well i finally got round to having a test drive at the local (gloucester) fiat dealer in a grey 100hp this morning. ive had experience of the panda, had a test drive in a 1.2 a few years back and my ex has owned a multijet sporting for a couple of years as well which i used to drive a fair bit.

ok - impressions - well, the car looked a lot better in the grey than in pics of the colour, and i can see why its the most popular now. the tyres were suprisingly chunky looking, and overall the appearance looks great (3 door would be better of course but we cant have everything!)

driving - had to put sport mode on, without it it felt lifeless, and the steering was too light). loved the exhaust note, liked the handling - great to have an absence of roll compared to the multijet..and though some have complained about the ride i found it to be fine - i liked to feel the bumps through the chassis and the wheel. the gadgets were cool - air con, electric mirrors, radio controls on wheel etc are all benefits on a car for this price range, and as with other pandas it felt solid. oh, and the seats were nice n cosy fit too!

but there's no way i'll now be buying one after the test drive - why? in a word, performance. i was competely underwhelmed by the power. im not in the market for 197/cooper s levels of horsepower, but i do want to feel im in a sporty vehicle if im buying what is an (albeit junior) hot hatchback! yes, its a step up from the multijet, but not by much at all - and even high in the rev range there wasnt much of a kick. we had a good long test drive over a variety of roads and with both of us driving, and it was disappointing not to have the power we expected. it all feels responsive and solid, and i cant fault the smoothness of the engine - but as it stands, a hot hatch it is not.

so to sum up, if you're happy with the modest performance then its a great car - i cant fault it in any other way. it only reinforces my belief that fiat must put the 1.4 tjet in the panda - the extra power would make ALL the difference and deliver the full potential. so come on fiat, give us the 120hp in 2008!!!!!

it also made me realise how great my seicento schumacher is - just as much fun to drive, and at least as good handling with much more direct steering. will have to carry on looking at alternatives for now - i dont really want to fork out for a 500 abarth and i dont particularly like the style or the image of that car anyway...so ah well, will be carrying on with old faithful sei for now after all

interesting read, glad you like your seicento, despite them coming in for a lot of stick they are brilliant, fun cars. I loved mine. I suppose the Panda has grown up a bit too much? I doubt youll find anything else to match the 100HP though... if you like the fun factor of the Seicento with its older style of driving dynamics then maybe the Sport Ka might be for you?
Also, dont forget the demo you tried may not be fully run in. I felt exactly the same as you when I tried a new Mini about 5 years ago.

i know...for the price the 100hp is brilliant value for money, solidly built, and in all likelihood very reliable - the dealer did echo your point regarding the engine being new, but for me the car just didnt have the edge i was expecting.

nice test drive though, and you could be right, maybe its just grown up too much for me compared to my sei!

When I compare to when I first had my 100HP with delivery mileage on, and the car now with 6000 miles on the clock, they feel like two different cars.

One concern - has it ever been marketed as a hot hatch?

gib1970 said:

it also made me realise how great my seicento schumacher is - just as much fun to drive, and at least as good handling with much more direct steering.

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Funny that, I went from a Sei Schumacher to my 100HP and made me think just how bad the Sei was!!!

It wouldn't do for everyone to like the same thing though would it?

For me the performance is fine for what I need, I've got a bike to try and loose my license with :devil:

Stu DemonD said:

One concern - has it ever been marketed as a hot hatch?

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"The Fiat Panda has gone wild. Break free with the powerful new Panda 100HP"

From newpanda.co.uk, nonetheless. The same official site that invites you to 'click to spin the wheels'.

That's the "hot" bit covered.

Can't find mention of the word 'hatch' in the press stuff though, so you may be right.

However, can we trust the brainiacs who include the text: "Available in 5 dashing body colours - red, grey, blue and black"?

Er, 1... 2... 3... 4... oh, bugger... :bang:

Interesting.

I knew exactly what I was looking for when I was buying this Panda. And after all the articles I read, all the threads on forums...it still blew me off. The way this car handles is just beyond believable. True, it aint no straight line sprinter - keep in mind thogh, we're talking about a modern little car that weights a ton and with an engine that only produces 100 hp.

I still have to say I'm impressed by a narrow area of RPM in which the engine just rips. It hides between 3500 and 5000. Shortly after that it starts lacking that "real push". So, once again, put it on a twisty road, and you'll smoke out much much stronger cars. How hard have you driven it gib?
Cuz not long ago, I got rid of a 207 Turbo on a very narrow road and boy it felt good. It wasnt some heavy job either...

