Well after looking at the Panda Cross for a few months, I finally gave up waiting for the pre-reg ones to appear at super knocked down prices (bit optimistic of me I know).


So I have bought an 8 month old Sedici 1.9 Eleganza in Beige (can’t remember what the posh name for the colour was. It is pretty mint and has no extras that I can see, but I did get it from a Main Dealer for about half price (no trade in) so I am more than happy with that. it’s only problem that I can see is the drivers door trim rattles a lot (they said they will fix it before I pick it up…..watch this space) and the clutch pedal seems a little slow to come up, but that might be because my current car (123D) feels very different to it.


Now where do I get it chipped…….:devil:

Oooooooooooooooo Kkkkkkkkk, so not the response I was looking for……ie none! But anyhoo, here is a couple of pictures of my new purchase.

nice

well there is not much to say but VERY GOOD PRICE for a REALLY GOOD CAR.
we drive a petrol version and my mary is happy ( 25000mls per anum ) our son learns to drive with it and says it;s easyer than the corolla of the driving instructror..........and i think ***hmm *** more power would do the trick...................

but all in all in all ...............GOOD CHOICE

beatmeier said:

well there is not much to say but VERY GOOD PRICE for a REALLY GOOD CAR.
we drive a petrol version and my mary is happy ( 25000mls per anum ) our son learns to drive with it and says it;s easyer than the corolla of the driving instructror..........and i think ***hmm *** more power would do the trick...................

but all in all in all ...............GOOD CHOICE

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Thanks, I am currently sharing the driving between the Sedici and the 1 series and the differences between the two are very marked. On the plus side is the huge glass area of the Fiat, it is a really bright place to be and the fuel economy is excellent, better than my BMW! It rattles a lot more (not so good for a new car, but it is built to a price) and I have the second gear problem until it’s warmed up, but the box is very nice afterwards.

So far I am very happy with it and look forward to it showing its potential in the snow. I am looking to buy some Winter tyres and can get a good deal on a set of Vredesteins and Avons. Any ideas out thee Sedicic owners?

Geordie Amanda said:

it’s only problem that I can see is the drivers door trim rattles a lot

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I also had a rattle from my driver's door. It seemed to have been caused by the black panel outside coming loose. So at high speed it rattled like mad. The garage fixed it and my Sedici is now rattle free. Enjoy your new car. I enjoy the fact that some drivers give curious looks as they drive past - thinking what is that? Surely Fiat doesnt make an SUV!?

Are Sedici's any good really? The wife wants to change the Stilo for one next year?

Nello said:

Are Sedici's any good really? The wife wants to change the Stilo for one next year?

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Personally I think you need to want an SUV style car. The Sedici has a lot of the usual benefits such as you sit quite high up (not as high as a real off roader such as the Discovery etc) and has the 4x4 potential if you need the extra traction. But it has many car attributes such as it is really quite short and with it’s excellent glass area it’s easy to park. However, it has a very bouncy and firm ride and the diesel is a little agricultural compared to many of the new diesels fitted to modern hatches. Also the issues with the gearbox is a bit of pain if I am honest, I am more than happy to live with it, but if this was my only car I would be disappointed with it. You also don’t get as many extras as you might find in a similarly priced Fiat Hatchback, but I guess that’s the Suzuki input to its design. The economy is great though.

I think you definitely need to take an extended test drive first (make sure you insist on driving the car from cold, don’t let the salesman warm it up first or drive it off the forecourt………..even if he says he is supposed to) as it isn’t quite the same as a regular hatchback and it also isn’t typical of the 4 x 4 breed either. Good looking car too by the way.

We've been thinking about a Panda cross aswell, but the prices are still a bit high. The local Fiat dealer has a Sedici for about 3 grand less than the Panda so i might just have a wee look at it. Other than the rattly door panel have you enjoyed driving it so far?

Dougiebob said:

We've been thinking about a Panda cross aswell, but the prices are still a bit high. The local Fiat dealer has a Sedici for about 3 grand less than the Panda so i might just have a wee look at it. Other than the rattly door panel have you enjoyed driving it so far?

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It still brings a smile to my face when I drive it. It is an honest little car and although it is almost a Polar opposite in terms of refinement to my 123D Hatchback, it does exactly what it says on the tin. It does make a horrendous boom on the overrun using engine braking when the engine is cold, it’s bad enough to make me wonder if it is a fault or a feature. Any Sedici owners with the same thing??

