A new member checking-in!

Bought our 63-plate 4x4 TwinAir Antarctica as a 1yr old lightly-used example (2,800 miles) in February. Now up to 5,800 miles

It's as delivered by the factory, save for reversing sensors, aThule detachable tow bar and Thule Wingbar roof bars (for cycles and roof-box, if needed). Penguin decals still in place - the kids love them!

Love it so far - we bought as a second-car for run-around tasks, to complement our big diesel-auto Ford MPV (great on the motorway, a barge in multi-storeys!). The Panda is a perfect complement to that. The added ride-height is very practical for town ramps and speed bumps, dodgey-surfaced back roads and the 4x4 and winter tyres will be a handy when/if we get any snow - it seems to me that 'normal' cars/tyres are getting worse at handling slippery conditions.

TwinAir engine was a big draw and does not disappoint. I knew what to expect in terms of sound/vibes, already having had a parallel-twin bike and a 2CV-based kit-car. Torque is good - certainly impressed all who I have taken for a spin! Fuel economy is fine - best so far (over any appreciable distance) was a 170mile moderately-trafficked, mostly-motorway run at 58.0mpg. 50-55mpg comfortably achievable on free-moving back-roads. ~42-45mpg seems about normal in reasonably eco-conscious town conditions. As expected, Eco-off, spirited driving will bring all of those down! Sometimes hard to resist in what is essentially a shrunken rally-car, right?!

Our only gripe so far is an intermittent, resonant rattle from the exhaust at 2,800-3,000rpm. Dealer doesn't acknowledge it as a problem and hearing other TwinAirs, it does seem common (and worse on some others!). Still - it niggles and shouldn't do it in my opinion! Oh, and had the rear-calipers cleaned to stop 'moaning' when manoeuvring at slow-speed - fine since (~1,500miles ago).

Anyway, just saying 'hi' and happy-Panda-ing!

Oh - meant to say that the Panda won us over between this and a new Renault Twingo (TINY turning circle appealed) - convinced we made the right choice!

Another Antarctica TA, Welcome!

Mine's been ok, a few issues in the 10k I've done in mine.

First off, I find the seat base a little too short and it slopes forward a little too much for my licking, so I stuck a couple of spacers under the front seat mounts, around 6mm has raised it up enough to offer a little more support.

Some of my windows at the rear have exploded.
Just shattered without warning while I stood there and watched.
Rear screen and one quarter light.
Both fitters that came out to repair reckon there must have been either a manufacturing issue, imperfections of nickel sulfide, silica or tiny bubbles or it's been nicked or chipped when fitted.

Brakes are now causing me issue, after binding and groaning (rears), getting gritty (after a bit of off roading) now the pads slap about in the calipers, particularly the front right.
It's usual for Fiat brakes to be a bit **** though, so it can wait until service for them to be looked at.

The engine has been great, they do loosen up a bit after 5 or 6 k, but the shift between first and second is a bit baulky when cold, ok when warm but it's a little fussy cold.

Mine seems to get clouted a lot when parked up.
So far I've had the tailgate creased, mirror snapped off and a scooter ran into the front wing last week, luckily neither has been too bad or expensive to repair.

Careful of the wheels and kerbs, they are super soft and don't take much to dent and scuff.
I noticed a few stone chips on the bonnet, the paint doesn't look too thick and I have a bit of metal showing.

Mine hasn't started rattling yet but the Mrs 1.2 Lounge vibrates a little when thr rpms rise, it sounds like some heatshield underneath rattling.
Also her dash rattles, another common issue, but as it ain't mine, I don't mind!

Panda 4x4 TA Antarctica said:

I knew what to expect in terms of sound/vibes, already having had ... a 2CV-based kit car

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Lomax? I wish I'd used my late-lamented 2CV as a donor car after the barn fell on it (long story...) but I'd have been in the divorce court if I'd even suggested it to SWMBO. Sigh.

Panda 4x4 TA Antarctica said:

Fuel economy is fine - best so far (over any appreciable distance) was a 170mile moderately-trafficked, mostly-motorway run at 58.0mpg. 50-55mpg comfortably achievable on free-moving back-roads

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Phew! My best so far over a tankful is 44mpg - hopefully that will improve as the miles pile on, but I reckon the Cross's wider tyres also make a difference.

Welcome aboard!

Goudrons - Good to hear you're enjoying your car, though sorry to hear it seems to have been fitted with the optional berk-magnets! I've found the seats ok on most runs (admittedly shorter ones) - more long distance work may show this up as an area to improve on. Will keep your mod in mind!

