 500 which was a 59 plate before we got our 1.2 Panda Easy last April.

With respect to the clutch/throttle, the new Panda has definitely got a slightly revised system compared to the old 500. My understanding is that it is something to do with the clutch switch that is fitted. But basically though what it means is that gear changes are somewhat smoother compared to our old 500.

In addition, if you engage first/reverse, the revs will climb ever so slightly which they never used to in the 500. This means that you can now reverse around a tight corner for example without needing to apply any throttle at all; you can just bring it up to the biting point gently and then let it do the rest. In our old 500 you could just about do this, but it was pretty obvious that it would rather you gave it a bit of juice!

As catnash says, the 1.2 doesn't come with Stop/Start but the TwinAir versions do. I don't really care either way about S/S; if the Panda had come with it then great, but in some respects it's one less thing to worry about. We average between 45-55mpg without any effort at all in our 1.2 without S/S, so you can't grumble.

Image - IMO the new Panda does offer a slightly more appealing look which would be attractive to a wider range of people. But image is purely subjective anyway, and if you are getting plenty of business it hardly matters does it!

Also being somewhat biased, but I do think the Easy model offers the best balance between standard kit and value. I don't know what your personal requirements would be in terms of equipment, but I would recommend taking a close look to see exactly what spec your car would come with. Stuff like a height adjustable driver's seat and electric windows aren't standard in the Easy - a very stingy move by FIAT if you ask me, especially as it isn't the entry level model.

But all in all it is a lovely car to drive, if you like your MyLife then I see no reason why the new Panda won't be as good, if not better.

Just noted my mistake above - electric MIRRORS aren't standard, not windows!:idea:

I have the 1.2 in a 2012 Panda, and I'd favour it over the TA for your learners simply because it's more similar in character to the majority of petrol engines. The TA is clever, but even aside from the Start/Stop, it's perhaps too individual to help someone learn the basics of clutch control, when the change up or down, etc.

I test drove a Twinair 500 and found it's weak spot to be town driving, I agree that the uniqueness of the Twinair engine probably makes it a poor choice for learners.