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend the car if you require a small (it is really short) 4 x 4 with some genuine off road ability and excellent fuel economy. I wouldn’t recommend the car if you really require sophistication in your car.

The glass area doen't half give the car an airy feel too.

Dougiebob said:

We've been thinking about a Panda cross aswell, but the prices are still a bit high. The local Fiat dealer has a Sedici for about 3 grand less than the Panda so i might just have a wee look at it. Other than the rattly door panel have you enjoyed driving it so far?

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Take a wee wander down to your local Suzuki dealer, there are deals on SX4s at the moment, with enough left over to get the badges changed, if you must.

Cheers

PD

rallycinq said:

Take a wee wander down to your local Suzuki dealer, there are deals on SX4s at the moment, with enough left over to get the badges changed, if you must.

Cheers

PD

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I truly doubt you will beat the prices from the local Fiat Dealers if you haggle a bit. I looked at the SX4 dealers and couldn’t get anywhere near the same sort of deals. I used to work in the Car Sales trade so I know what I am doing when I haggle, I definitely recommend going to any dealer if you want to look for a the FIAT, I got mine from a HONDA dealer and I believe if the car had a Suzuki badge they wouldn’t have given me the same deal. Just my opinion though.

Geordie Amanda said:

I truly doubt you will beat the prices from the local Fiat Dealers if you haggle a bit. I looked at the SX4 dealers and couldn’t get anywhere near the same sort of deals. I used to work in the Car Sales trade so I know what I am doing when I haggle, I definitely recommend going to any dealer if you want to look for a the FIAT, I got mine from a HONDA dealer and I believe if the car had a Suzuki badge they wouldn’t have given me the same deal. Just my opinion though.

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I work with a Suzuki dealership, I know there are deals on SX4s at the moment.

Cheers

PD

Congratulations on your choice of car. I've had mine for a few months and love it.

Reading this post is interesting.

My wife was mad about a Bravo for the last 4 weeks, that is till she took it for a test drive, the switch gear is straight out of a Stilo and the CD player and Climate control, may have a different face but the controls and the look of it is also straight out of a Stilo. The real issue with the Bravo is rear leg room which is appauling, considering our 5 door Stilo is very generous. So dissapointed with a Bravo.

While we were at the dealers, saw a panda cross, nice but a bit refugee looking. Then in the corner was a Sedici, Brand New.

Had a look and by contrast the room inside it should of been adopted for the Bravo, but who cares now.

The Sedici is really a very nice car. My wife being 5ft 9. is smitten by it. She is taking the demo for a test drive this weekend, booked in for a 2 hour test drive.

Our dealer likes selling new cars with no real world savings. The sales woman has valued our px at £2k and will only lollop off £1500 off the Eleganza Multijet.

So internet used car dealers will be getting our business I think considering
2007 plate Sedici's are around £6500 - £7500 and 2008 Sedici's about £1000 more.

I have just read the Sedici is actually a Suzuki SX4. In Australia they got a 2/5 star review. Hopefully the Fiat version is better than the Suzuki version.

FiatFleetFamily said:

The Sedici is really a very nice car. My wife being 5ft 9. is smitten by it. She is taking the demo for a test drive this weekend, booked in for a 2 hour test drive.

Our dealer likes selling new cars with no real world savings. The sales woman has valued our px at £2k and will only lollop off £1500 off the Eleganza Multijet.

So internet used car dealers will be getting our business I think considering
2007 plate Sedici's are around £6500 - £7500 and 2008 Sedici's about £1000 more.

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I am 5’9’’ too and the Sedici is perfect for headroom and legroom. Although the steering wheel isn’t adjustable for reach, I still have managed to find a comfy driving position.

I urge you to test drive the car from absolute cold. This is because the gearchange into second is recalcitrant to say the least when the gearbox is stone cold. If you force it really hard I believe you can break the gear linkage!! After a mile or 2 the gear change is fine and also it seem to be fine from a starting point of view once the air temperature is approaching 10 degrees (when the car is properly cooled down) as I am guessing the gearbox oil is a little warmer to start with. From what I have read it seems to be a feature not a fault………….if you see what I mean.

I got mine for £8K (Eleganza diesel with 7K miles and 7 months old from Arnold Clark) with a full tank and a service, so I imagine there might be even sharper deals out there now (it did take 3 days of haggling though).

