gar074
Prominent member
I know what you mean, but the absence of any reach adjustment on the steering wheel limits the options, unfortunately.
General Best on the motorway?
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General Best on the motorway?
I know what you mean, but the absence of any reach adjustment on the steering wheel limits the options, unfortunately.
First impressions then after my weekend motorway blast ...
the seats are fine, no aches after 7-8 hours of driving in a day . I put the seat all the way back and down and confirm there is still room "under the tights" but it didn't become a problem for me . However I can see the attraction of raising the front of the seat to create some sort of "bucket effect".
The left foot resting place is a bit weird but I used it without any discomfort.
Fuel consumption was a bit grim ! 37.1 mpg over the day , mostly Econ , mostly motorway , with huge chunk of the M1 limited to 50mph...I hope that improves as it runs itself in ....
On motorway cruising in general : in sixth with Econ switched on it seems happiest at 70mph i.e. running comfortably with minimal noise . The MJ 1.3 cruised at 80.
Interior trim is thankfully a big upgrade on 2008, radio is good while not being digital and the TomTom2 worked fine as a satnav altho I'm not sure it's paired to the car as I didn't see it attempt to do anything else.
Spotify on iPhone thru the cable via the steering wheel controls works fine altho the interface is very basic.
the seats are fine, no aches after 7-8 hours of driving in a day . I put the seat all the way back and down and confirm there is still room "under the tights" but it didn't become a problem for me . However I can see the attraction of raising the front of the seat to create some sort of "bucket effect".
The left foot resting place is a bit weird but I used it without any discomfort.
Fuel consumption was a bit grim ! 37.1 mpg over the day , mostly Econ , mostly motorway , with huge chunk of the M1 limited to 50mph...I hope that improves as it runs itself in ....
On motorway cruising in general : in sixth with Econ switched on it seems happiest at 70mph i.e. running comfortably with minimal noise . The MJ 1.3 cruised at 80.
Interior trim is thankfully a big upgrade on 2008, radio is good while not being digital and the TomTom2 worked fine as a satnav altho I'm not sure it's paired to the car as I didn't see it attempt to do anything else.
Spotify on iPhone thru the cable via the steering wheel controls works fine altho the interface is very basic.
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D'oh!
Did I subconsciously write tights?
I must have been distracted doing my make up as I always wear silk stockings!
They do loosen up a little and MPG does get a little better, but you'd be hard pushed to get a good return around London.
I do London to Manchester regularly and now get between 44 and 48 mpg for that trip.
Mine's now clocked 9500 miles.
Best ingore the trip computer and just enjoy the TA's rasp and torque.
Try flogging it around in higher gears around town, where you'd normally use second, try third etc.
It make a sort of count intuitive engine noise, flogging it like that, but it does make it a lot of fun.
Did I subconsciously write tights?
I must have been distracted doing my make up as I always wear silk stockings!
They do loosen up a little and MPG does get a little better, but you'd be hard pushed to get a good return around London.
I do London to Manchester regularly and now get between 44 and 48 mpg for that trip.
Mine's now clocked 9500 miles.
Best ingore the trip computer and just enjoy the TA's rasp and torque.
Try flogging it around in higher gears around town, where you'd normally use second, try third etc.
It make a sort of count intuitive engine noise, flogging it like that, but it does make it a lot of fun.
babbo_umbro
Established member
My 4x4 TA is at its best cruising at 80+, would do 90 all day, cameras permitting, 2 adults, about 80 litres of wine and 10 of olive oil. I leave the Eco switch off - when I last tried it, before the car was run in, I thought it was dangerously slow, especially if you're used the responsiveness non-Eco.
TwinAir Newbie
Member
... and I'm getting Cruise Control fitted to my car in 2 weeks time, so that should make it the perfect mile muncher after that, I hope!
gar074
Prominent member
Can you give us some details of the cruise control you're having fitted? I was only thinking today, as my right leg started to ache on the A14, how much I missed having it on the Cross.
