Fuel economy is a bit disappointing really even though I accepted it wasnt going to be great all along .It was painful accelerating from motorwaylimit 75mph/120kmh here in Republic of Ireland to even 10kmh /6mph over...Speedo is a bit too small at least the KMH (only-Ireland) version -rev counter a bit better but still could be bigger too.I think I would prefer the car rode on 185s rather than 195s...while the car deals with many bumps and surface iregularities adequately ,as the reviewers have suggested it CAN hop /bounce like a Kangaroo with a certain combination of tarmac ripples etc .
Car is noticeably smaller inside than even my old Toyota Aygo ,will have to get used to flinging my bag/s/books /laptopetc around inside .
BUT performance is top notch no 'warm ' hatch or 'baby gti' except in size which is great on the few stretches of skinny ,almost single lane , country roads I travel.I still dont accept that SPORT button doesnt take away from mpg and it REALLY does sharpen up the car all round esp low revs throttle response which is one of my fave car traits ...
Might get better mpg tommorow was stopped in traffic jams once or twice...Insurance was only 69 euro (£55?)extra for remaining 6 months of policy compared with 1 Litre Aygo...Good news there ...

The sport button does not affect MPG. Think about it, how can it?

Well if it sharpens 'throttle response' it must be messing electronically with the fueling via the ECU in some way .Its hardly 'tightening' the accelerator cable physically...(and even if it WAS doing so it would use more fuel for a given distance the pedal was pressed.)I certainly noticed the instantaneous consumption go down quite a bit with it on .Im having a bit of a heart vs head battle whether to leave it on or off all the time as I think at low revs (which Im in 80% of the time to save fuel) it brings the car to life.They could have made 6th gear bigger to save fuel at motorway speeds...
Now I know it seems like Im bitching non stop about the lil' Panda but it does drive better than many a car like early 90s 2 litre Celicas/Preludes /Golf Gti's etc If its viewed as a small sized low-medium level 'hot hatch' I guess it fulfills its purpose for me ...It does have great build quality and Id guess reliability.(You wouldnt think it to listen to those screechy brakes though!)

Why must it be 'messing with the fueling'? All it does is open the throttle more for a given amount of pedal travel. If you have a finely tuned right foot then there is no reason why economy should be any different.

I've never driven more than about ten feet with Sport mode switched off. I just drive with it on permanently.

I am not bothered by fuel consumption particularly. I get around 31mpg around town at the moment. I've seen as good as 37.

I think a longer 6th gear would impede accelaration on the motorway a bit too much. Quite like the close ratios as it means you can get the most out of it.

To accelerate at 120, blip down to 5th. Its not going to accelerate fast in 6th. I turn Sport mode off to get around the Fleet Street carpark and thats about it!

in practice, we all use the brakes too much for smooth efficient driving by not looking ahead. Remember old Jackie Stewart.''' As tdq says, the response is going to be sharper and thus if you arent featherfooted, you are probably going to use more fuel as you up the proportion of braking:accelerating fractionally. But nice to have it on tap though.

I dont understand how the Toyota Aygo can be bigger inside than the Panda to be honest. Back in July when I was looking for a new car I was looking at either an Aygo, a Colt or a Panda. The new Colt looked great but the interior was terrible. I really didnt like the interior of the Aygo either and it was a bit of a squeeze to get in and not comfy. I am over 6 foot and im broad shouldered so I need a fair bit of space. I found that the Panda with its high ride height and clever cabin with the gear stick mounted on the dash to be really roomy. I dont think the seats on the Active Eco are very comy on a long run but theres plenty of space.

I think I would prefer the car rode on 185s rather than 195s...

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That is the tyre width and wouldn't change anything to do with the bouncy effect of the Panda 100HP as that is Shock/Spring related, only thing you would do is make it lose grip with thinner tyres!

Some people have fitted 195/50/R15 rather than 195/45/R15 so higher side wall could soften ride but apparently not really any change from what I have read!

Fuel consumption is reasonable for such a short geared box I get between 30 - 34 MPG on a tank of fuel...

Hope you enjoy it

Pandemonium said:

I dont understand how the Toyota Aygo can be bigger inside than the Panda to be honest.

