Hi

on the verge of buying a new car and when my fiat ducato motorhome went into my local fiat dealer they loaned me a fiat panda, must say at this stage after driving the motorhome then getting in the panda it did feel a bit like a noddy car, but to more serious matters, i am toying with either i new ford KA or vauxhall corsa or a PANDA. so on the panda front guys wots the good points and wot r the bad points of them. any help would be enormously grateful

keith

Well not being a panda owner but to add my two penneth the panda is well built from what i have read on the forum, well equipped in its class, the engine even the basic 1.1 has a bit of poke.

Depending on the variant of panda you can get a new panda active for 4899 atm in my local area, however i would imagine there would be some sort of deal in your area.

My dear old sweet mother has a KA - It is crap, poor equipment and not very fun to drive.

Plus if you get a panda you stand out a bit more, you get more looks, you dont blend in as much as you do if you have a KA or Corsa, if you want to be different get a panda

even topgear rated the panda as good, it won car of the year,
ford KA is for girls, vauxhall corsa is for chavs.

panda is the all round winner imo

must admit having reada bit more about the panda its looking good, the only thing that worries me is its smallness after driving an astra estate for years and a largish motorhome. but me will endeavour to search a bit more and thanks guys
keith

In my opinion, dispite what most people say, I think the Panda is rubbish. It felt slow, even comming from an 899cc Seicento. The engine is far too quiet, there is too much road noise, and it felt REALLY dull. Actually, the diesel should be better, I only drove the 1.2.

You will probably be supprised how much you can fit in the back of one though. They are probably one of the most practical supermini's currently on the market. They're much better than a 107/C1/Aygo, bigger on the inside, smaller on the outside, and in my opinion it takes corners much better.

The Ugly Duckling said:

In my opinion, dispite what most people say, I think the Panda is rubbish. It felt slow, even comming from an 899cc Seicento. The engine is far too quiet, there is too much road noise, and it felt REALLY dull. Actually, the diesel should be better, I only drove the 1.2.

You will probably be supprised how much you can fit in the back of one though. They are probably one of the most practical supermini's currently on the market. They're much better than a 107/C1/Aygo, bigger on the inside, smaller on the outside, and in my opinion it takes corners much better.

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How can the engine be too quiet? That's ridiculous.

The Panda's a fantastic car - as well as great to drive, the insurance is low, it generally does well over 55mpg and there's still not very many of them on the road!! It handles really well - the engine's QUIET! and it feels really well built (I've got the SkyDome). Recommended without hesitation (21000 miles completed without fault).

mathew said:

How can the engine be too quiet? That's ridiculous.

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You get no feedback from it. You don't know if it's revving high, or whether it is labouring.

Oscar said:

The Panda's a fantastic car - as well as great to drive, the insurance is low, it generally does well over 55mpg and there's still not very many of them on the road!! It handles really well - the engine's QUIET! and it feels really well built (I've got the SkyDome). Recommended without hesitation (21000 miles completed without fault).

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All true, but IMHO my 899cc Seicento matches most of these anyway (other than the engine you cannot hear).

I must admit though, I'm not certain how well it handles because I didn't get an oppourtunity to corner at any speed. In a straight line it felt very dull, and a bit noisey at speed. They probably good compared to many of the other cars available.

Go for it, a fabulous little car... that engine is anything but quiet, at high revs its noisy! Its a far better bet than the Ka or Corsa, however have a look at a Skoda Fabia if youre worried about the smallness of the Panda.

Well I've had the pleasure to drive all 3.
The Panda is my own - the one in my sig that I've had nearly a month. It's a Sporting MultiJet.
The Ka is my mum's - she's had it about 5 years, it's a 1.3 8v, and I've driven it a lot (probably more than the Panda!).
The Corsa was my mate's company car - a 1.2 16V, about 2 years ago. It was new then.

