Leather or plastic? £105 seems an awful lot of money to upgrade however it may be one of those things I regret for the life of the car if I don't. I hated my current car since the day I bought it so need to get this one right

Worth £105??????

Leather, Leather and leather again. Mine is plastic/rubber and I hate it with a passion.

Geoff.

macamxthe1st said:

Leather, Leather and leather again. Mine is plastic/rubber and I hate it with a passion.

Geoff.

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You make quite a persuasive case there. Thanks for that Geoff

Drinkduff said:

Leather or plastic? £105 seems an awful lot of money to upgrade however it may be one of those things I regret for the life of the car if I don't. I hated my current car since the day I bought it so need to get this one right

Worth £105??????

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Worth every penny I reckon. The std wheel in the car I test drove was horrible!

None of the panda extras are extortionately priced imo. Most are worth having esp heated seats and sliding rear seats

triumph7 said:

None of the panda extras are extortionately priced imo. Most are worth having esp heated seats and sliding rear seats

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In fairness got to agree

Going for the leather wheel. Thanks for the replies

It's funny, a lot of people on here (including the 500 section) really rave about the leather steering wheel and the fact the plastic one is terrible.

I have had the plastic one in both the 500 and Panda (neither had Blue&Me), and I cannot honestly say it has ever crossed my mind that it is rubbish. It does what I expect of it really, when I want it to go left, it goes left...

Seriously though, it would be really handy if you could find a dealer with one of the demo cars fitted with a leather steering wheel. That way you can...ahem...enjoy the feel of leather between your hands...

Good choice to go with the leather. I had the leather on the 500 and didn't go for it on the Panda which was a big mistake

Drinkduff said:

In fairness got to agree

Going for the leather wheel. Thanks for the replies

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You won't regret it

I test-drove a 4x4 with the standard wheel, so knew I had
to go for leather for my Trekking. Feels so much nicer

OTOH, the matching gear knob's not so hot...



Chris

I don't think that £105 is a lot to ask for what you're getting.

If the Panda were my car then I'd go for it straight away, but it's my wife's car and the Antarctica came with the yucky feeling plastic one.

The 500 Lounge has a nice leather wheel, as does my own car.

The steering wheel is the main tactile component of the car and it's something that I enjoy.

I miss the gorgeous M Tech wheel from my last car.

I still have my leather wheel I had fitted to my then new Fiat 127!

Keep the plastic wheel and be reminded of the £105 you saved every time you hold it.

I thought the new plastic one felt much better than the plastic one one my older Panda!

Wee Smurf said:

I thought the new plastic one felt much better than the plastic one one my older Panda!

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Thank goodness for that.

I assume the leather wheel can be retro-fitted?

babbo_umbro said:

I assume the leather wheel can be retro-fitted?

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Probably only at huge expense (try asking your dealer) Airbags and
integrated phone/audio controls now make it a complicated process...

At college back in 1969 I fitted a nifty 12 inch Moto-Lita leather wheel
to my mini 850, it made the steering a tad heavy, but very responsive



Chris

Moultoneer said:

Probably only at huge expense (try asking your dealer) Airbags and
integrated phone/audio controls now make it a complicated process...

At college back in 1969 I fitted a nifty 12 inch Moto-Lita leather wheel
to my mini 850, it made the steering a tad heavy, but very responsive



Chris

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You're probably right about changing the wheel.

I still have a Momo "Clay Regazzoni" leather wheel that I fitted to a selection of Alfas and Fiats over the years.

babbo_umbro said:

You're probably right about changing the wheel.

I still have a Momo "Clay Regazzoni" leather wheel that I fitted to a selection of Alfas and Fiats over the years.

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Nice!

Moultoneer said:

You won't regret it

I test-drove a 4x4 with the standard wheel, so knew I had
to go for leather for my Trekking. Feels so much nicer

OTOH, the matching gear knob's not so hot...



Chris

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Agree with that. The wheel is great in leather, but I much prefer the plastic gear knob. You can't have one without the......other

Aside from my view that all of the Panda options are inexpensive, the leather wheel / gear knob at £105 stands out as good value - err, as does the slide & fold rear seats, the fold flat passenger seat and the heated seats / windscreen And don't forget the TomTom interface...

If you can afford it - tick 'em all!!

All the best

deeyup said:

Agree with that. The wheel is great in leather, but I much prefer the plastic gear knob. You can't have one without the......other

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Exactly my thoughts, the knob is too big (ahem) and the corners are not pleasant. But the steering wheel is worth it, the little perforated bits in the leather and the way it's stitched makes it the best looking and feeling wheel I've ever used.

Personally I like the leather (gear) knob!