Gar074 - admittedly, to get the higher mpg does take some conscious 'Eco'-driving, but it is possible to get very respectable mpg, especially when lightly loaded on your own. I think on that particular run, the slower-moving traffic and a few long stretches of 50mph roadworks played to the Panda's ideal cruising economy. Just looking at the instant fuel consumption figures, you can see there's a huge difference in fuel required for 60mph vs 70+mph, particularly on these smaller engines. Keep in mind that this was a steady-speed run - over a full tank, we'd struggle to get much more than mid-40s, with the amount of town driving we do. You're probably right in thinking that the extra width on the Cross tyres might make a bit of difference, but I'd think 50+mpg should be feasible on a decent run, once everything is bedded-in? The kit is a BRA CV3 - similar in concept to a Lomax (3-wheels, open 2-seat roadster) - great fun. Imagine a louder TwinAir through straight-through exhausts and you'll get the idea!

Glad you're enjoying the Panda.

I've been using the penguin-mobile this week as I have been going to a festival each day down very narrow lanes and then into a field.

It is the ideal vehicle for the job with the narrowness and height combination of the vehicle.

Economy must have taken a big hit though, but I'm not complaining.

I wonder how many TA owners (both Panda and 500) have had previous experiences with 2 cylinder engines?

Seems there are now at least three of us that have had Citroen's Tin Snail in the past.

Mine was an '82 "Special" in Red with kinky silver stripes!

Goudrons said:

Seems there are now at least three of us that have had Citroen's Tin Snail in the past. Mine was an '82 "Special" in Red with kinky silver stripes!

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Nice one! Mine was yellow (naturally ), like the one in the Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, but without the stick-on bullet holes. But mine did have a cheeky monogram on the door featuring a monocle and a Poirot moustache, and, joy of joys, a large Poirot moustache painted on the bonnet. The first owner was a female art student. Nuff said.

Mine was an '84 Special, in red. It had an M28 engine, which apparently meant it had another HP or two?! (Still a good few horses short of a herd!) Lovely little thing with surprisingly few dents! Then I chopped off one of it's wheels and swapped the body... the 2CV brigade would probably lynch me now...!

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a higher proportion of TwinAir owners who have had experience of 2-cyl engines in the past, looking to regain that 'thrum'!

I think mine had the SKE engine (Snapped Knicker Elastic).

It looked like the later "Beachcomber" but instead of White with Blue wiggly stripes, it was Red with Silver wiggly stripes.

Ah yes, the SKE Special...considerably more pull than the RPS engine (Rice Pudding Skin)!

On another note, it's a scorcher down here today, but our little panda has wafted myself, wife and two boys down to the local country park in air-conditioned comfort marvellously. I noticed that the air-con/fan reduces power when you're accelerating (certainly on Eco-mode) - presumably to free-up horses? Anyone else noticed this? It's very clever....

Not noticed any power drop in my TA with the air con on, but don't often drive it in Eco, particularly around town.

But her 1.2 Lounge does seem a bit lacking with the air con on.
It also raises the rpm quite a bit at idle with it on, which makes it seem a bit buzzy sat in traffic (which is all the time around here).

I noticed yesterday for the first time how, if you turn the a/c on while driving, there's a very noticeable drop in power. Not a problem experienced by 2CV drivers, of course - I still reckon that flap under the windscreen was the most effective 'air con' ever invented.

Ah, sorry, I wasn't clear with my explanation. What I meant was that, when driving with air-con ON (we were on fan-setting #3 ) and Eco ON (not sure if this makes a difference), when you accelerate to pick up speed, it reduces the fan-speed/air con until you ease off the throttle, when it returns to the higher volume of cool air - I assume it does it to reduce the engine power sapping load placed on the engine by air-con to make it as responsive as possible? It must be a 'feature' as you'd expect the opposite to be true if it were a fault? Very clever...

Ok, get it.
Not noticed that, but it does slow the fan down (air con or heater) when the stop start kicks in.
I turn off the SS in winter as mine didn't warm up before I got to work!

One advantage of living in the remotest wilds of East Anglia is that there's rarely any call for stop start, provided you avoid fleshpots like Norwich and Cambridge.

I'd not really thought of equating a TwinAir with a twin cylinder engine in a 2CV!

I did used to drive a couple of them- they belonged to my brother. One did get the James Bond accessory pack of bullet holes etc!

We had great fun in them and our party trick was to go round one particular down hill bend at a fairly alarming angle, metaphorically striking matches on the road surface!

I too am a former 2CV owner... Mine was a D reg (86) Spécial in Red. Drove over 130,000 miles in it over a 10 year period. My username here is a reflection of that: the local 2CV owners club (which I helped run) was called the Hertfordshire Hillhoppers. My last 4x4 (2005 petrol) was rather like a modernised version of the Tin Snail. My 2014 MJ 4x4 (just about to turn over 20k miles) seems very plush by comparison.

All this 2CV talk made me nostalgic, so I had a quick look on Autotrader. Blimey, they've gone up in price over the last few years! Even the ropey ones seem to make good money. Wish I'd looked after mine better now (although I guess you can't legislate for having a barn fall on your car in a storm...)

Yep - I bought my 2CV for £150, bet I'd be paying at least 10x that now.... I guess both Pandas and 2CVs attract owners seeking a practical, clever and go-anywhere car.