Panda 4x4 TA Antarctica said:

We're a couple in our late-30s - Panda 4x4 TwinAir is our second car for run-around and town centre parking duties. Bought because it complements our Diesel Automatic S-Max perfectly - polar (pun intended!) opposites in every sense. Between the two we've got nearly all bases covered...(except really high-performance!)

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Sounds familiar in some ways. The Panda is our practical go anywhere, park anywhere & my daily driver. We don't have kids but regularly have our niece & nephew, 7 & 4.

Booster seats fit nicely, muddy or sandy walks aren't an issue.

The wife has the performance side of things covered with her GT86 which replace V6 version of the Alfa GT & Brera.

I've got the Seicento Sporting Abarth as a toy & the Alfa S4 Spider for Classic touring holidays / fine weather fun.

I keep looking at the 595 Competizione with the performance pack but the Panda is so good, the wife & our ageing family won't let me part with it.....lol.

It really is an excellent car. When the only criticisms you have are the positioning of the heated seat switches, the lack of back warming pads on said heated seats & the fact the rear seat base doesn't fold, it tells you how great I think it is

SB1500 said:

What do you make of the running cost of your 4x4 compared to an non-4x4 model or is it really too soon/new to say?

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Had it 2yrs and covered ~12k. It's typical small-car stuff - reasonably economical, annual service is not the cheapest, but it's 'ok'....really light on tyre-wear, especially given they are M+S tyres used through summer. We wanted the extra ground clearance for accessing bumpy muddy car parks and negotiating school drop-off speed-bumps etc and winter tyres/4x4 for a little more winter security etc. A Trekking may well have fulfilled our needs just as well, but the price difference was negligible (bought nearly-new) and running costs on such low mileage was practically no different. Tax is in the low ~£30/yr bracket. We're happy with the cost of ownership, but don't have much to compare to Panda-wise. At 6k/annum, the difference between 40mpg and 45mpg is <£90...worth it for the extra benefits (and a 1.2 2wd may cost more to tax?)

Squadrone Rosso said:

Sounds familiar in some ways. The Panda is our practical go anywhere, park anywhere & my daily driver. We don't have kids but regularly have our niece & nephew, 7 & 4.

Booster seats fit nicely, muddy or sandy walks aren't an issue.

The wife has the performance side of things covered with her GT86 which replace V6 version of the Alfa GT & Brera.

I've got the Seicento Sporting Abarth as a toy & the Alfa S4 Spider for Classic touring holidays / fine weather fun.

I keep looking at the 595 Competizione with the performance pack but the Panda is so good, the wife & our ageing family won't let me part with it.....lol.

It really is an excellent car. When the only criticisms you have are the positioning of the heated seat switches, the lack of back warming pads on said heated seats & the fact the rear seat base doesn't fold, it tells you how great I think it is

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Yep - likewise. We have a pair of young kids - car-seat space is adequate. It's handily small for parking in the supermarket, but the boot is always just big enough for whatever we throw at it in that role.
If we choose to go and park in a muddy overflow field/car park or squeeze down a narrow country lane, there's nothing else out there to beat it really.
That it came with a tow bar fitted and we could fit roof bars to take a roof box so easily just adds to it'a versatility. We use it like a 'city-car+'....

Just an aside. This silly old Panda drivers notes with glee that the BMW M3 seems to get a lower approval rating on Autotrader than the Panda 100HP

It's always sensible to compare like with like, though. How many of those M3 drivers would swap theirs for a Panda (even a 100hp)? I reckon that M3 drivers have very high expectations of their machines, whereas Panda drivers are agreeably surprised that their (relatively) cheap runabout is a complete hoot to drive. It's all relative.

Mr & Mrs are in their mid & early 70's respectively. Panda Easy Twinair 63kW is a 21'st century equivalent of the '89 2CV which sits alongside it in the garage. As has already been pointed out it's an absolute hoot to drive - they both are - but our Purple P. comes with all the luxuries and comforts of a modern car plus much more performance. Would have been nice to have had it with cruise control, but the fun factor more than makes up for that minor niggle. Have rediscovered how to enjoy comfortable (and sporting) motoring again!

Well this driver is male and 60 this year. Bought a new one this week hopefully to get 10 years out of it. The main driver for the moment will be my better half of a similar age. I like being able to open the doors in supermarket car parks. I can't think of anything else that would bring as big a grin to my face when I see it. An Aston would be nice but whats the point when there's a * speed camera on every corner. What I really want is a new Panda 100HP for when I am in a big hurry, but there ain't any. I did consider an Abarth 595 very hard, but you really can't use the performance any more so a Panda it is. Mr sensible, I must be getting old!

Well that's because the Panda appears to be the shed of cars. A real man's car then, maximum macho. I think you'd find an Aston a bit girly after the raw, hairy chested sexuality of the Panda.

