The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Having just taken on our 6th successive Panda I thought I would make a few wise pronouncements. Or witter on.
We now have had 4 319's and currently have a 2014 Lounge, a 2016 Easy and a 2019 Waze Cross.
First thing to say is they are as different as chalk and cheese in all sorts of ways. The Cross is hte second TA 4x4 I have had and came about when the so called 90HP Waze was being offered for the same price as a 2WD. My first TA ran so wet inside the engine I was concerned it was not right, so expecting to get a 90HP motor and at the price offered I jumped and changed. My old one went on sale at nearly 2 years old and 18,000 miles for more than I paid new, and by quite a margin. The new car was not ()hp, that was all a con, but boy does it go better anyway, and it also used an awful loit less fuel too. The first one 2017 was a bit lethargic although I loved it to bit and the metallic blue paint. The new waze was delivered on summer tyres so after I had fisticuffs with cheaty Fiat a set of new alloys were provided in lieu of the 90HP engine and the summer tyres ransferred. A set of Michelin Alpins went on the wase steel wheels. Its clear that the winter tyres are noisier and less economical by around 5mpg, so Im happy to swap them over each season. The steel wheels are shedding paint wholesale now and there is much bare metal evident so soem work needed there. Those Alpin tyres are excellent however and proved faultless on ice and snow last year. The summer tyres are continetal and have done 5 summers they syll have 5mm of tread after about 12,000 miles. The winter tyres have not really worn at all after 4 winters. I love this car it will at a push do 60mpg, but can also cruise along at 85mph or even more. Its gutsy and has towed a 1200 kg caravan in an emergency. The ease and stability during this rescue job were astounding, as was the cars ability to pull that weight with not much effort. Overtaking is easy and always suprises me how quickly lorries and queues can be dismissed. The ride and brakes are also notably good. The engine also runs wet and it will shoot blobs of gey mayonaise 20feet into the air if revved with teh oil cap off. However this gunge doesnt seem to cause issues, but does impress on me the need to use EXACTLY the right spec of oil in this engine. The TA was designed around the Petronas offering.
The other two are 69HP 1.2's. The latest taking the place of a 2011 Euro5 1.2 Panda 169. The Euro 5 169 was a mad little beast and fun to drive. The engine did not have the irritating hesitation and flatspot of our 2014 Euro6. The 319 however is a lot smoother and the suspension may be similar but it too is more refined than the 169. Ruby our 'infatuation purple@ (maroon) 319 is pretty economical and shows over 50mpg on the computer normally and nearly 65mpg on a run within the speed limits. Its a bit breathless and prefers to stay under th national speed limit. This Lounge comes with one touch opening front windows, foglights and alloy wheels but not much else. Noy having a trip computer or outside temerature gauge is a bit mean. But its always been a smooth drive and in many ways nicer than the TA. The latest offering feels as far apart from Ruby as the waze does from its 2017 predecessor. At 17000 miles its only just run in. The Easy trim lacks the alloys and the side protection of the Lounge but has a trip computer ESC, ASR and hill holder, and must have been ordered with drivers seat height adjustment and bluetooth phone with steering wheel controls. Alloys may look nice but also have issues so are not missed. The later 2015 cars were fitted with what appears to be a TA exhaust, so a front / mid mounted silencer and then just a strighht through pipe. The quality fo the noise is very different and the effect is its more refined than the car with the back box. It will be a nightmare to replace and my need either a conversion to the conventional exhaust or a bespoke system, probably the latter as its a nicer smoother drive. All the 1.2s have had catch cans to stop mayo buildup which I cannot see as healthy for long engine life. Both the 319s are much drier running than the 169, possibly just down to the mileages. Its an extra I would recommend. Observations are also that teh 319 brakes are far superior to the 169 and less prone to discs rusting up. Our 2014 car has only light use with a couple of long trips each year, but the tyres have not worn appreciably in the 13000 miles we have had the car. As I have had to change two tyres on the 2016 car due to cracking I am anticipating changing all 4 on the older car as these will be 10 years old in a few months. No evidence of cracking here though the same make. Once the new addition settles in I shall make further observations. Thankfully after 2 weeks tyres have been the only issues. I have a pretty comprehensive warranty for 3 years, even wear items like the clutch are unequivocally covered. We shall see. MPG on the computer (youngest daughter driving) is showing as 43, so the leaden right foot is still operational.
