General Fiat Panda 105 hp.
- Thread starter The Pretender
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General Fiat Panda 105 hp.
And I agree with that too, it makes a huge difference.
Personally I would prefer to have a car that IS faster rather than just feels faster.
Fair enough.
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.
I agree in the main, tbf if its beautifully built its a step up from mine
I'll never agree on the steering but tbf it's probably a different system to mine on the new swift but since i've stopped driving fiats regualrly I always find cornering in a fiat an adventure in faith just because they set the weight so light any feel is lost to me, confidence would probably come with familiarity.
Regarding how fast it feels, I've driven THE MJ 1.3 in both a swift and a panda and the TA and the initial impression coming from mine is that they are faster just because of the shorter gears and initial wallop from the turbo (and usually a shorter travel throttle pedal), then the turbo is over...and you don't have much above 4-5k at which point mine would be just starting to pull hard. So for me I always find it a bit disappointing, cos i'm coming from the other way. Torque surfing for me is a novelty, mentally i'm thinking weyhey if it does this now when it gets going it'll be epic...then its over and that was it and i'm left thinking oh so that was it then?
Regarding the panda not driven the latest one yet but my favourite was always the torquey little mjet, good little workhorse, it reminded me of my mk1 punto and is genuine fun but in a different way to the Suzuki. I did test drive a 100hp when looking at mine and was left alot underwhelmed, too hard to be an everyday car (imo obviously I know other peoples differ), not fast enough to be a proper sports car, hopefully they will learn from that if they do another one and the twin air is a fun engine if nowhere near worth the hype.
Two more random facts....my TA mpg...34mpg (oops) and MJ...41mpg...
Lead Wellies obviously
You've hit it totally on the head.
I'm used to quickish response from an ordinary turbo-Diesel, but the TA was something else - but as you say that is until the puff quickly runs out. But I changed up quckly from gear to gear (lovely gearbox), and just nudged the lovely light quick steering to dart about. Adorable: and whether i could live with it i simply don't know, the warble was a bit insistant.
I had come to it directly from the new Up too. A very refined and comfortable small car with a totaly ordinary engine, and with only 60hp, that just seemed completely uninterested in going anywhere. Worthy but dull best describes it, so the TA after that was a total revelation....
And when I once tested the 100hp I too was underwhelmed. Very. It didn't seem to go much - I repeat 'seem', and the rock hard suspension was just silly. But officianados love it so i'll shut up.
And I'm old too, so i like my comforts
PS. The TA economy when used as i probably would seems to be a bit disappointing, to say the least, so I'm still lost when it comes to choosing any car or engine combo
PPS. I've just remembered the road tax differentials, which throw yet more spanners into the decision mix
I'm used to quickish response from an ordinary turbo-Diesel, but the TA was something else - but as you say that is until the puff quickly runs out. But I changed up quckly from gear to gear (lovely gearbox), and just nudged the lovely light quick steering to dart about. Adorable: and whether i could live with it i simply don't know, the warble was a bit insistant.
I had come to it directly from the new Up too. A very refined and comfortable small car with a totaly ordinary engine, and with only 60hp, that just seemed completely uninterested in going anywhere. Worthy but dull best describes it, so the TA after that was a total revelation...
.And when I once tested the 100hp I too was underwhelmed. Very. It didn't seem to go much - I repeat 'seem', and the rock hard suspension was just silly. But officianados love it so i'll shut up.
And I'm old too, so i like my comforts
PS. The TA economy when used as i probably would seems to be a bit disappointing, to say the least, so I'm still lost when it comes to choosing any car or engine combo
PPS. I've just remembered the road tax differentials, which throw yet more spanners into the decision mix
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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.
babbo_umbro
Established member
Very interesting how perceptions of a car can differ - not saying either is right or wrong. I rarely drive my 100HP on city streets but when I do I think it's at its least appealing - the jiggly ride really is an issue and what acceleration it has is of no use, though the surprisingly flexible engine means you're not rowing it along with the gearstick. Out of town it comes into its own, especially on smooth A or B roads. I think everyone would agree that it's spritely rather than fast but it will cruise all day at at least 95 mph where conditions allow and in motorway binds at 80 or so, where acceleration is at least as useful as braking, a drop to fourth will see it pick up speed very reasonably for what it is - matching throttle opening to revs is important as over-opening the throttle definitely results in less oomph. 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
babbo_umbro
Established member
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
I was replying to FullMetalPanda - see above.
Fair enough. We used the same term
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.
babbo_umbro
Established member
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.
Well the evidence is there in the power and performance figures. Theres certainly nothing wrong with me or my car. The car simply doesnt accelerate as quick as I would like. And it doesnt accelerate as quick as most of its current competitors. Like I already said im not complaining as I am happy with the car. For how much I paid and for the running costs its fantastic. However you can now get something quicker for not much more than what I paid for the 100HP. And my original point was that if the potentially new Panda Sport doesnt offer better performance I aint interested.
As for taking corners at speed thats what little warm hatches are all about. Just watch the original 100HP showroom video with the guy ragging the car around an empty car park. As long as its done safely and in control theres nothing wrong with it. You might not find it particular exciting but then its you who is missing the point of the car. There has been an old saying for years "its more fun to drive a slow car quickly than a fast car slowly".
babbo_umbro
Established member
Let's just say we agree that any new hottish Panda would need a good deal more than 105 hp and leave it at that.
Fair play,agreed.
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It could also be placed here.
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I expect that the Panda TwinAir 105 hp will only be available as a Lounge version, making it a expensive little car.
babbo_umbro
Established member
On the other hand, assuming it follows on from the 100HP, the standard spec on that contained so many "options" that it was quite good value, especially as there was lots of room for haggling.