Could it be you're just missing that momentary "pulling power" your M-jet had?

I have to admit though - having 120 hp in this car would seem like a dream come true. Long straights getting "eaten" with ease...mmmmm

The quoted 9.5 seconds 0-60 could have given a clue

I sold both a 2.0 Alfa 156 and a modified Seicento 1.1 to buy the Panda. I knew it wasn't going to be as fast as the Alfa, but it is a lot of fun.

As mentioned, the engines free up an awful lot as the miles roll on.

HP. said:

The quoted 9.5 seconds 0-60 could have given a clue

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it didnt even feel that fast to be honest, and yes i was giving it some


but hey, on the whole my impressions were positive - if i wanted a small hatchback with a bit of go and good handling then the 100hp would still be right up there - i forgot to mention the excellent sharp brakes and the smooth clutch, coupled with a great slick gearchange (though 5th and 6th are bizarrely close for a car of this power; you may as well forget 5th altogether in regular driving and slip straight through from 4 to 6!)

if fiat put the tjet 1.4 in the panda in the near future as rumoured then i'll be right back in for a test drive. i really wanted to love this car, and in a lot of ways i do - but its sorely missing some grunt sadly, for me anyway

gib1970 said:

if fiat put the tjet 1.4 in the panda in the near future as rumoured then i'll be right back in for a test drive. i really wanted to love this car, and in a lot of ways i do - but its sorely missing some grunt sadly, for me anyway

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I suppose we all have different needs - I even came from a 2.4 litre 5 cylinder jobby, to this, a paltry 1.4

Still, at least you took some positives away with you.

I came from a 1.2 L 8 V 1999 Punto so the 100 HP feels properly rapid to me

and I concur with the above; it has definitely picked up now that there's a few thousand miles on it. Also: changing the oil early (3687 miles) gave a step change performance improvement.

i had a grande punto before my 100hp, and it had the same engine in (be it 4 or 5bhp less in the grande). that said, the difference is huge. even though the grande only weighed about 85kg more, the panda still feels so much quicker, even with 4 people in.

I came from a V6 GTV with 220bhp under the bonnet to the Panda with less than half that.

I've got to say I actually prefer how the Panda deals with its' available power and the way the suspension allows you to really chuck it into corners - the GTV never felt as 'planted' despite all that power and my lowered suspension upgrade.

Twice as much 'fun' for £10k as opposed to £26k (although I never actually paid that for it.)

But hey...ya pays yer money and takes yer choice.

Well gib1970, it's a shame you haven't been won over but it's still good to read your honest appraisal.

With safety and luxury increasingly taking the lead in car design, I think we've see the last of cars with that sort of raw fun factor your Seicento has. Although the 100HP is lardy by comparison, come 2010 and the new Panda we may look back on the 100HP and wonder at it's lightness; 150bhp may not be enough to get it's spiritual successor moving!

Keep the faith, and cross your fingers for a T-Jet equipped version (cross your fingers, but don't hold your breath)

Good honest review and I appreciate it. I am seriuosly considering a 100hp but the economy concerns me TBH. I love the idea of a small well equiped car with a tasty little engine like the 100hp but I read poor returns if you are not super careful. 43mpg is about acceptable but high 30's no way .

Some one please reasure me, failing this its a GP 1.9 :slayer:.

Cinqster355 said:

...but I read poor returns if you are not super careful. 43mpg is about acceptable but high 30's no way .

Some one please reasure me, failing this its a GP 1.9 :slayer:.

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Read here:

https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-new/125693-100hp-how-many-miles-off-tank.html

Every panda 100hp feels different. Which is strange..

Cinqster355 said:

Good honest review and I appreciate it. I am seriuosly considering a 100hp but the economy concerns me TBH.

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I use less juice with the 100HP than I did with the Sei, go figure?

When I took mine out for a test drive it would have had to have been God awful as all I was bothered about was how cool it looked

Me and my dad took a 100hp for a 2 hour test drive a month or so ago, have to say it was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had on the road!

Such fun, and found it pretty damn quick, its just such an eager engine, just wants you to go faster, Managed to wind up a a guy in a Vectra - which made my day! he obviously did’nt like having a little ‘panda’ out performing him in a straight line and especially on the bends.

Anyway, my dad has now part x’d his Stilo Schumacher for a red 100hp with Pandamonium kit, very different from the Schumi but far more practical but probably just as much fun to drive.

Gets some pics soon.