We now have had 4 319's and currently have a 2014 Lounge, a 2016 Easy and a 2019 Waze Cross.
First thing to say is they are as different as chalk and cheese in all sorts of ways. The Cross is hte second TA 4x4 I have had and came about when the so called 90HP Waze was being offered for the same price as a 2WD. My first TA ran so wet inside the engine I was concerned it was not right, so expecting to get a 90HP motor and at the price offered I jumped and changed. My old one went on sale at nearly 2 years old and 18,000 miles for more than I paid new, and by quite a margin. The new car was not ()hp, that was all a con, but boy does it go better anyway, and it also used an awful loit less fuel too. The first one 2017 was a bit lethargic although I loved it to bit and the metallic blue paint. The new waze was delivered on summer tyres so after I had fisticuffs with cheaty Fiat a set of new alloys were provided in lieu of the 90HP engine and the summer tyres ransferred. A set of Michelin Alpins went on the wase steel wheels. Its clear that the winter tyres are noisier and less economical by around 5mpg, so Im happy to swap them over each season. The steel wheels are shedding paint wholesale now and there is much bare metal evident so soem work needed there. Those Alpin tyres are excellent however and proved faultless on ice and snow last year. The summer tyres are continetal and have done 5 summers they syll have 5mm of tread after about 12,000 miles. The winter tyres have not really worn at all after 4 winters. I love this car it will at a push do 60mpg, but can also cruise along at 85mph or even more. Its gutsy and has towed a 1200 kg caravan in an emergency. The ease and stability during this rescue job were astounding, as was the cars ability to pull that weight with not much effort. Overtaking is easy and always suprises me how quickly lorries and queues can be dismissed. The ride and brakes are also notably good. The engine also runs wet and it will shoot blobs of gey mayonaise 20feet into the air if revved with teh oil cap off. However this gunge doesnt seem to cause issues, but does impress on me the need to use EXACTLY the right spec of oil in this engine. The TA was designed around the Petronas offering.
The other two are 69HP 1.2's. The latest taking the place of a 2011 Euro5 1.2 Panda 169. The Euro 5 169 was a mad little beast and fun to drive. The engine did not have the irritating hesitation and flatspot of our 2014 Euro6. The 319 however is a lot smoother and the suspension may be similar but it too is more refined than the 169. Ruby our 'infatuation purple@ (maroon) 319 is pretty economical and shows over 50mpg on the computer normally and nearly 65mpg on a run within the speed limits. Its a bit breathless and prefers to stay under th national speed limit. This Lounge comes with one touch opening front windows, foglights and alloy wheels but not much else. Noy having a trip computer or outside temerature gauge is a bit mean. But its always been a smooth drive and in many ways nicer than the TA. The latest offering feels as far apart from Ruby as the waze does from its 2017 predecessor. At 17000 miles its only just run in. The Easy trim lacks the alloys and the side protection of the Lounge but has a trip computer ESC, ASR and hill holder, and must have been ordered with drivers seat height adjustment and bluetooth phone with steering wheel controls. Alloys may look nice but also have issues so are not missed. The later 2015 cars were fitted with what appears to be a TA exhaust, so a front / mid mounted silencer and then just a strighht through pipe. The quality fo the noise is very different and the effect is its more refined than the car with the back box. It will be a nightmare to replace and my need either a conversion to the conventional exhaust or a bespoke system, probably the latter as its a nicer smoother drive. All the 1.2s have had catch cans to stop mayo buildup which I cannot see as healthy for long engine life. Both the 319s are much drier running than the 169, possibly just down to the mileages. Its an extra I would recommend. Observations are also that teh 319 brakes are far superior to the 169 and less prone to discs rusting up. Our 2014 car has only light use with a couple of long trips each year, but the tyres have not worn appreciably in the 13000 miles we have had the car. As I have had to change two tyres on the 2016 car due to cracking I am anticipating changing all 4 on the older car as these will be 10 years old in a few months. No evidence of cracking here though the same make. Once the new addition settles in I shall make further observations. Thankfully after 2 weeks tyres have been the only issues. I have a pretty comprehensive warranty for 3 years, even wear items like the clutch are unequivocally covered. We shall see. MPG on the computer (youngest daughter driving) is showing as 43, so the leaden right foot is still operational.
