General i;ve been and gone and done it

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General i;ve been and gone and done it

Fionam

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Mar 11, 2018
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Well after months of deliberation and nearly deciding on the new Ford fiesta Active i've ordered a fiat panda TA 4x4 in tuscany green with all the bells and whistles. its a lease deal with the NHS for 3 years, i have a private plate that i;m going to put on it and will get the car at the end of november,
can't wait,:slayer::) i think i've made the right decision
 
Any idea on the waiting time before delivery? Asking because my Panda Cross was supposed to be delivered this week (ordered in Belgium), but up till now I haven't even got a manufacturing date...
 
Excellent decision ... but then I would say that as it's the same model, colour, and engine as mine.

I had the winter pack (I didn't specify it or know it was there, and neither did the dealer - it was a preregistered model). I could live without the heated seats but the front window demist has proved well worth the money I didn't pay for it.

I changed the red rear light clusters for black ones (from a Cross). Cheap from eBay, although I had to wait a while for some to come up. Easy swap, and I'm well pleased the look.
 
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Good to hear that you are enjoying the panda 4x4, yeah i got the winter pack too, how are you finding the mpg? i spoke with someone who lives close to me who has a 4x4 and she absolutely loves it and says the economy is v good, just that i heard lots of very mixed reports from good to very poor?? i have ordered the pillar badges that have a paw print, panda wording and the italian flag on it thought that would be a nice touch
 
Good to hear that you are enjoying the panda 4x4, yeah i got the winter pack too, how are you finding the mpg? i spoke with someone who lives close to me who has a 4x4 and she absolutely loves it and says the economy is v good, just that i heard lots of very mixed reports from good to very poor?? i have ordered the pillar badges that have a paw print, panda wording and the italian flag on it thought that would be a nice touch

MPG has not been that good. The mixed reports don't surprise me as the TA is so dependent on driving style and the sort of driving. All cars are to some extent, but the TAs are particularly so. I've averaged 41mpg. But I do a lot of town driving. But short journey's in town driving it can drop to mid 30s, yet top 50mpg on longer runs on more open roads.

I didn't surprise me as my previous car was a 500 with the same engine.

There's a technical explanation for this on the 500 section of the forum, thread: "Why TwinAir never really worked". YouTube vid in first post.
 
Good car and great colour! My 'only a year old' grey 4x4 was written off a few weeks ago, but I collected a brand new (pre-reg) MJ 4x4 two weeks back in the same colour (best colour for the 4x4) and also with the winter pack and a spare wheel and jack too. Already done 700 miles on our summer holiday! The insurance pay-out on the old one was only £1k short of the (well discounted) price of the new - very pleased with that.
 
o dear i bet you were gutted, but at least you have virtually recouped your money, sounds like the new one is already being enjoyed by you! i can't wait to get mine but it won't be until the end of November when i surrender my current car, just in time for the bad weather to begin, never again will i worry about a bit of snow yey
 
Economy on my TA 4x4 not bad at the moment. Mid to late 30's and not ideal conditions. Your driving style more relaxed than mine probably, so in the 40's possible. Just don't use supermarket fuel and you'll be fine. I'm on Super Unleaded now. Don't be afraid to set off with a few revs too. Best performance from 2000 miles. Keep changing gear between 2 and 3000 revs for first 1100 miles and it'll be fine. Then increase it a bit after that.
 
Texaco, BP or Esso 95 minimum. As Morrisons been known to have water in their tanks. And Asda appear to have high ethanol content and car feels like pulled a muscle. Sainsburys fuel stations may have had Super Unleaded over the years, not sure if still do.

Super unleaded has more torque in 2nd at low speeds so don't need to go back into 1st. Feels lot quicker too. Improved economy unlikely though.
 
You’ll love it! Great choice.
We still absolutely love our 4x4 TwinAir - just does everything so well. Smooth and quiet on the motorway, nippy and easy to manouever around town, plenty of go for the open road. Unstoppable in the snow last winter, but can be thrown about enjoyably in good conditions. Perfect!
Enough space (somehow the boot is always JUST the right size!) whilst not carrying surplus. MPG is 100% dependent upon journey and driving style - a heavy footed driver can see ~low-30s mpg around town, whilst a more restrained right foot can deliver 50+mpg on a good run.
Your choice really - deploy it’s eco-credentials or let it’s inner rally car out! ?
Enjoy your new car, when it arrives!
 
whoop whoo, thanks for your response thats made me more excited and can't wait to get it, i;m sure i;m going to love the little panda, it was the only car that really made me smile when i was looking, so it had to be!!
 
i totally agree, its got character, i wanted a car that i would love not just drive and yes i think the ignis in that form has got it too, it has a nice face like the panda
 
I looked at the Paw Badges and thought they looked nice but for the actual size of them I couldn't justify the cost. Have tried to find them cheaper but rarely sold elsewhere.

I'm a couple of days away from having mine 3 months. Mine was promised in 8 weeks, arrived in 11. So I hope yours arrives promptly.

I did a lot of mixed driving for the first couple of months, long journeys on back roads, and some high speed driving on motorways for others. Currently sitting at around 41 MPG so far. Back to more town driving now, so that may drop a little. I don't like the eco button myself but other than the gear stick gaiter coming loose, very happy with it. :)

P.S. Do they still advertise it having an AUX n USB in the glove box? As they don't actually fit those, you just get a single USB on the top of the dash which mostly has my usb mem stick in it for my tunes :)
 
OH P.P.S Ignore the gear shift indicators, regularly giving nonsense advice, lol :D

Start in 1st, quick change to 2nd once your doing 10 mph. 2nd for 10-19 mph. 3rd for 20-30 mph. 4th for 31-45. 5th for accelerating beyond 46 mph and then into 6th once you're at the speed you want (50-70).
 
Start in 1st, quick change to 2nd once your doing 10 mph. 2nd for 10-19 mph. 3rd for 20-30 mph. 4th for 31-45. 5th for accelerating beyond 46 mph and then into 6th once you're at the speed you want (50-70).

Sounds like dubious advice, particularly as you don't give any rationale. I am reminded of the person who told me I was dumb for always starting off in 1st gear in my Cross, because you are 'supposed to' start in second unless you're driving off-road. Drive the car and figure out what works best is what I'd say.
 
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oo that will feel odd, starting off in 2nd, but hey will give it a go.
 
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