On a final note, I have finally put a set of Vredestein Snowtrac 2 tyres on my car and have had the chance to try them out up in the North East in the snow and Ice. All I can say is the combination of car and tyre was faultless. I could easily go anywhere a Land Rover could go and even overtook a RAV4 that was struggling up an icy hill. Probably because the Sedici has a full time transmission lock and the Winter tyres really do work well in cold temperatures.

In my opinion the petrol version is a dog - and one on valium at that! I have one and I never cease to be amazed at just how dull and lifeless it is to drive. With only 18000 on the clock it already has too many interior rattles for my liking. As for petrol consumption - its ok. Just dont try doing a dash to Heathrow from Cardiff at 80mph or you will see your consumption drop faster at light speed. On the positive side it is high and airy to drive. The boot isnt particularly big - and I own a GTV so I am used to a small boot. Would I recommend it to my best mate? Probably not the petrol version. Would I recommend it to my nan? Definitely.

Geordie Amanda said:

I am 5’9’’ too and the Sedici is perfect for headroom and legroom. Although the steering wheel isn’t adjustable for reach, I still have managed to find a comfy driving position.

I urge you to test drive the car from absolute cold. This is because the gearchange into second is recalcitrant to say the least when the gearbox is stone cold. If you force it really hard I believe you can break the gear linkage!! After a mile or 2 the gear change is fine and also it seem to be fine from a starting point of view once the air temperature is approaching 10 degrees (when the car is properly cooled down) as I am guessing the gearbox oil is a little warmer to start with. From what I have read it seems to be a feature not a fault………….if you see what I mean.

I got mine for £8K (Eleganza diesel with 7K miles and 7 months old from Arnold Clark) with a full tank and a service, so I imagine there might be even sharper deals out there now (it did take 3 days of haggling though).

On a final note, I have finally put a set of Vredestein Snowtrac 2 tyres on my car and have had the chance to try them out up in the North East in the snow and Ice. All I can say is the combination of car and tyre was faultless. I could easily go anywhere a Land Rover could go and even overtook a RAV4 that was struggling up an icy hill. Probably because the Sedici has a full time transmission lock and the Winter tyres really do work well in cold temperatures.

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The test drive was a disaster!!

2nd gear did not want to engage from cold. Post test drive the sales woman admitted that she moved from 1st to 3rd to bring it around . The engine sounded like a diesel tractor and it did. The demo only had 345 miles on it. Once up to speed it was quieter, but not as quiet as the Stilo.

My wife found a driving position, but found that the base of the seats lacked any form of support and found her bum sliding around going round a roundabout. The steering wheel could do with more adjustment. The interior inc dashboard is not fiat at all. The centre console creaked a lot when going over bumps, I do not need to continue...

Very disappointed as she thought this would be ideal. But yesterday test drove and bought a VW Golf Plus TDi. After 11 years of owning Fiat's she feels that Fiat have lost the plot with there cars and will one return to the brand if a model feels right for her.

FiatFleetFamily said:

The test drive was a disaster!!

2nd gear did not want to engage from cold. Post test drive the sales woman admitted that she moved from 1st to 3rd to bring it around . The engine sounded like a diesel tractor and it did. The demo only had 345 miles on it. Once up to speed it was quieter, but not as quiet as the Stilo.

My wife found a driving position, but found that the base of the seats lacked any form of support and found her bum sliding around going round a roundabout. The steering wheel could do with more adjustment. The interior inc dashboard is not fiat at all. The centre console creaked a lot when going over bumps, I do not need to continue...

Very disappointed as she thought this would be ideal. But yesterday test drove and bought a VW Golf Plus TDi. After 11 years of owning Fiat's she feels that Fiat have lost the plot with there cars and will one return to the brand if a model feels right for her.

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Sorry to hear of your woes. Well actually you don’t have any woes as the Golf + is a really nice car, but you know what I mean.

I have done a bit of a trawl on the Suzuki SX4 site and see that Suzuki admit there is a problem with the gear change and will tweak it under warranty (I doubt they will cure it without a newly designed gear box and/or linkage. It is a pain getting into second, and I have to drive in a ‘certain way’ till the box warms up. It is also an old school sounding diesel, which doesn’t worry me unduly as I wanted the car for it’s 4x4’ness and it’s overall economy 43mpg+. There aren’t many 4x4s that could beat that, at least with my driving style. I also agree about the seats, but having driven vehicles such as the Defender and Lada Niva, the Fiat is a luxury motor.

I still think it is a very rough diamond, but it is a very cheap 4x4 to run and that’s the rub, do you need the 4x4 bit? If not, then I would not recommend the Sedici/SX4 to my worst enemy.