We're taking our 1.2 to Scotland this year as it's a much better motorway car than our punto evo. its uncannily quite and smooth. the Punto is very loud and engine revs too high, feels like it needs a 6th gear.
The panda revs a lot lower at motorway speeds.

Don't believe all you hear from the twin air guys either, our 1.2 will overtake on the motorway easily with no issues, especially since the ECU upgrade I would bet the 60 -90 acceleration is not far off the TA while using a lot less fuel.

muttleysdad said:

We're taking our 1.2 to Scotland this year as it's a much better motorway car than our punto evo. its uncannily quite and smooth. the Punto is very loud and engine revs too high, feels like it needs a 6th gear.
The panda revs a lot lower at motorway speeds.

Don't believe all you hear from the twin air guys either, our 1.2 will overtake on the motorway easily with no issues, especially since the ECU upgrade I would bet the 60 -90 acceleration is not far off the TA while using a lot less fuel.

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Going slightly off topic, but is your Punto Evo a 1.4 by any chance? We have a 62 plate 1.4 Punto, and fifth gear is ridiculously short (you are already doing about 3500 revs when at 60mph). Definitely feels like it needs an extra gear, although the flip side is that you very rarely have to change down from fifth if cruising. Still like it though!

Anyway, back to this topic! As long as you can get hold of a decent 1.2 (not one of these crappy Watchdog-style ones), then to me it would be the best bet given the mileage and driving requirements. Certainly no issue with motorways, and if you really desperately need to boot it to get past someone in the inside lane, it'll respond perfectly well in fourth gear, or even third if you are that desperate - red lining is fine in a 1.2, haha!

As always, it is worth trying both engines out if you can. A quick 10 minute drive on a dual carriageway/motorway should tell you all you need to know.

To Goudrons and gar074 - fair comments. As I said, I've not driven a TA so can't make a comparison. But I can say the MJ is quieter than my old 4x4 - noticeably so. This is more likely because the new Panda as a whole is better engineered for comfort and reduced harshness.

JTD_Liam was probably clearer with his comment than I was -- the sixth gear is not the point in the 4x4 at cruising speed. Basically the TA 4x4 gear box is a normal 5 speed box with an additional, very low bottom gear for offroad climbing, not a higher top. Fifth gear in the TA 2WD cars is actually higher than sixth in the TA 4x4, so they should be quieter and even more relaxed when cruising on the motorway.

A month ago i took my 1.2 easy on a 642 mile round trip to north Wales the total driving time was 12 hours 11 minutes the journey was all on motorways or dual carriageways,i never had a problem over taking or staying in the outside lane keeping up with the other traffic(Aston Martin excepted) at well above the speed limit.the average speed ended up at only 53mph the return journey was mostly at only 60 mph because i had more time the overall mpg was 56.3. i'm now looking forward to my next long motorway trip.

My vote is for the 1.2. They're cheaper, more efficient and still have (in my opinion) plenty of power.

A quick test drive is all you need to uncover any EU6 issues.

Super Uwe said:

Going slightly off topic, but is your Punto Evo a 1.4 by any chance? We have a 62 plate 1.4 Punto, and fifth gear is ridiculously short (you are already doing about 3500 revs when at 60mph). Definitely feels like it needs an extra gear, although the flip side is that you very rarely have to change down from fifth if cruising. Still like it though!

.

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Yup 1.4 - Glad its not just me that feels this

Tom95 said:

My vote is for the 1.2. They're cheaper, more efficient and still have (in my opinion) plenty of power.

A quick test drive is all you need to uncover any EU6 issues.

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The euro 6 thing is all over bar the shouting, Had the upgrade on mine about a month ago and all is fine, actually better than fine very smooth low down, and really comes on song at motorway speeds

I would think all new 1.2's will come with the fix, If you're buying second hand, as you say a quick test drive will determine if the fix has been done.

Thanks everyone, great input as ever on this forum. Just to tie off the thread, I've gone for the 4x4 TA, should be picking it up sometime next week!

