General 2012 New Panda - all comments here please :)

[Super Uwe]

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

Liam

Yeah it's funny we seem to have the same opinions on the new Panda!

I would ordinarily go for the Lounge but to be honest I don't really want alloy wheels, and the other standard equipment like fog lights etc doesn't float my boat either. In my mind I would ask to trade in the alloys for Blue&Me, but I doubt that will be allowed!

Think we'll just have a look at the beige interior in the flesh when we arrange a test drive, if we really hate it then we will have to take it from there.

Also re the standard equipment - you've even got to pay for a height adjustable seat and grab handles/coat hooks (part of the Comfort Kit) on the Lounge. I suppose you could argue that these £50/£100 options allow you to create your own "pack" as you want it, but I do think they should be standard on the Lounge.

 

[Murano16v]

Fiats new expensive pricing strategy is a real move away from what they were always good at - small affordable cars that sold well. I read on Italiaspeed that in Italy even a radio and rear parcel shelf are options on the new Panda. This at a time when their sales in Europe & the UK continue to nosedive year on year

I like the looks of the new Panda. It is still looks like a Panda, but much fresher. Agree that the colour range is very poor. The old model always had a great range of fun colours. It's not had even a slightly bad review in the motoring press, which is not the norm with Fiats. I remember the 2003 Panda being described in Autocar as bland an uninteresting.

I'm hoping they'll do an Abarth version or something similar to the 100hp. Abarth would be the better option as sales of the Punto Evo Abarth are down to one or two cars a month.

 

[rambyuk]

Ah, apparently the 'ESP Pack' will be added late this year.

 

[davidc]

..... looks like the sunroof option has gone for a burton :-(

 

[babbo_umbro]

..... looks like the sunroof option has gone for a burton :-(

It's listed in Italy for a thousand euros, so I suspect it will be available here.

 

[deeyup]

€1000 for the sunroof!!!!!
Flaming hell!

 

[babbo_umbro]

It was always stated that the fabric roof on the rear-engined Nuova 500 was fitted because the twin cylinder engine set up a sympathetic vibration in the roof panel that simply wouldn't go away, so Dante Giacosa did away with the panel instead. I wonder if all the fancy balancing tricks in the TwinAir avoided these effects?

 

[FullMetalPanda]

Im still not taken with the exterior of the car but would like to see it in the flesh. Personally the only colour which I think suits it is black. However I really like the interior and im glad to see the large dash pocket has returned. I loved it in my original mk1 Panda and always thought it was a fantastic idea. I also like the combo of red and black seats with red dash. I would only be interested in a sporty model though. I think they would have to do something pretty radical to the exterior to give it an aggressive sporty look. Not too sure if the Abarth badge will be used but cant see why not as they dont have many models so lets hope so. Even if there is an Abarth version I cant see it having anything more than the 105 bhp twinair and thats not enough for my next car.

 

[Super Uwe]

Have got a test drive of a 1.2 Easy arranged next Friday (March 2nd).

Was offered a go in a TwinAir version as well, but we've already made our mind up about getting a 1.2 again so won't bother with that. Prob for the best as I reckon it would make things too difficult to choose!

 

[doctorchris]

Re: Anyone been playing on the 2012 Panda Configurator?

The new New Panda configurator is now on the UK Fiat website
http://www.fiat.co.uk
Without some serious discounting this car is not going to be a big seller.
A lot of equipment that we assume to be standard on the current model is appearing as extras, eg spacesaver spare at £50.
Will we see a new New Panda section on the Fiat Forum or is the new model close enough to the present one to share this section?

 

[minardirule]

Nice write up on Autocar, very positive about most elements of the car.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Fiat-Panda-1.2-Lounge/261439/

Looking forward to trying one.

 

[JTD_Liam]

Re: Anyone been playing on the 2012 Panda Configurator?

I can't see it needing any more discounting than a similarly specced VW Up! It's got a similar level of equipment to the Up! (albeit missing a few expected items like Blue&Me, external temp. display & split seats on the Lounge) and has more pedigree than any of its rivals. The diesel & possibly TwinAir might need abit keener pricing but the 1.2 looks decent value, with the exception of the base model, but this is still ok given the price of an Up! with a smaller engine and 3 doors.

Fiat are offering a £500 deposit contribution on some (maybe all) new Pandas if bought on I-Deal PCP Finance, as the are on the (more expensive) 500.

If the Punto Evo got a section seperate to the Grande Punto then the new Panda should DEFINATELY get a new section.

Edit: Just seen the 'Panda 2012 configurator' thread has been merged with this one. Only one thread for a new model?! - Hope a new 2012 Panda section comes sooner rather than later.

 

[Murano16v]

50 quid for a height adjustable drivers seat! Even mk1 Puntos had them as standard. Extra for side air bags. Nice car I'm sure, but way too pricey if specced to a decent level. The whole option thing is getting a bit silly now. Will certainly being interesting to see if it does sell well, but keep thinking Fiat have got ideas above their station these days and kind of lost the plot.