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The simple cruise conversion!
http://www.jewson.co.uk/building-materials/bricks-blocks/bricks/
http://www.jewson.co.uk/building-materials/bricks-blocks/bricks/
gar074
Prominent member
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I would avoid 'Eco' mode for any length of time until the car is run-in. I don't think it does any harm, but it's just painful. By the time my Parents TwinAir had done about 7000 miles, Eco mode was nearly as good as standard mode was when the car was new. The TwinAir's really do improve once they've done a few thousand miles.
The MPG in our 500 was always above low 40's, even when brand new. However it doesn't have the added 4x4 gubbins of the Panda 4x4, which i'm sure accounts for some of the typically lower average MPG results when new on the 4x4.
Once you get those few thousand miles under its belt I think Goudrons result sounds about right - our 500 used to get mid-late 40s to the gallon, for reference.
Just one question - which socket have you plugged your phone into on the Blue&Me port - USB or AUX? I'm currently struggling to play Spotify in my car through the USB port and wondered if the AUX cable I've ordered today might sort it? Thanks!
The MPG in our 500 was always above low 40's, even when brand new. However it doesn't have the added 4x4 gubbins of the Panda 4x4, which i'm sure accounts for some of the typically lower average MPG results when new on the 4x4.
Once you get those few thousand miles under its belt I think Goudrons result sounds about right - our 500 used to get mid-late 40s to the gallon, for reference.
Just one question - which socket have you plugged your phone into on the Blue&Me port - USB or AUX? I'm currently struggling to play Spotify in my car through the USB port and wondered if the AUX cable I've ordered today might sort it? Thanks!
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I've found the Eco mode useful for a couple of things.
Using it for the endless miles of narrowed, 50mph, "My Dad/Mum Works on this Site", motorway road works that now seem to cover 2/3rds of the network.
Pulling my little bike trailer down the motorway, it seems set to make it trundle at 60mph very easily.
They've been a few times I've tried to make normal progress (70ish) on the motorway, but the first incline it's begging me to change down and it all gets a bit weary.
It's a con and not one just performed by Fiat.
Manufacturers can sell models that are "clean and efficient", but you wouldn't want to buy it, so they stick a button on the dash and get the best of both worlds.
Using it for the endless miles of narrowed, 50mph, "My Dad/Mum Works on this Site", motorway road works that now seem to cover 2/3rds of the network.
Pulling my little bike trailer down the motorway, it seems set to make it trundle at 60mph very easily.
They've been a few times I've tried to make normal progress (70ish) on the motorway, but the first incline it's begging me to change down and it all gets a bit weary.
It's a con and not one just performed by Fiat.
Manufacturers can sell models that are "clean and efficient", but you wouldn't want to buy it, so they stick a button on the dash and get the best of both worlds.
Just one question - which socket have you plugged your phone into on the Blue&Me port - USB or AUX? I'm currently struggling to play Spotify in my car through the USB port and wondered if the AUX cable I've ordered today might sort it? Thanks!
On Blue&Me, the USB port is for iPhone-style MP3/Audio players using an external access standard of some sort and only plays stuff held on the device. AUX (ie: the 3.5mm jack) should in theory just play anything that is thrown at the speaker socket on the device, regardless of how it got there - be it from the iTunes player or Spotify for example. So the cable you've ordered should fix this. But better would be to use the Griffin.....
However, some audio streams will only work externally via streamed Bluetooth Audio protocol (A2DP) and that seems to be the case with for example the voice of Yoda that I have on TomTom on my iPhone. Only if I use an external A2DP supporting device (like the Griffin BlueTrip, which for some reason is no longer available in the UK, but you can buy it from the US), can it play those streamed audio feeds. I very much suspect that Spotify is in the same boat.
It's a real shame that Fiat elected to not provide the Blue&Me connectivity with support for A2DP, as it really would have been useful. Having said that, neither did Audi on my old 2011 S4, although it is supported on the Mercedes systems and has been for a few years.
