Hi all,

Just joining in.
Got a few questions to ask U guys.
Anybody care to give comment on the New Panda...the ride, handling & most importantly reliability?

cheers!

well mrs turboned has had her panda eleganza (in sparkling metallic blue) since mar 04, and although shes only done about 4000 miles, it's been perfect. no rattles or squeaks, yet fingers crossed! nice and nippy in and out of the urban rat race, suspension is soft but i dont think it's that rolly, not done any serious motorway work yet, but 4 up round town has been fine and comfy. it's first service is coming up in mar 05, so reading other threads in here will have to make a choice for a good dealship to look after the car, looks like either currie motors in watford or thames in slough, desira (southgate) were most rude at the buying stage, maybe they didnt like me rolling up in the uno!

the one thing that is annoying about the car is the very poor design of the stereo (cd), but i understand that the current ones are improved

turboned..thanx for the reply.
pls keep us all posted on future wot & wot nots of your mrs' New Panda

Hi, yeah go and get one, superb little car. Mine has had a couple of probs but they were dealer related. After 11,000 miles there is a rattle from sunroof and the engines got louder, but Fiat say they are all like that! Anyway, theres nowt better so go on! Its so much fun to drive hard too!

I'm game for the Dualogic version.
Done the test drive recently...good....good..way clever compared to the Koreans & Japs cheaper offerings. But, Fiat's notorious reliability record has kinda holding me back from getting hold of one...lest I get to hear some favourable testimony from happy owners, could change my mind tho'

Fiat don't have a notorious reliability record. They rusted in the 70's, but what they've always done well is engines. I've had 14 Fiats in 13 years and only ever been let down once. If you look after them and service them then they look after you.

Ive owned 12 Fiats and 1 Lancia, all had no reliabilty worries. BUT... find yourelf a good dealer as they can be lousy. It all depends on how long you keep them really. Bills tend to arrive around the 60,000 mark in my experiance.

bills at the 60000 mark? GREAT it'll take the mrs 12 years to get there!!!!!!!

anyways once she done the HP on it, the trepiuno abarth sould be available for trade in........

I can't reccomend getting one enough...The new Panda is an absolutely fantastic little car. It's better built, designed and engineered than my Stilo Abarth, it rides better and handles better - so much more so that for some corners which I brake for in the Stilo I don't in the Panda. Of course with 17inch rubber the Stilo does in reality have more grip, but the key thing is you can't use it because the Stilo's chassis gives you no confidence....anyway I digress.

My Panda 1.1 is nippy enough in the urban jungle you can park it in the tiniest of spaces and on the motorway, once wound up - will cruise happily and quietly at 70mph and more if neccessary. Fuel economy is excellent, and interior space fantastic.

Get one, Get one, Get one!!!!! and after that get a 4x4 one and an Abarth one...if the latter makes production....Please Fiat please!!

I concur, no doubt the Panda is a superb city zipper.
And Fiat makes hardy engines. I grew up with the 124s, 128 & Ritmo/Strada - all of them engines are near bomb-proof.
The only refraining factor is the reliability of the new Dualogic's Electronics as well as Gearbox & parts. Conti spare parts are pretty expensive here in Kuala Lumpur. Can anyone pls put some confidence in me??

I absolutely agree! I've had my 1.2 Dynamic SkyDome since last March and have done 10,000 miles with no problems at all. It's a brilliant car and I love it to bits. Definitely recommended....

i have driven now 1800km and no probs.
the diesel is the one to have if you cruce alot of motorway.. but maby thats just me, i like to acc from 140km/h and still se the nedel raise have done 180km/h once

Completely agree with the fact that the Panda is a fantastic car. It definetely sets new standards in the small car sector. I use it a lot on narrow, winding, hilly roads and it is fantastic to drive. It has enough power to go up steep hills but since the car has such a fantastic chasis you end up wanting to go faster and faster... Mine is a 1.2 but it would be even better with a 1.4 16V engine. No reliability problems. Stereo is fine. Maybe they have changed it because the design is not annoying (at least not to me). Only negative point is that rainwater drips from the roof on the seat when you open the door, but many cars suffer from the same problem. Climate control uses extra petrol but I guess you can always switch it off.
Buy one! The Panda is comfortable, quiet, spacious for its size and fun to drive.

I guess I've heard enuff praise on the Nuova Panda. I've also had test driven the car twice. My final comment - The Nuova Panda - Rocks!

Anyway the main concern here is on the Transmission - The clutchless manual @ DUALOGIC.
Our cities here are all sooo crowded and the traffic is mental. So it all makes sense that the local Fiat dealer brought in only the Dualogic versions rather than the manuals. Anybody had this Dualogic version in the UK or wherever u guys are from?
Testimonials? Any reliablilty issues? electronics gremlin?
cheers...

iv used and abused my panda drove properly and its running grand!!

pacology said:

iv used and abused my panda drove properly and its running grand!!

Click to expand...

Yup…been told by local dealer's sales-person, their test car has been subjected to lotsa abuse but still soldier on fine. But I'm taking their comment with a grain of salt, well u know..coulda been another dealer's sales pitch. But Yours is One good & promising testimonial…I'm still counting up. cheers...

abeziel said:

I guess I've heard enuff praise on the Nuova Panda. I've also had test driven the car twice. My final comment - The Nuova Panda - Rocks!

Anyway the main concern here is on the Transmission - The clutchless manual @ DUALOGIC.
Our cities here are all sooo crowded and the traffic is mental. So it all makes sense that the local Fiat dealer brought in only the Dualogic versions rather than the manuals. Anybody had this Dualogic version in the UK or wherever u guys are from?
Testimonials? Any reliablilty issues? electronics gremlin?
cheers...

Click to expand...

Dualogic's are gr8 had mine a week dead easy to use n a hell of a lot of fun too

Hi Fraguzz,

16v Multijet diesel - are we thinking of the same, one and only Panda Diesel ? I thought it was an 8 valve ?

Yours looks v good - I am hoping to make my mind up within the next few weeks with some test drives of a few days. Most of the dealers here will allow you a few days to test the car. A new diesel here in Ireland is expensive so I am looking at demo vehicle. (Demonstration cars owned by the garage) They are about €1750 cheaper than a new one and most only have about 300 to 400 miles.

Regards

BJ20

Nope, they're 16v diesels. Welcome to the forum as well, good to see someone else from this side of the water.

thx i can recoment ESP it realy works AWARDSOME in winter time!