Great news! I'm sure you'll love the TwinAir engine, and the 4x4 models will probably have a higher demand on the used market than the 2wd versions so a decent long term decision too

Is it a pre-reg/demo car or a new one the dealer had in stock ready to be taxed etc?

It's supposed to be new ! I haven't been given a reg no yet tho so who knows where they're rustling it up from ?

It sounds like it's a car already built and at the docks in Bristol, or within dealer stock, hence why it's only a week away. If it's not got a reg number yet then it sounds like it'll be a new 15 plate.

What paint colour did you go for? Most seem to be Green or White on the roads!

Tuscan Green and it is a 15 plate !

Excellent! A lot of the Panda 4x4s I see on the road are the green, white or silver. Seen the odd Sunset Red too. However the green does really suit its character, almost like a mini Land Rover Defender!

It'll feel familiar yet quite different to the old Panda I would imagine. I drive a 1.3 diesel Alfa MiTo, but my Parents had a 500 TwinAir which I also drove a bit - Once the TwinAir engine runs-in (usually after about 5000-7000 miles) you'll be amazed how free-revving it is compared to the diesel

very nice colour in metallic paint and contrasts well with the interior .

TA not as outrageous as everyone makes out ! Very bright on the motorway...will give it a good blast up the M1 at the weekend .

I can recommend Hayley at Perry's Aylesbury for anyone who wants a lot of questions answered !

Where abouts in London Lux?
Me and my 4x4 TA Antartica can be seen around SE1, same as the Mrs and her Cancun Red Lounge.

They ain't many 4x4's around town, though the car park here at work is full of 500's, my ride looks a monster truck next to them!

Goudrons said:

What I do find is the seats in both the newer cars aren't as comfortable as the older cars, they're ok for a hour or two, but I find the support behind the knees missing due to the short squab and I find myself swifting postion too often as there's not much give in the seats to be fully comfortable.
The Active seats were far more comfortable.

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I've had a fiddle with my drivers seat and fitted a couple of spacers under the front two mounts of the seat.

I had to loosen all four seat to floor bolts, then slipped a couple of 6mm washer type spacers in.

It's lifted the front of the seat and tilted it back ever so slightly, just enough to offer a bit of support under my tights, which I badly missed from the seat as it seemed to slide away forward.

It feels far more comfortable, my back doesn't ache as much and the Mrs has begged me to do the same with her Lounge.

I've also eliminated turbo lag, well sort of.
Since I've been seating pretty, I've been happily chucking her around a bit more and noticed a healthy blip on the throttle while changing up stops the dreaded momentary lag in power, but it doesn't help mpg (like I care!)

Your tip with the washers under the seat-front sounds like a winner. I have a chronic back problem, and I'm finding it difficult to get comfortable in the Cross. The reclining adjustment on the backrest is too crude - one notch puts it too upright for me, but the next notch is a little too far back for comfort. Raising the front of the seat a tad will hopefully position the backrest in a sweet spot.

And WTF with the 'footrest' by the clutch pedal? To use it, it's necessary to twist your left foot unnaturally, which then affects your entire lower body posture. Sitting like that is guaranteed to cause aches, pains and stiffness on a longer journey, especially in ageing crumblies like me.

I'm in the ratruns of NW3 which as you say are packed with 500s and Minis but virtually no Pandas at all. 4x4 a bit bulkier than the 1.3 MJ but still great for around town . Awaiting the first motorway slog at the weekend with 450 miles planned in a day so I hope the default seat position isn't too bad !

gar074 said:

Your tip with the washers under the seat-front sounds like a winner. I have a chronic back problem, and I'm finding it difficult to get comfortable in the Cross. The reclining adjustment on the backrest is too crude - one notch puts it too upright for me, but the next notch is a little too far back for comfort. Raising the front of the seat a tad will hopefully position the backrest in a sweet spot.

And WTF with the 'footrest' by the clutch pedal? To use it, it's necessary to twist your left foot unnaturally, which then affects your entire lower body posture. Sitting like that is guaranteed to cause aches, pains and stiffness on a longer journey, especially in ageing crumblies like me.

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I always have the seat all the way back and as low as possible...seems to help having full extension of the leg rather than have a constant knee bend for hours at a time ?