I looked for a while until I found a setup that is properly designed for the Panda TA and Conrad Anderson have just such a kit. They have been fitting CC for years and have done quite a few Pandas over the years, as it seems that interest in giving small cars the same facilities as more upmarket vehicles has been on the increase for a while. The small toggle will fit to the LHS of the steering column cowl and it hooks into the throttle pedal connection, has brake and clutch switches and then loops into the CANBUS circuit to take speed pulses and control the FBW throttle. Not cheap (about £550 fitted I expect), but well worthwhile if you're used to having it available.
Here's the link: http://www.conrad-anderson.co.uk/products/view/cc172055253
I'll report back in a couple of weeks!
babbo_umbro
Established member
I reckon I could hire a chauffeur for that amount for the number of hours I'd expect to make use of it.
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Contrary to my brick post, I'm very interested in this conversion.
I presume by the wait, you're having them fit it Ringa.
Not fancy DIYing or is there something that prevents getting the hammers out?
I presume by the wait, you're having them fit it Ringa.
Not fancy DIYing or is there something that prevents getting the hammers out?
I'd normally not shirk responsibility for doing stuff myself, but the fitting process requires a CANBUS learn so that the control unit can pick up the speed pulses and modify the FBW signals to hold a steady cruise. If I did it myself I'd need to get this bit done by someone else, which might be with a partially connected car, somewhere other than my house, so on reflection I'm happy for them to do the install and make my life simple.
I know it's expensive, but I have now sold my Audi S4, as the Panda is in every practical sense the better car. I have everything in the TA that I had in the Audi - except Cruise, which I use a lot and like. Even with £500 invested in the little chap, I'm still many many times that better off, so it wasn't a hard decision! OK, the S4 had a cheeky tuning box and a not inconsiderable 435bhp, but the Panda is still more fun, even than that
I know it's expensive, but I have now sold my Audi S4, as the Panda is in every practical sense the better car. I have everything in the TA that I had in the Audi - except Cruise, which I use a lot and like. Even with £500 invested in the little chap, I'm still many many times that better off, so it wasn't a hard decision! OK, the S4 had a cheeky tuning box and a not inconsiderable 435bhp, but the Panda is still more fun, even than that
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I might give them a call and see what's involved and if diying is possible, though I'm not 100% convinced I can turn mine into the sort of cruiser I need.
Been hacking mine up and down between London and Manchester a bit more than I planned when I bought mine and I don't find it all that comfortable for the length of trip.
I considered swapping it for something else or buying another car to do that trip, but I don't want the agro of owning another car, particularly as it'd be an older one, parking ain't free around here either.
My little 4x4 hits the spot around town and pulling my trailer/bike in and out of farmer fields on a Sundays, it's perfect.
The only alternative was hiring for these trips, so I'm looking into setting up an account with a company we use at work, they share some carpark space with us, it's chocker with unhired cars at the weekends as most of their business in weekday stuff due to their location, they offer a good NHS discount to.
And we all know, nothing handles like a hire car!
Been hacking mine up and down between London and Manchester a bit more than I planned when I bought mine and I don't find it all that comfortable for the length of trip.
I considered swapping it for something else or buying another car to do that trip, but I don't want the agro of owning another car, particularly as it'd be an older one, parking ain't free around here either.
My little 4x4 hits the spot around town and pulling my trailer/bike in and out of farmer fields on a Sundays, it's perfect.
The only alternative was hiring for these trips, so I'm looking into setting up an account with a company we use at work, they share some carpark space with us, it's chocker with unhired cars at the weekends as most of their business in weekday stuff due to their location, they offer a good NHS discount to.
And we all know, nothing handles like a hire car!
gar074
Prominent member
Drive it like you hired it!
Drive it like you hired it!
You must be the one who'd killed the 3rd gear synchro on the FIAT 500 we had last week in Spain. Every time I clutchlessly changed into 3rd (a habit I have when I'm abroad - think it's the sunshine) it ground a bit.
