Sorry if this has been discussed before but......

I bought a 2008 Panda 1.2 dynamic just last Thursday and Then drove about 90 miles the next afternoon.

There was a lot of traffic on the motor and lots of stopping and starting.
I found that there was not conformable position to put my right foot on the accelerator (I can't rest my foot on it as it would rev like hell)

By the time I got to my destination my groin, knee and ankle were absolutely killing me and I could barely walk.

I feel that the pedals are quite high so I am having to hold my foot back constantly. BTW I am a size 10 so small feet are not the issue.
I have putt the seat back as far as possible to still be able to reach everything but this still doesn't help.

Has anyone got any similar issues and have found solutions to this?

Its the same in the stilo but.. it had height adjustable seat so that helps a little... main issue is more on the clutch side for me.

It's not so much the pedals, but the seating position as a whole.

You sit upright in them, it's like you're sitting on a dining chair, so your leg/knee/foot aren't in the best position to hold the pedal for too long.
(Your thigh's horizontal and your lower leg is vertical)

Your leg/foot is in a good position to push down ok, but not down and away like the pedal travels.

Also the seat squab is a bit short, there's nothing under your lower thigh and knee to support it, add the two together and it can make longer trips a bit of a pain.

I didn't find our 57 plate Active too bad, but our 14 plate 4x4 is a lot worse.

I ended up jacking the front edge of the seat up with a couple of thick washers under the front two seat runner bolts.
This tilts the seat squab back a bit and allows my leg to stretch out and away from me a little better. (thigh and lower leg in more of a ^ shape)
It's not perfect, but it's better than it was.

I was going to fit a cruise kit to it as well to save the pain on longer trips, but we've just bought a new Vitara with radar cruise for all our longer trips, so it's not worth the effort anymore, the Vitara almost drives it's self!

I think I'm starting to get used to it a bit, I drive 45mins to work each day and I didn't notice it as much this morning. Although it was much quieter on the roads so less stop start.

I find that I'm twisting my right leg over to the left to get the brake pedal a bit.
Just wish the Accelerator was over to the right a bit more than I could rest my foot against the side.

My stilo is the exact same pain...some times get a sqaushed bollock too... was never an issue in my 1.2 but in the multijet its a pain... i hate stop start traffic... on a run its nice using the cruise control but... all in all... its either the ******** or the ankle and top of my foot that feels it... i can drive weeks on end with the seat low but im stretching for the steering wheel and gear knob... then i can get comfortable for weeks with it high up... i just keep changing it daily now to suit my feelings on the day... shes off the road for now so it's been a new story... all this walking is causing shin splints... another reason to get fit again lol.

Pandera said:

By the time I got to my destination my groin, knee and ankle were absolutely killing me and I could barely walk.

I feel that the pedals are quite high so I am having to hold my foot back constantly. BTW I am a size 10 so small feet are not the issue.
I have putt the seat back as far as possible to still be able to reach everything but this still doesn't help.

Has anyone got any similar issues and have found solutions to this?

Click to expand...

Others have posted much the same in the past.

Personally I find the Panda is OK for the first two hours, then various aches and pains set in. There's one regular trip I do which involves driving for 8-10hrs in a single day; it usually takes me a couple more days afterwards to recover.

Perhaps acceptable for a city car, but I've had other city cars in the past that were significantly more comfortable, my Mk1 Ka was probably the best.

On the plus side, excellent visibility, light steering and a good turning circle (unless you have a 100HP) make it an easy car to drive in an urban environment.

I've experienced this a few times over the last 7 years. The problem seems to be the age-old issue of Italian cars. Going back many years, 60s - 70s and since, Italian cars have regularly been criticised for suiting short legs and long arms. Apparently this is what the average Italian is like. I've always been OK with it, but many people find it uncomfortable.
Probably nothing you can do except try to adapt.

portland_bill said:

I've experienced this a few times over the last 7 years. The problem seems to be the age-old issue of Italian cars. Going back many years, 60s - 70s and since, Italian cars have regularly been criticised for suiting short legs and long arms. Apparently this is what the average Italian is like. I've always been OK with it, but many people find it uncomfortable.
Probably nothing you can do except try to adapt.

Click to expand...

Maybe that's why it's perfect for me. I've got wee short legs.

I can usually (depending on shoes) wedge my foot alongside the wheel arch so I don't have to constantly hold my foot back. I basically use the accelerator by twisting my ankle rather than lifting the whole foot.

I'm thinking of screwing a piece of 15 x 15 aluminium angle metal to the wheel arch (level with the accelerator pedal) to act as a foot support. Finding the exact sweet spot could be tricky.

As for the seats - It's a city car so don't expect too much. But it's a Fiat so seats from higher spec cars may well fit.

weirdly i find the panda to be super comfy.. My suzuki is really bad for this on a long trip, aching all over after a trip in that of any kinda distance... When i picked panda up and drove home 220 miles i felt fresh as anything, could have happily got in and driven another 220 miles.

Same issue here.

I've solved it by fabricating a foot rest on the rhs of the accelerator pedal. I can now, especially in flowing traffic or motorways, just rest my foot on it and swivel the foot gently sideways to adjust my speed. Kinda lazy mans cruise control!

Sweetsixteen said:

Same issue here.

I've solved it by fabricating a foot rest on the rhs of the accelerator pedal. I can now, especially in flowing traffic or motorways, just rest my foot on it and swivel the foot gently sideways to adjust my speed. Kinda lazy mans cruise control!

Click to expand...

My idea exactly

For anyone wanting to give it a try, a piece of wood 1/2" thick, cut to lean against the wheel arch would do the same job. It would not be big enough to get trapped under pedals but would allow you to find that sweet spot for best support/control.