professor_yaffle
New member
After 2 months and 1500 miles, I thought I'd share my experiences of the Panda with the forum...
Model: Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet Dynamic, Cumbia Beige
Price paid: £6995 - brand new from Bishops, Guildford
Extras: Split/fold rear seat
Issues:
Windscreen wiper - When I collected the car it only had one wiper: fortunately I noticed this! Just human error, there was a problem with the one fitted at the factory which was picked up by the dealer check (which suggests the check was reasonably thorough) and a replacement was ordered. Unfortunately they didn't tell the salesman, so it only had one when I went to collect it... Simple swap from another one on the forecourt and all was fine.
Smoke from interior vents - For the first 3 days the heater put smoke into the cabin. Seems this was something burning off from somewhere, the dealer suggested that the factory were rather liberal with the anticorrosive wax and "some had probably got where it shouldn't have". Stopped after 3 days and has not reoccurred.
Apart from that, no problems. Always starts, feels solid with no squeaks or rattles, and a pleasure to own.
Likes:
In my humble opinion, some cars (like the Aygo) have been designed on the basis of form, i.e. to look nice; others (like the Panda) have been engineered to function with cosmetics as a secondary consideration.
Whilst the looks of the Panda have grown on me, it isn't a thing of beauty (at least not to me) - it's cute but that's as far as I'd go. However, you spend more time in the car driving it than sitting looking at it so function should (if you can distance yourself from the marketing hype) be your primary concern.
Other drivers are far nicer to me in this car than my old car - getting let out at junctions is never a problem now. On dual carriageways / motorways people see the small car and immediately pull out and try to overtake which is rather annoying though. But sometimes seeing the confused look on their face as you pull away from them is rather gratifying...
The gearbox is great, the stubby high-level gear stick it positive and precise. The design of the controls around the gearstick is superb with everything in reach.
The multijet is a great little engine. In a car this size you normally have no right to overtake in the outside lane of the M4 but the little thing still has some pull at 70 mph. From a standing start, 1st gear seems a little short but it pulls nicely and can embarrass some bigger cars - easily beating a Saab 9-3 1.9 turbodiesel on the way back from Bracknell. Feeling rather overconfident I then pulled up next to a Mercedes E320 CDI which left me for dust. But what can you expect? This car provides wonders not miracles...
The MP3 CD player works a treat and the sound is surprisingly good for a stereo in such a small car.
The split-fold rear seat is another small attention to detail. The ISOFIX mountings are ideal for the kids and the seat has three flaps beneath the bolster: the centre flap allows the seat to slide forwards and backwards, and the flaps either side fold that side of the seat down. Brilliantly simple, but another sign than someone actually thought about it when they designed it.
It's far bigger than it looks, and once you've got used to that it's still bigger than you think. I laughed when the wife suggested a day out for the family in it. Yet, it happily took the two of us plus a 3 year old, a 9 month old, all our stuff and a big 3-wheel buggy. I never thought it would all fit and yet, it did comfortably.
Dislikes:
Pedal position: The pedals seem a bit high. This is not a problem on short journeys though after 3 or 4 hours I get a bit of calf-ache.
Other cars considered:
Toyota Aygo - a bit like driving a washing machine: lots of whirring noises but little forward progress. It's an interesting concept to put the glove box at the back of the car rather than the front - you certainly couldn't realistically call it a boot! It is certainly a cute-looking car but nowhere near the Panda in terms of performance or practicality.
All in all, I'm very pleased. Pound-for-pound is there a better car out there? I seriously doubt it, unless you buy the 1.1 Active because you don't need the extra power. In many ways the Panda seems like the natural descendant of my first car, an original Mini Clubman 1300cc, only better in every way...
Model: Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet Dynamic, Cumbia Beige
Price paid: £6995 - brand new from Bishops, Guildford
Extras: Split/fold rear seat
Issues:
Windscreen wiper - When I collected the car it only had one wiper: fortunately I noticed this! Just human error, there was a problem with the one fitted at the factory which was picked up by the dealer check (which suggests the check was reasonably thorough) and a replacement was ordered. Unfortunately they didn't tell the salesman, so it only had one when I went to collect it... Simple swap from another one on the forecourt and all was fine.
Smoke from interior vents - For the first 3 days the heater put smoke into the cabin. Seems this was something burning off from somewhere, the dealer suggested that the factory were rather liberal with the anticorrosive wax and "some had probably got where it shouldn't have". Stopped after 3 days and has not reoccurred.
Apart from that, no problems. Always starts, feels solid with no squeaks or rattles, and a pleasure to own.
Likes:
In my humble opinion, some cars (like the Aygo) have been designed on the basis of form, i.e. to look nice; others (like the Panda) have been engineered to function with cosmetics as a secondary consideration.
Whilst the looks of the Panda have grown on me, it isn't a thing of beauty (at least not to me) - it's cute but that's as far as I'd go. However, you spend more time in the car driving it than sitting looking at it so function should (if you can distance yourself from the marketing hype) be your primary concern.
Other drivers are far nicer to me in this car than my old car - getting let out at junctions is never a problem now. On dual carriageways / motorways people see the small car and immediately pull out and try to overtake which is rather annoying though. But sometimes seeing the confused look on their face as you pull away from them is rather gratifying...
The gearbox is great, the stubby high-level gear stick it positive and precise. The design of the controls around the gearstick is superb with everything in reach.
The multijet is a great little engine. In a car this size you normally have no right to overtake in the outside lane of the M4 but the little thing still has some pull at 70 mph. From a standing start, 1st gear seems a little short but it pulls nicely and can embarrass some bigger cars - easily beating a Saab 9-3 1.9 turbodiesel on the way back from Bracknell. Feeling rather overconfident I then pulled up next to a Mercedes E320 CDI which left me for dust. But what can you expect? This car provides wonders not miracles...
The MP3 CD player works a treat and the sound is surprisingly good for a stereo in such a small car.
The split-fold rear seat is another small attention to detail. The ISOFIX mountings are ideal for the kids and the seat has three flaps beneath the bolster: the centre flap allows the seat to slide forwards and backwards, and the flaps either side fold that side of the seat down. Brilliantly simple, but another sign than someone actually thought about it when they designed it.
It's far bigger than it looks, and once you've got used to that it's still bigger than you think. I laughed when the wife suggested a day out for the family in it. Yet, it happily took the two of us plus a 3 year old, a 9 month old, all our stuff and a big 3-wheel buggy. I never thought it would all fit and yet, it did comfortably.
Dislikes:
Pedal position: The pedals seem a bit high. This is not a problem on short journeys though after 3 or 4 hours I get a bit of calf-ache.
Other cars considered:
Toyota Aygo - a bit like driving a washing machine: lots of whirring noises but little forward progress. It's an interesting concept to put the glove box at the back of the car rather than the front - you certainly couldn't realistically call it a boot! It is certainly a cute-looking car but nowhere near the Panda in terms of performance or practicality.
All in all, I'm very pleased. Pound-for-pound is there a better car out there? I seriously doubt it, unless you buy the 1.1 Active because you don't need the extra power. In many ways the Panda seems like the natural descendant of my first car, an original Mini Clubman 1300cc, only better in every way...
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