General 2012 New Panda - all comments here please :)

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General 2012 New Panda - all comments here please :)

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Re: Top Gear review latest the Panda

I know the old FIRE is still being used in the entry spec new Pandas, so hopefully the most basic 1.2 won't be too expensive. The press reviews so far have all focused on the twin airs.

I'm guessing Fiat will very much want the press to focus on the funky new innovative fun engine, rather than a relic out of the ark. :p
 
Re: New panda prices

Yep, just saw(y), I'm always a day late. :)

I really didnt like it when i saw it on top gear but the pics on the website dont look to bad, especially in white.
 
Re: Top Gear review latest the Panda

I'm guessing Fiat will very much want the press to focus on the funky new innovative fun engine, rather than a relic out of the ark. :p


But the relic out of the ark is £1200 cheaper to buy, thats alot of money for a cheap car .
 
Re: Top Gear review latest the Panda

When does the twin air Panda hit the showrooms? This has got 'BUY ME...BUY ME' written all over it.
 
Re: Top Gear review latest the Panda

When does the twin air Panda hit the showrooms? This has got 'BUY ME...BUY ME' written all over it.

If you do mostly town driving seriously look at the 1.2. Reading in the 500 section owners of twin air cars dont get anything like the claimed MPG. You will need to do alot of miles to make the higher cost of the twin air over the 1.2 worth buying. Saying that the twin air does sound like a great little engine and would probably be the one i would choose. (y)
 
Re: Top Gear review latest the Panda

Not sure I like the new design, but seeing "in the flesh" might be better.

The prices do seem high, though with "stop-start" technology, this might be a main factor?

Having said that, on Fiat.co.uk, my Panda Dynamic is over £1,000 dearer than I paid for it last May! Possibly due to the exchange rate having dropped so much :(
 
Glad this is merged, i was getting giddy :D

There's an engine for everyone really. If you want a cheap(ish) car, get the 1.2. If you want reasonable running costs but want every drive to be a real occasion or have to fork-out regularly for the Congestion Charge then get the TwinAir (Congestion Charge Exempt except for £10 annual charge to TfL) & if you want out & out economy & do regular motorway miles, go with the Multijet.

The prices do appear abit high but as mentioned before i think they're in line with competitors, most of which don't have the heritage of the Panda. Admitedly the current one has pretty big discounts because it's getting old (and the new one may not be discounted so much) but it too has pretty high list prices.

Given the improvements to the new Panda and the reviews so far, i actually think Fiat would be silly to knock more than a few hundred quid off it in the first year unless it literally doesn't sell. I'd feel little different paying list price for the Panda than i would for the 500. Both just as good in their own right & considerably more convincing than some other Fiat models.
 
You can already get discounts on ordering an UP, which incidentally has just won car of the year and is being commended for its "big car feel"

It'll be interesting to see the sales figures for both cars this year. I really think Fiat have a tough fight on their hands.
 
Re: Top Gear review latest the Panda

Not sure I like the new design, but seeing "in the flesh" might be better.

The prices do seem high, though with "stop-start" technology, this might be a main factor?

Having said that, on Fiat.co.uk, my Panda Dynamic is over £1,000 dearer than I paid for it last May! Possibly due to the exchange rate having dropped so much :(

The euro/pound exchange rate is actually better for us than it was a year ago from round about 70 pence three to four years ago, the euro went up to 91-92 p 18 months back - friends who live in Italy but get pensions/payments in pounds were a third worse off then they'd been and has dropped off to about 84 p now.
 
Having seen it on the tv and on stands at turin airport the design is nowhere near as neat as the outgoing panda but it will be a grower and appear normal soon. Also the extra space will be appreciated by most users too.

Even the 85bhp twin is a good engine, the problem is that it urges you to use fuel. 5000rpm is as smooth and quiet(or noisy) as 2000rpm.
 
The Panda Abarth piece reckons it will have Abarth mods to the suspension and brakes and a 110 hp version of the TwinAir, and 16 inch wheels, sporty seats, steering wheel and gearlever; available in 2013 starting at 17,000 euros

Seeing as the list price of the 100 was €17,000 here and I got mine for €14,000; I hold out hope for finding a newish s/hand Panda Abarth in 2014 for buttons! As thats about all the 100HP was worth a year later...
 
Re: Top Gear review latest the Panda

But the relic out of the ark is £1200 cheaper to buy, thats alot of money for a cheap car .

And I bet my ass, that you will never recover the fuel savings over the twin air, if any at all... more fun though...
 
Configurator is now live on fiat.co.uk

Initial offers stated for the new Panda here:

http://www.fiat.co.uk/showroom/new-panda-offers/

Having had a play around with the configurator, I'm surprised at quite how much standard equipment is missing from the top spec Lounge model. Space saver wheel, 60/40 split, 5 seat pack, Blue&Me, temp display - none of these items are standard. Admittedly they don't cost the earth to add, but it takes the shine off what should be the "flagship" model.

Also bit disappointed with the seat colour options as well; we really like the turquoise colour but aren't all that thrilled with the sand/beige interior for the Easy spec. You can have a blue/grey interior but only if you have a Lounge. Other colours also have weird interior combos as well - IMO I think Fiat have missed a trick by not offering a basic grey/black cloth trim (like in the 500).

Still, it can't all be perfect and we'll prob still get one - likelihood is the 1.2 Easy with a few added extras(y)
 
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Agree, I just added a few options i would choose on the twin air lounge and it hit over 13K. The heated windscreen is a good option though, had them on my Fords for years, they are great in the winter.

What is the Techno pk, I just wanted a leather steering wheel, but you cant have it wthout the £400 techno option.

I do think its overpriced though,the new Punto seems a cheaper option right now.
 
Yeah it does a bit, I'll have to see / drive this in the flesh to see if it's moved on enough to justify the cost rise.

Also: 0.9 or 1.2? Quite a price difference there.

I can't seem to get the ESP/Anti-Slip option anywhere (the reason it didn't get the 5 star NCAP)
 
Having had a play around with the configurator, I'm surprised at quite how much standard equipment is missing from the top spec Lounge model. Space saver wheel, 60/40 split, 5 seat pack, Blue&Me, temp display - none of these items are standard. Admittedly they don't cost the earth to add, but it takes the shine off what should be the "flagship" model.

Also bit disappointed with the seat colour options as well; we really like the turquoise colour but aren't all that thrilled with the sand/beige interior for the Easy spec.

We often seem to agree lately, and i must say i completely agree with your comments on the Lounge model. I particularly expected to see Blue&Me & an external temperature display on the Lounge, and possibly climate control, given that climate control & an external temperature display were standard on the old Panda Eleganza from launch in 2004, which had a list price of £8095 if it remember rightly.

Seems like an Easy is the best model, but if you even wanna add alloys the price creeps very close to that of a Lounge to the point you might aswell go for a Lounge. It's quite a clever strategy to encourage people to choose more expensive models, but not something Fiat have done much from my experience.

I do quite like the Easy/Lounge interior materials but it's a shame they don't offer the blue fabric with the Turquoise on Easy, like they do on Lounge. Could always go the whole hog and have a Lounge, especially if they also offer a £500 deposit contribution on Lounge like those advertised for other specs (y)

Liam
 
I'll definitely pop into our nearest dealer the next time I'm in Exeter - the exterior might grow on you with familiarity but the more I see pictures of the interior the less I like it, and that's actually what you live with. Interesting how much slower to 60 the new 1.2 is, where a direct comparison is possible - perhaps doing away with the spare wheel is also a weight saver to limit the bloat to some extent.
 
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