General 4x4 Pandas 2017 on - including current models

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General 4x4 Pandas 2017 on - including current models

Mervington

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I am looking for a 4x4 Panda 2017 on including new current models.

I keep thinking that I have sorted the models in my mind only to get confused again. I suppose extra optional packs, some desirable and some not, make it a bit more complicated.

I wouldn't want anyone to take any time, but a list would be appreciated, as would any comments about which models might be preferred and why. Off-roading would not be a usual activity. Most of our journeys are rather short, perhaps militating against a diesel.
 
Basically, two cars, and two engine choices. Ignore the 'City Cross' and 'Waze' as they are not 4x4.

The 'regular' Panda 4x4: This has auto selection of 4x4, or can be manually switched to 4x4 with Diff lock. Has air con (but not auto climate), and as standard has one piece rear seat and 2 rear seat belts.

The Cross 4x4 - same as 4x4 but with extra bodywork plastic bits and internal trim changes (silver dash, different seat cloth). Has same two modes of 4x4 plus added 'hill descent control'. Slightly bigger tyres (which adds 6mm more ground clearance). Has auto climate control and split/fold rear seat and three rear seat belts. Also has side airbags as standard. Costs about £1600 more than standard 4x4.

Options on both include 'winter pack' - heated front seats and windscreen.

Engines: TwinAir 85bhp petrol: official figures now 39mpg in 4x4/Cross model, or 95bhp Diesel (but diesel dropped at end August 2018). 50+ mpg. In some specification websites, it is suggested that the TwinAir has less ground clearance than the diesel. Both have about 150mm of clear space under the engine. Both 0-60 in about 12s, and top speed about 100mph. TwinAir has 6 speed gears, but note this is 5 regular gears plus an extra low bottom gear (for offroad 'climbing' to make up for reduced torque compared to the diesel. This is reportedly a pain in traffic.). Diesel has five gears. At 70mph, TA at 3200rpm, diesel at 2800.

The City Cross and Waze models do not have 4x4, and use the 1.2 petrol engine. For a brief time (Feb 2019) there was a version of the Waze with the full 4x4 kit from 'regular' 4x4 Panda.


Hope this helps...
 
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I am very grateful for that: it simplifies matters.

It is odd that the 'plain' version doesn't get spit rear seats as standard, something I would have thought standard nowadays. Not an end of the world requirement, but of some value.

There is a 2017 Twin Air for sale at a dealer near to us. It is described as having lots of factory options including the winter pack. I suppose I could always ask what the others were.


Thanks again.
 
Options available on 4x4 included winter pack, and 'safety pack' - which adds city collision avoidance - https://www.fiat.co.uk/panda-range/panda-4x4-configurator/#/version/0031917R3000/packs

Also DAB radio, spare tyre (has fix'n'go kit as standard), climate control (posh name for air con with a thermostat!), darker tinted rear windows, split rear seat, and parking sensors. Think that's about the extent of it. Oh, and any paint colour other than the standard white was an option of course... https://www.fiat.co.uk/panda-range/panda-4x4-configurator/#/version/0031917R3000/optionals
 
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By the way. some dealers refer to the 2017-18 'regular' 4x4 as the 'trekking'. This is misleading. In the UK, the Trekking model was around in 2012-15 as a 2WD Panda with 'TractionPlus' that gave added grip when the going got slippery. Since then, in some other Euro countries there is a more basic 4x4, called the Wild. There, the 'Trekking' name is then used for the 'posh' version we get here.
 
Thanks. That is really most helpful again. I'd forgotten about the spare wheel issue. Must be a thousand years since I had to change one on the road, but....
 
It seems that the regular one that I have been glancing at also has parking sensors, tinted glass, and city brake control. The first one is worth having....
 
Mervington if car you found is this...suspect around £1300 of extras (winter pack, climate control, third rear seat belt and 60/40 split rear seat, red paint and rear parking sensors). May have space saver spare wheel too. As a 17 should have usb and auxillary in in glovebox and rear speakers (these three things were deleted following year). May have seen car on Google Streetview outside Fiat head office. If occasionally used at lunchtime by staff would explain mileage. I'd want service history spot on though.

https://walkersfiatnorthyorkshire.co.uk/vehicle/name/fiat-panda-twinair/#vehicle-details
 
Many thanks for your comments. That, indeed, is the one. Do Fiat keep cars at base for that kind of use? Walkers are about 20 miles from us. I have only had contact by email, but they have been very helpful.

People on this forum are so knowledgeable and helpful
 
Walkers Fiat, near Northallerton in N Yorks, are an excellent family independent Fiat garage. They are a small concern but well worth making the effort to deal with! They are a breath of fresh air compared to any other main dealer. Both my wife's used 500C and her previous 500C) and my new Cross 4x4 came via them!
 
You really need a long a test drive as possible with it including a bit of stop start type driving.

