Hello, i'm new to the forums and just registered to ask about the new Panda 4x4. It's been very snowy where i live recently and i've been really struggling with the snow in my Seat Ibiza. My house is located in a cul-de-sac and is at the bottom of a fairly steep hill. I have the added problem that my drive is very, very steep and narrow with a small garden to the right about a couple of feet lower. This is my first winter in this house and my car is really struggling. I could hardly get out of my drive today and wasn't far from ending up in the garden! Even when i got it out of the drive i struggled to get up the road.

All this got me to thinking about changing cars. I need a reliable car that can cope in difficult snow and icy conditions and wondered how good the Panda is. I assumed it would be pretty good being a 4x4. The price seems good but i'm a bit concerned about it being a bit too small. Is there enough boot space? I had a problem when i had a Punto as a courtesy car as i found the pedals too close to together for me. Is this a problem in the Panda as it's so small?

I'd appreciate any advice on the Panda or any other cars that i should maybe consider. I'm not looking to spend too much if i can avoid it though!

I am 196cm tall and have shoe size 46 - i think thats 11-12 in america and have no problems with the pedals. Also the space is okay. The boot is tiny, but you can use the back seats. If you always travel with many passengers, than i would think twice about it. But for 2 people it´s perfect.

I have been driving my Panda 4x4 here in Sunderland in the snow and it handles it perfectly. I have had much bigger 4x4's in the past and find the smaller Panda much safer as does not drift off line so much and if it does it is easier to correct.
Boot is very small but you can get a weeks shopping in if you leave the parcel shelf up.
Don't expect a great deal of speed or fuel economy however from what is a heavy car with a small engine.

Thanks for the advice. I am a bit concerned about the boot space. I don't need to use it very often but do occasionally need to put a suitcase and a bag or 2 in. That might be a bit tight even using the back seats.

I am a bit put off by the small engine sizes too although i suppose that's to keep the price down. Is there only a 1.1 and 1.2 available at the moment? I thought a diesel version was supposed to be on its way as well.

What about the new Fiat Sedici?

It's supposed to be available right after the winter olympics in Turin (it's the official car of the winter olympics).

Check it out at italiaspeed: http://www.italiaspeed.com/new_models/2005/fiat/sedici/indroduction.html

That Fiat Sedici looks great, thanks. It looks a lot more spacious and has a bigger engine. No mention of price though...

It is a bit bigger.

I would think prices comes around february/march (or when ever the importer know when it goes on sale).

It's being made together with Suzuki, so you could also look at there version of it (it has a different design, but things underneath should be the same).

If you don't mind driving a left hand drive car you could always pick a 1.3 multijet up from France or Belgium.

I havn't driven a LHD yet but according to my gf'd dad they make more sence and its us who drive on the wrong side of the road.. Then again he is a lefty!

P.S. There will only ever be one Sedici

I had my first opertunity to use my Panda 4X4 in the snow last week and am very pleased to say that it is nothing short of superb. I took it out in fresh snow, ice, fresh snow over ice, up 13% hills, down 13% hills and didn't phase it at all. Even going too fast into a tight corner, although it went sideways, it was very easy to pull back into line. I past a few 'proper' 4X4s that were struggling on the steeper hills around here. The little Panda turned quite a few heads last week.
I too live on quite a steep hill that is never treated. It got very icy last week and the sledging was great. No problem what-so-ever in the Panda either.
The boot isn't masive, but our family hasn't had a problem yet, and it's not fast, but I've always been able to keep up with the trafic.
Just my opinion but we've done 13K miles with no problems. A 50 mile daily commute. Family holidays. Camping. Long trips on the motorway. Green laning. We are nothing short of delighted with our little mountain goat.

Slightly off topic but relevent still, i too live in a house with a steep drive, probably steeper than yours and can i ask if you put salt and grit oin the drive, because it worked wonders for us and the sei coped really well during the snowy conditions, maybe invest in a couple of bags in the future if not already.

Still get a panda 4x4 tho

Once again I have to agree with Tim (lanchester01) The small 4x4 is amazing in snow and snow over ice conditions. Even in turns with slippery surface and full gas (but with 4x4 enabled, since all the drive was on snow over ice surface) the car kept its line without problem.
Regarding the boot I've been using the car for commuting but also for big holidays since it gives me more opportunities to go in remote places. I have two kids and I used the car last summer for our vacations. If you use small baggages then you can carry things for 4 people family for a week's vacation.
But not forget that it's a small car with a small engine.