The Corsa was OK. The engine needed revving to get the most out of it (like most 16Vs). I wasn't that keen on the handling. I felt like it rolled through the corners quite a bit (though I was used to a Coupe at the time). On the plus side, my mate drove the nuts off it, and checked the oil once in 2 years, and it didn't break.
The Ka, I disagree with Applesei. The engine is a bit breathless, but I think it handles really well. You can take corners without slowing down, and it's pretty well stuck to the road. Whether it lacks kit or not obviously depends on what trim level you get. You can get air-con and leather (though when you turn the aircon on you can literally feel the car slow down!). Front suspension wear is high on them. My mum's has needed replacing, and my mate went through 2 steering racks on his.
My Panda, so far, has been good. To be honest I haven't tried hustling it round the bends yet, and the engine does feel rather slow, with the peak torque being delivered at 1500 rpm. Nothing has fallen off it yet though, and it's quite well screwed together. 58mpg is the real treat though
H

chopper said:

must admit having reada bit more about the panda its looking good, the only thing that worries me is its smallness after driving an astra estate for years and a largish motorhome. but me will endeavour to search a bit more and thanks guys
keith

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Well I went from driving a LWB Terrano 2 to a Panda 4x4 and have had no regrets. It just does not feel small until you get to that gap in the traffic that nobody else can get through.

I would say buy the Panda. It's definitely the best of the three options. I'm a girl and wouldn't drive a Ka :yuck:. Besides that Ka has absolutely no space inside... The Corsa is one of those cars that the thieves will always try for, and there's hardly a Vauxhall that hasn't had it's doors peeled open at some stage... It's happened to everyone I know who has owned a Vauxhall .

When test-driving, I tried out three versions of the Panda, the 1.2, the Multijet and the 4x4. Although I liked the look and idea of the 4x4, I discounted from the running as it didn't come with the Multijet engine which was far and away the best of the three available engines. The 1.2 engine combined with the extra weight of the car made it feel too slow. But if you live in the UK you don't get a choice of engines - Still would like a 4x4 for a bit of fun!

I opted for the skydome which gives that light airy feeling to the car (well at least in the summer anyhow - it's always dark when I'm out driving these days).

I also got the sliding rear seat for when I need that bit of extra space in the boot. You definitely can fit a surprising amount of luggage in there.

My mates thought that my car was a bit like a Tardis - Small on the outside, big on the inside. Good legroom and headroom.

On top of that, the Panda is cheap to run... I get an average of 60 miles to the gallon on mainly city driving (30-40mph). And they range from Group 1-3 insurance.

I've had mine four months now, ex demonstrator. Great little car. Previously had a 2001 Punto with the same 1.2 engine and it feels more nippy in the Panda. Regularly get 45mpg in all conditions. Just returned from trip to London, no problems keeping a steady 80 in 5th gear all the way on the M1. Engine getting more responsive as 10k miles approaches. If you get one try for the remote central locking as it's so convenient. Very easy to drive around town, nip in gaps and park. Steering feels very direct but the soft suspension can get a bit bouncy on undulating road surfaces. Very few on the road so you are a bit more exclusive. If you can stretch to the diesel version then it is superior to the petrol but I find my petrol one fine. Overall it feels a good package, the doors shut well and no rattles. Plenty of colours to choose from, be brave if you dare with yellow or green

We're taking the panda to scotland on friday, this should be a good test for it. a long drive and also to hold our luggague too.

I have only had a drive of H's multijet on the test drive and also last weekend for a short drive. Definately a nice little car

Wee Smurf said:

I opted for the skydome which gives that light airy feeling to the car (well at least in the summer anyhow - it's always dark when I'm out driving these days).

I also got the sliding rear seat for when I need that bit of extra space in the boot. You definitely can fit a surprising amount of luggage in there.

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wish i specced mrs t's car with those too....and the multi disc thingy

Who needs a multi-disc changer these days...???

It takes up most of the glove box...

i-pod your Panda!