Hi All,
I am proud to say that i was the first person in Northern Ireland to have test driven the Fiat Panda Cross courtesy of Mervyn Stewart Fiat Belfast this morning! Sales staff were very courteous and helpful which is always a good start! The Cross model they had was the Metallic Green with Cumbria Biege trim...it wouldnt be my choice but still nice enough for what it was. The dealership didnt know the breakdown of pricing as Fiat are yet to confirm what is extra for alot on the options list but they did say that they would email me the information as soon as it is made available to them. They could tell me though that the standard model is 11975 then plus the optional extras. I asked them could they get a Cross with a different colour of trim or colour but they said there were only three colours Fiat were stocking for the UK. I asked about the fiat discount across the range to see if it applied to the Cross, they said they would enquire about this. I agree the car feels very secure and german on the inside and the multijet engine is refined yet its got bags of torque which married to the 4x4 is a fine combination. The car i took out for a test drive hadnt even had its PDI check so the sales assistant took out a set of trade plates to use for the test drive. I obviously only got taking it for a quick zip across town but i by no means felt that it lacked acceleration alongside other cars in traffic. The driving position was good also as you see plenty around you yet you dont feel like you are about to topple over! Bags of headroom, im 6ft and there was plenty of room for me. The tilt and slide back seat idea is ingenious too as it offers alot of flexibility in the space being used. Very easy to park compared to my mondeo which would be quite handy around town these days! The fuel economy figures on paper also seem impressive if the car lives up to them. Underneath, the car seems very heavy duty and the engine seems well protected by the sump guard fitted. You could say its a grower on me. I didnt fancy its looks at the start but have come away from it thinking its a nice car. Price wise i could be tempted given a good enough deal but i am 2 and half years into a 5 year finance deal on the Ford Mondeo so i would need to sell privately and refinance for the Fiat. Its hard to know.. i think i'll watch the market over the next month or two and see whats happening with prices. Thats all i've found out for now but if i find out anything else i'll let you guys on the forum know.
I am proud to say that i was the first person in Northern Ireland to have test driven the Fiat Panda Cross courtesy of Mervyn Stewart Fiat Belfast this morning! Sales staff were very courteous and helpful which is always a good start! The Cross model they had was the Metallic Green with Cumbria Biege trim...it wouldnt be my choice but still nice enough for what it was. The dealership didnt know the breakdown of pricing as Fiat are yet to confirm what is extra for alot on the options list but they did say that they would email me the information as soon as it is made available to them. They could tell me though that the standard model is 11975 then plus the optional extras. I asked them could they get a Cross with a different colour of trim or colour but they said there were only three colours Fiat were stocking for the UK. I asked about the fiat discount across the range to see if it applied to the Cross, they said they would enquire about this. I agree the car feels very secure and german on the inside and the multijet engine is refined yet its got bags of torque which married to the 4x4 is a fine combination. The car i took out for a test drive hadnt even had its PDI check so the sales assistant took out a set of trade plates to use for the test drive. I obviously only got taking it for a quick zip across town but i by no means felt that it lacked acceleration alongside other cars in traffic. The driving position was good also as you see plenty around you yet you dont feel like you are about to topple over! Bags of headroom, im 6ft and there was plenty of room for me. The tilt and slide back seat idea is ingenious too as it offers alot of flexibility in the space being used. Very easy to park compared to my mondeo which would be quite handy around town these days! The fuel economy figures on paper also seem impressive if the car lives up to them. Underneath, the car seems very heavy duty and the engine seems well protected by the sump guard fitted. You could say its a grower on me. I didnt fancy its looks at the start but have come away from it thinking its a nice car. Price wise i could be tempted given a good enough deal but i am 2 and half years into a 5 year finance deal on the Ford Mondeo so i would need to sell privately and refinance for the Fiat. Its hard to know.. i think i'll watch the market over the next month or two and see whats happening with prices. Thats all i've found out for now but if i find out anything else i'll let you guys on the forum know.