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Agreed.

We've a 2001 Yaris in the household which is bigger than the Aygo (as toyota now have the Aygo which is smaller than mk1 yaris, and mk2 yaris which is bigger than mk1 Yaris) and inside the yaris is about the same size, so saying a Aygo is bigger than a Panda is like saying the Aygo is bigger than the Yaris that it sort of replaced

Boot is slighty smaller in Panda, but thats about it tbh.

Most Easterly Pandas said:

Boot is slighty smaller in Panda, but thats about it tbh.

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Panda's boot is vast compared to the Aygo's. And it has a tailgate that opens so you can put things in it.

Panda's boot is way bigger and better than Aygo's ...the fixed 'cross member ' in the Aygo is terrible ie only the 'glass' of hatch rises...
BUT I still feel the Panda feels a bit more cramped in the driver's seat ...And the old Yaris and new Yaris are two v different beasts ...cant really compare relative size of different manufacturers models from generation to generation -they tend to get 'bigger' anyway ...
Id prefer if the Panda had 'proper ' height adjustment in the seat ...if its 'low down ' its also 'tilted' which I find uncomfortable...oh yeah can i have sruise control too while Im at it LOL...Yeah I know it sounds like I hate the lil Panda but I dont really ...build quality is awesome ...feels like a BMW 'Half -0.5- Series'!

ytareh said:

Panda's boot is way bigger and better than Aygo's ...the fixed 'cross member ' in the Aygo is terrible ie only the 'glass' of hatch rises...
BUT I still feel the Panda feels a bit more cramped in the driver's seat ...And the old Yaris and new Yaris are two v different beasts ...cant really compare relative size of different manufacturers models from generation to generation -they tend to get 'bigger' anyway ...
Id prefer if the Panda had 'proper ' height adjustment in the seat ...if its 'low down ' its also 'tilted' which I find uncomfortable...oh yeah can i have sruise control too while Im at it LOL...Yeah I know it sounds like I hate the lil Panda but I dont really ...build quality is awesome ...feels like a BMW 'Half -0.5- Series'!

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The Aygo had cruise control?

Only joking


Although I know what you mean about the cars getting bigger and bigger as they evolve.

I also thought the Aygo was very expensive compared to the Panda. The base model I was looking at only came in Chili red and didnt even have leccy windows. I had to spec the Aygo+ which came with all the bits the base model Panda has. It still only comes in 2 colours though, that Chili red and a metallic grey which I went for.

The Toyota dealers were fantastic though. Really friendly people and great surroundings. Me and my partner were offered tea and biscuits and were treated like royalty. However in the Fiat dealership they couldnt be bothered and I spent most of my time trying to find somebody to talk too. Its only because the Panda is such a great car that I decided to buy one. Fiat really needs to sort it dealerships out because they are really letting the company down.

Pandemonium said:

The Toyota dealers were fantastic though. Really friendly people and great surroundings. Me and my partner were offered tea and biscuits and were treated like royalty. However in the Fiat dealership they couldnt be bothered and I spent most of my time trying to find somebody to talk too. Its only because the Panda is such a great car that I decided to buy one. Fiat really needs to sort it dealerships out because they are really letting the company down.

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I concur with both main points with you. I love the whole Toyota Dealer experience, although parts needs to learn a thing or two in Toyota from Fiat

Have to say wasnt that impressed with Toyota dealer experience here in Ireland.Just about stomached the 150euro odd first oil service but when they wanted another 100 euro labour to throw in an airfilter at the second service I went back to DIY...AND near the end of my ownership I sent in the car to get the clutch pedal 'let in' a bit ...I got the car back with it OUT miles ...the clutch(known Aygo issue-along with waterpump -also done) was replaced not long after and it was STILL a bit 'clunky'...Actual sale was quite underinspiring too ...have got more oooh-ing and ahh-ing buying a bag of crisps ...felt very 'unspecial'...of course at the time cars were WALKING out of dealers here in ireland and the salesstaff were just deposit takers in reality ...

Dealers in Ireland are, in general, useless.

I had a good Fiat dealer but they hit the wall!