 

[Stu DemonD]

Re: Anyone been playing on the 2012 Panda Configurator?

Edit: Just seen the 'Panda 2012 configurator' thread has been merged with this one. Only one thread for a new model?! - Hope a new 2012 Panda section comes sooner rather than later.

I see no issues with keeping it all together in one sticky - saves having umpteen threads all over the forum all saying the same thing

After all, this is the Mk3 Panda section, once the new model is released then it will get a new section - but at this stage, it isn't such a priority. I will speak to admin though, better than having more snidey comments eh

 

[ThePostman]

Does any one know when the new Panda will be on sale. ie in the dealers showrooms in the uk?

 

[deeyup]

Does any one know when the new Panda will be on sale. ie in the dealers showrooms in the uk?

Very soon, maybe as early next week.
They'll probably register them after march 1st on the new reg.

 

[deeyup]

Re: Anyone been playing on the 2012 Panda Configurator?

I can't see it needing any more discounting than a similarly specced VW Up! It's got a similar level of equipment to the Up! (albeit missing a few expected items like Blue&Me, external temp. display & split seats on the Lounge) and has more pedigree than any of its rivals. The diesel & possibly TwinAir might need abit keener pricing but the 1.2 looks decent value, with the exception of the base model, but this is still ok given the price of an Up! with a smaller engine and 3 doors.

IMO the fiat needs to undercut the VW. People perceive VW as a much more prestigious brand. I think the equivalent panda needs to be £1000 cheaper.
The 5 dr UP is coming later this year and will still be significantly cheaper than the list price of the Panda.

Motor size is irrelevant too. My Citroen C1 with a one litre motor is way better on fuel, performance and emissions than the current panda 1.1
The 1.2 panda is a match for performance, but uses more fuel, and has worse emissions.
I've not read the economy and emissions on the 2012 Panda, but with the car gaining weight, it may be worse than the current car?

Edit:
Just checked the autocar review, and yes, new car is slower, uses more fuel and has poorer emissions.
Backwards progress!

 

[Super Uwe]

Re: Anyone been playing on the 2012 Panda Configurator?

IMO the fiat needs to undercut the VW. People perceive VW as a much more prestigious brand. I think the equivalent panda needs to be £1000.

I agree with you to a certain extent. However I think Fiat have decided to take a gamble on the fact that the new shape Panda will appeal to a much broader customer base, and so have priced it directly in relation to the 500.

The 500 has helped Fiat to attract customers who would never in a million years have bought one of their cars. But it does have its limitations which the new Panda should address whilst also retaining its small car character.

The big question remains as to whether Fiat is going to keep the existing Panda customer base happy. I am not sure the Pop offers enough value for money for what you get, so this might need a bit more work IMO.

As for the plethora of circa £50 options, I think some of them are pretty ridiculous as well, however I do believe that there will be room to negotiate some free ones. I would be very surprised if not.

 

[babbo_umbro]

Re: Anyone been playing on the 2012 Panda Configurator?

I agree with you to a certain extent. However I think Fiat have decided to take a gamble on the fact that the new shape Panda will appeal to a much broader customer base, and so have priced it directly in relation to the 500.......

Why would the very slightly bigger, slightly heavier, slightly slower, slightly less economical new Panda appeal to a much wider group of potential customers than the outgoing one? I can't see why it would, though I can see that it would have less appeal to some existing Panda owners. The existing Panda does have some notable limitations - harsh ride and highish noise levels, for instance; the new model seems significantly better in these respects but I'm not sure how much evidence there is that these shortcomings reduced sales. Potential buyers are demanding higher standards, of course, and these improvements were necessary to keep pace with the competition, but that's keeping up, not getting ahead. The other "features" can be summed up as a load of funny shapes and distracting colours on the dash, which don't add up to much as far as I can see.

 

[babbo_umbro]

Playing with configurations is a bit like trying to juggle with sponges and machetes but as far as I can make out it's possible to compare 500s and Pandas fairly closely. If you look at a TwinAir Lounge, with the Panda getting options to bring it up to something like the spec of the standard 500, the 500 is listed at 12760 and the Panda at 12015. The Panda suffers from the need for the "Techno Pack", which costs a ridiculous 400 quid for some add-ons that are marginal at best, but the 750 pound difference is not enough unless Fiat could radically alter the Panda's place in the market - which it doesn't stand a chance of doing.

(It's debatable how much longer the 500 can resist discounting, but that's another topic.) I reckon you should be able to haggle at least 1000 pounds off the price of a Lounge model Panda, possibly 1500 if you're prepared to walk away - and/or to do some fierce haggling over options - I know the dealers are existing on small margins but they need to shift metal and those figures are less than it was possible to negotiate off the list price of the outgoing Panda.