OK, I've finally scratched the 100hp itch................but I'm still curious about replacing the Seicento with a 4x4.

The Seicento is 10 this year - yellow Sporting with Abarth wheels, fabric roof and Abarth wheels. It'll be worth £50k in 20 years!

What's always held me back on the 4x4 is................seriously - 18-20 seconds to 60? Now, ignoring that usual argument, what's it like to live with ? Normal mid-range acceleration, hills etc? Not fussed what any Clarkson's think.

For the record I had the old Panda 4x4 back in 1997. It was faster from 0-15 than a Ducati (well... you get the idea) on account of the low 1st. And generally was great fun.

So I'm just curious about those that have them - particularly those with Goa orange ones, which is as good as yellow in my book.

mine used to go like a rocket

edit wrong panda i had a classic

the 0-60 time is irrelevant really, I have never encountered any problems pulling out of junctions etc, you choose your moment and go. In reality you don't see 4x4's with rear-end damage every day!!
As for long journeys, once wound up they can keep up with most traffic, however long hills will slow you down. If you want to keep up with normal traffic and overtake just stick with 3rd gear until past then up into 5th. If you can live with it not being a racer you'll be fine. Mine is reluctantly up for sale as we need to go down to one vehicle, but that said Im glad the last seller pulled out ( too far to travel to buy it ) as it is in every day use. Go for it, you know it makes sense.

Got a 'Cross', had Angle Tuning remap it, goes quite nicely now and no apparent penalty in fuel consumption either.

Coolcarbon said:

Got a 'Cross', had Angle Tuning remap it, goes quite nicely now and no apparent penalty in fuel consumption either.

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Yes - the advantage of the diesel is the remap to easily increase power/torque. They're not exactly falling off autotrader like Fiestas and Corsas (and 50s) though are they? It took ages for the old 4x4s to become collectable. The Cross became a classic before the stopped selling it.

The wife wants one, but until I can get work to give me cash instead of a car I can't sell the 100 for one. Pity I kinda like them

What Panda4x4x4x4 said pretty much sums it up!

Slow to get going, but once into 3rd you're usually well away. Do find myself using the full rev range though, and I wouldn't want to do a long drive in one. 100 mile round trip to York is quite enough!

AB100 said:

Yes - the advantage of the diesel is the remap to easily increase power/torque. They're not exactly falling off autotrader like Fiestas and Corsas (and 50s) though are they? It took ages for the old 4x4s to become collectable. The Cross became a classic before the stopped selling it.

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It's not a classic, it's just that it never really sold in great numbers and it's not the sort of car people buy to have for a couple of years and get rid.

Hi AB100, I bought a 07 plate 4x4 with 20K on the clock last August because my previous car didn't cope too well in wintry conditions. I had Vredstein Quatrac 3's fitted in November & it coped with the snow & ice fantastically well. On one occasion when the A1 was clogged up with snow, I was able to weave in & out of all the bigger 4x4's that had become stuck, and it was excellent at climbing icy hills, particularly from a standstill.

Now that winter has given way to spring, what's harder to cope with is the extremely firm ride. I can feel every bump in the road & there are lots near where I live. Of course it may be that I just need a new set of shock absorbers (I'd be interested if anyone else has suffered this problem?).

Like others here have commented, I didn't buy it for it's speed, it's fine when it gets going, but when pulling out at roundabouts, you need your wits about you to ensure you don't get rear-ended. I always try to keep moving slowly so I can pull away in second, because first is a joke. It's not a car that you would want to drive on long journeys, but it has been fine for my daily commute of about 20 miles & you never have to worry about the road conditions on little lanes. Fuel consumption is a lot higher than non 4x4 Pandas, if I'm careful I can get about 250 miles out of a full tank (25 Litres), but because the tank is so small you will spend more time in petrol stations.

Overall, I'm very happy I bought it, it's a bit quirky, but is an entertaining drive & you don't see many around. If you can find one for sale (I had to travel 100 miles to buy mine), just go for it. If it doesn't work out, I'm certain that you won't lose much money when you trade it in again.

The thing about 0-60 is 'how often do you actually race from 0 to 60?'. A combination of gearing ratios modified to suit snow, and the addition of a fair bit of weight to put the 4x4 system mean it's not great at 0-60. But, it is great at 0-40. I've never really felt 'left behind' most of the time (petrol 4x4)... Once going, its not at all bad, but you do have to develop teh skill of anticipation: anticipate the lights changing, anticipate the hill coming up, anticipate what the cars around you will do next. But actually, that's a good thing - it keeps your mind on driving. And, don't be afraid to explore the upper end of the rev counter. Although its not the fastest car I've had (by a large margin!) its still great to drive. It corners as if its on rails. And, not only when it snows, but also on muddy grassy car parks etc, it really is brilliant. Mines at 81000 miles now, still going strong and I've loved every minute, whether on byways, back lanes, A roads or motorways...
Pete

Herts Hillhopper said:

...you do have to develop the skill of anticipation: anticipate the lights changing, anticipate the hill coming up, anticipate what the cars around you will do next. But actually, that's a good thing - it keeps your mind on driving...

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I would like to think that everyone drives with good forward planning and anticipation... sadly, they don't

LeanMeanRacing said:

I would like to think that everyone drives with good forward planning and anticipation... sadly, they don't

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Thought you'd like that, Ian...

Pete

Got a new Cross last December, would totally recommend one, have fitted a TMC tuning box which has made a difference to performance, exceelent vehicle

wife had 4x4 we loved it, bought 100hp...yes obviously quicker 0-60 but 4x4 everybit as fun. didnt feel lethargic when driving...just had to be sensible when overtaking. replaced 100hp with 500abarth, but still long for a panda cross!