As Herts mentioned, the low first gear of the 4x4 Twinair can make it a bit painful pulling away as the gear is fairly low and the engine tends to spin up pretty quick.

Also in first gear it doesn't take too much power to load up the driveline and engage drive to the rear axle and this can make the change to second gear a bit cumbersome.

The trick I found worked is to just let it creep in first and short shift to second, but my commute became a bit tiring like this which is why I got shot of mine in the end.

If you don't really need 4x4 perhaps a City Cross might be worth a look.
It seems a waste if you don't need it as the 4x4 off road is pretty peerless and puts more expensive stuff to shame.

If it's a bit of extra grip in winter, a spare set of wheels and some winter tyres on a FWD model are a lot cheaper than the 4x4 and will probably handle just as well.
 
If you don't really need 4x4 perhaps a City Cross might be worth a look.
It seems a waste if you don't need it as the 4x4 off road is pretty peerless and puts more expensive stuff to shame.

If it's a bit of extra grip in winter, a spare set of wheels and some winter tyres on a FWD model are a lot cheaper than the 4x4 and will probably handle just as well.

I would echo this (2wd with winter wheels) and also recommend Piccadilly who are near you. We bought our Lounge from them a few years back and a (red) pre-reg Lounge will be much cheaper than a City Cross, plus it has 6 speakers and marginally less wind noise.
 
Many thanks for the further comments and the mention of Walkers. I have a Subaru Forester for nasty weather, but my wife has MS and doesn't drive it. The alignment of the pedals dooesn't 'comply' with the restricted movement of her legs.


She presently has a VW Fox and I keep top quality winter tyes on it all the year round - only about 2k. However, we live in the Yorkshire Dales and our drive turns onto a steep bank, which is rarely gritted in winter. The Fox is now 9 years old, and, if we look for something else, a small 4x4 may be the best bet. If I rummage long enough down the back of the settee, I may find enough funds.
 
I found the comments about the very low first gear on the six speed box rather interesting. Back in the 1960s, I had a Sunbeam Mk111 - the one that won the Monte Carlo Rally a few years before. That had a silly low gear on the overdrive box. I never used it: I always started in second. With the long stroke 4 cylinder engine, there was always enough torque to get it away with no problem. Can I take it that second gear on the six speed box is not low enough for starting off on the road?


I had shied away from the 5 speed diesel because many of my wife's journeys are very short, and I was rather concerned about the diesel gumming-up. Is that a recognised issue on the Fiat diesel?
 
...a (red) pre-reg Lounge will be much cheaper than a City Cross, plus it has 6 speakers and marginally less wind noise.
I believe the rear speakers have been dropped on all Panda models since about April 2018 - except perhaps the Cross (note that the 4x4 is based on the Lounge trim level)... and the extra USB socket was dropped a little later (my 4x4 was pre-reg'd in May 2018 and has 4 speakers but both USBs) To be honest, didn't notice any difference in sound without rear speakers (prcviously had 2013 4x4)... it was only when I realised 'fader' was missing from the menu that I twigged it only had four (one in each front door, and tweeters up by the windscreen).
 
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I had shied away from the 5 speed diesel because many of my wife's journeys are very short, and I was rather concerned about the diesel gumming-up. Is that a recognised issue on the Fiat diesel?

Few would advise any modern diesel for short journeys. Equally, it would be wise to drive the twinair before getting too attached as it's not for everyone. Ultimately it will help you rationalise your decision.
 
As mentioned on another thread, 22% off with Fiat Motor Club membership which would make a new TA 4x4 in white with winter pack and 60/40 rear seat Mervington around £11900. So cheaper than the red one. A white 1.2 Easy would be just over £8k standard. Avon Winter tyres for that on 14' wheels only £47 each fitted. There are "scrappage schemes" that would cover the VW Fox if that helps.
 
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That red one looks jolly pricey for a car that's nearly 2 years old (reg'd 05/17), even allowing for the lowish mileage and the fitted extras.

I don't mind the low 1st gear on the TA 4x4 tbh. My Cross gets away from the traffic lights like a stabbed rat. :D

It will start OK in 2nd on the flat, with a little care, but I rarely bother. Having said all that, I do very little city driving, so my perspective on the issue is different from that of Goudrons.
 
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I've now got a 4x4 Panda! It has been mentioned earlier in this thread. I collect it sometime next week.


Twin air 2017, 5k miles, lots of optional extras, although I'm not sure just how useful some are! Perhaps I was paying for somethings of no real value. But it is bright red! I used to have a Reliant Scimitar in London Red, the only car I have really loved. I shall have to wait and see whether the red effect works on this one.

I told our adult sons that a free Noddy hat came with it. One offered the view that it was to cover your eyes. But, then, he does drive a 4x4 twin turbo Porsche. It isn't such a good colour at the Panda though.... I'm sure that red cars always go faster.
 
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