I totally agree that the Swift Sport gives 44mpg. A friend took a long TD today and got exactly this, as did I.
We both felt that the steering on the Swift was a bit slow and would have benefitted from a reduction in ratio from lock to lock to make it 'quicker'.
The worst part comes with the very hard seat. If the Sport seat had the same foam as the ordinary Swift it would be a superb car.
But you have to rev the Swift engine, and it doesn't make a sweet noise at all, and for this reason the perception of speed, for me, was reduced.
However, it is very well equipped, beautifully built, and they are gving a £2000 scrappage on your old car, so it can be agreat idea: £11.500. That kinda competes quite well with a very ordinary Panda
I love the quickness and immediacy of the Panda's steering, but certainly if they stiffened up the suspension to make it like the original Panda 100hp it wouldn't match the not entirely uncomfortable Swift Sport.
So, both cars are very good, but for me the perception of speed was different from the reality. The Panda 85 feels quicker than the Sport simply because it has a more immediate response - around town - but obviousy it isn't faster overall.
Well even though I'm ready to move on from the 100HP its still a fantastic car. What you get for so little money is amazing it's a real bargain. If you keep it to tight city streets you will swear it's twice as fast as what the figures suggest. It's only when leaving the city on motorways or dual carriageways that you realise how quickly it runs out of puff. The ride is certainly hard but it's nowhere near as bad as people suggest. I've never had a cause to complain and I love how it handles. It's been one of the best cars I've owned but next time I want a car that also performs out of the city.
I think describing it as running out of puff quickly is not really justified.
I was referring to the TA, not the old Panda 100
It runs out of turbo puff, but I found myself doing 80 very quickly. Unfortunately it was only a test drive, and these can be misleading of course, but it was a hoot
The 100HP is ok on motorways and will cruise very well. However there is simply no acceleration at the top end. On B roads overtaking is certainly possible but dropping down to any gear doesn't bring rapid acceleration. You have to have a large gap before thinking about any manoeuvre.The city is where it belongs,keep sport mode on and with that taught suspension you can take corners at speed. From standstill to about 30 it feels pretty quick but after that it tapers off sharply.
We'll have to disagree on this one. The idea of taking "corners at speed" on city roads sounds crazy to me - as I've noted before, I don't do much city driving, but when I do the opportunities to corner quickly without endangering others seem almost non-existent - and not much fun either. If by "at speed" you mean above the speed limit - say a mind-blowing 35 mph - I just don't see the point or the pleasure. Taking a corner - or putting together a series of corners - out on the open road at a speed that begins to get the chassis working is much more my idea of driving satisfaction. We've already agreed that that the 100HP doesn't set the tarmac alight but I also think your comments on its inability to accelerate are over-stated, and may say more about you than about the car.
I expect that the Panda TwinAir 105 hp will only be available as a Lounge version, making it a expensive little car.