Male, 45, Panda 85 TA. Actually only just got it... Love small cars and this one is great ?

JCarp16 said:

Male, 45, Panda 85 TA. Actually only just got it... Love small cars and this one is great ?

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Same but 42 (so currently the answer to life, the universe and everything). Except to add I last drove in '94 in a B reg 1.3 Escort. Ooo scary.

As I said earlier in this thread, the Panda is an honest, unpretentious smallish car.

I do the performance car stuff too so most of my mates take the pee out of my Panda & Seicento.

They simply cannot see why I'd like it, say after a V6 Alfa of GT86.

But I do. It's my go to car in the morning, especially on a weekday.

I guess as I get older, my views & priorities change

Squadrone Rosso said:

As I said earlier in this thread, the Panda is an honest, unpretentious smallish car.



I do the performance car stuff too so most of my mates take the pee out of my Panda & Seicento.



They simply cannot see why I'd like it, say after a V6 Alfa of GT86.



But I do. It's my go to car in the morning, especially on a weekday.



I guess as I get older, my views & priorities change

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Funny, I must have the same genes as you! Have had a string of Alfas since the Sud days, owned my S2 Spider for over 20 years, currently have a 500 TA as my everyday but recently have a bit of a yearning for a Cross TA! Do we need therapy? Unfortunately (or fortunately perhaps!) you can no longer buy a Cross or any Fiat for that matter, over here in a Twinair. I could import from N.IRL perhaps but its a lot of hassle, guess I'll be sensible and stick with the 85 for now and see how the new engine line up pans out, I do like the TA though and it's a pity it's being phased out. The 'A' word also beckons..........

Punto mk1 ,grande punto and now panda TA 85 LOUNGE.
I CAN DO 80 MPH NOB HEAD UP MY ARSE AUDI DRIVER DOING 80mph
so whats the diffence....

Phils panda said:

Punto mk1 ,grande punto and now panda TA 85 LOUNGE.
I CAN DO 80 MPH NOB HEAD UP MY ARSE AUDI DRIVER DOING 80mph
so whats the diffence....

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Are you emailing on the motorway?

Male, 58 owned the Antarctica TA for 11 months and love it. That punchy little twin cylinder still amazes me with its get up and go. Still haven't ventured off road but enjoyed driving in the small splattering of snow we had the other week. It behaved impeccably, helped by them M & S tyres. Panda is my daily drive, sadly the GTV twin spark sitting on my drive has only done 300 miles since I purchased the Panda............... but I am still not getting rid of it

Just for info, have covered 13,000 faultless miles in the 11 months. Recorded every fill up since day one and currently average 43.7 mpg, with probably 60% of my driving around 65 mph.

A go anywhere little car. Difficult to fault for the money and grin factor

I'm currently trying to use my wife's 86 as my daily. She homeworks 95% of the time so it only does 150 miles per month on average. Great fun car but for daily duties, I'd prefer the Panda, especially with my FUBARd back.

Late thirties couple. Just picked up a Twinair Trekking for the wife. Upgraded from an early Hyundai i10. She wasn't sure about it at first. Wanted to pass it on to me, which I would have been happy to do and sell my Mini Cooper S. Told her to give it a fair go and now she's growing to love it. Still wouldn't mind a 4x4 or Cross for myself but not much point in having 2 Panda's on the drive. Would have preferred the centre console, where the gear lever is, to have been less wide so that I'd have more leg room but otherwise a great fun & practical motor.

New member here.
Me 45, Mrs R. 33. 2016 Panda Easy 85 Twinair Dualogic just a year old and had the annual service a few weeks back.
Main use if for the good lady to head to and from work. Before the Panda she drove an older Toyota Aygo and this is like night and day. She was really dubious at first and had to be convinced but now absolutely loves it.

It's got a great fun factor and we both love driving it

Other cars- we've a Mercedes E350 which we use for longer trips and have a 1994 Saab Convertible for the odd sunny day.
We've also got bikes, from a 6 cylinder K1600 BMW, a BMW GS and a BMW 650 single. Also a 955 Triumph Speed Triple.. so a bit of variety in the stable.

I'm 54 and the missus is 53 we've had our panda now for three years and I drive it regularly to work everyday. I think its a great car.

We also have a recently bought a 500L (just a big panda really )

And we still have our 500 pop in the garage which only does about 1000 miles a year now.

52 and a mad keen fly fisherman who got sick of ripping off bits from the bottom of an Alfa GT going down rough tracks to the best bits on salmon rivers. Two tank straps, one undertray, one exhaust end cap etc etc...
Now happy sitting at 70 and letting the Germans fly by on the motorways but still able to hustle on B roads in the Scottish Highlands.
Happy Panda owner.