OP
OP
Nice purchase TDQ, glad to see you finally overcome the dealer letdowns and picked up the exact car you wanted
Quick question as I am potentially interested in a 100hp, how does it compare to the effortless torque of the MJ (not sure how the Panda MJ compares to the GP MJ but the theory is the same)?
Also, as someone who is obviously used to driving extremely well engineered and responsive track cars, does the 100hp really deliver the smiles and fun factor that people say it does?
Well the trouble is with the effortless torque of the MJ is that you have to wait for the boost to build before it comes. What I really hated about the MJ was that 'in the middle of a roundabout' situation where you put your foot down and nothing happens until the boost builds and then you fly off.
I find in the 100hp its much more responsive, ie you press the accelerator pedal and it accelerates. I know it sounds obvious but it makes all the difference IMO. Also I think it feels far quicker than the MJ simply because its so much more responsive. Responsiveness is key in city driving really.
One thing I will say though is that having just taken the car to work for the first time today, suddenly the road surfaces of wythenshawe seem to have deteriorated quite badly literally overnight. Also all the speedhumps have got bigger. What i'm getting at is that the ride is quite firm and i've gone over bumps i've driven for the last 9 months and only in the 100hp did i really feel them.
It's not a mega downside and I can cope with the jiggly ride but it is way stiffer than the MJ for sure. My heavily pregnant colleague got a bit of a shock as did i when i traversed the first speed hump!
As for fun, well obviously its not in the same league as the integra, but you wouldn't really expect that. It is a lot of fun, it feels far more connected to the road than the MJ (good/bad thing you decide!), has lots and lots more grip and doesn't roll anywhere near as much as the MJ, in fact it remains pretty flat in most circumstances which certainly makes it feel a lot more chuckable.
I honestly do think its a fun car. I would hazard a guess that for many its a bit too hardcore, but for those who like a bit of enthusiastic driving and have had cars with stiff or aftermarket suspension its not too bad at all. For the money its an absolute bargain.
My partner said to me last night, 'how much more did the 100hp cost you over the MJ?' I worked it out to £1700. His answer was why didn't we test drive one in the first place?
I guess what you need to do is go test drive one, see what you think, take it on some rough roads to see if you can cope with the choppy ride at times etc.
