Well i finally gave in to temptation of having actual suspension..
Last saturday i traded my panda in for a 55 plate focus zetec.
And the suspension is bliss!!
I am somewhat slower now but for some reason it doesnt seem to matter. I realise just how much the panda would egg me on!
It was certainly a love hate relationship.. out on the windy country lanes it was just the most amazing buzz to drive.. coming home tired after work on my patchwork quilt of tar roads i was very glad to get out..
Instant difference i noticed.. I expected even less body roll, nah its a bit more i think, or maybe about the same but the panda felt a little more planted. The gear change is great but the panda's greater maybe too.
The seats are waay more comfortable for me in the focus! some actual lumbar support. And they hold me better on corners which seems a bit wrong way round really! On motorway its not much quieter which i didnt expect but it just drifts along which makes the difference. the suspension is a world away from the panda, so many bumps have disappeared to next to nothing in this car!
I loved the panda for its character, it had it in spades.. and no the focus doesnt so much, feels just more 'car' i feel less keen to find it a name.. And i know ill really remember my time with the panda.. sat impatiently behind german saloons on the motorway as it goads me on, nipping up to my mates and bouncing out the seat as i hit the worse bumps. making the most of windy roads.. and most/least of all that bloody italian woman every time i turned it on near the end, chatting about something or other to do with me phone! So now the focus feels more me, just as the panda feels just suited to someone else. It did give me some real ear to ear grins though!!
ps. i have some door speaker adapters i never got round to using if anyone wants to offer anything for them! the rear takes 6" speaker.
Last saturday i traded my panda in for a 55 plate focus zetec.
And the suspension is bliss!!
I am somewhat slower now but for some reason it doesnt seem to matter. I realise just how much the panda would egg me on!
It was certainly a love hate relationship.. out on the windy country lanes it was just the most amazing buzz to drive.. coming home tired after work on my patchwork quilt of tar roads i was very glad to get out..
Instant difference i noticed.. I expected even less body roll, nah its a bit more i think, or maybe about the same but the panda felt a little more planted. The gear change is great but the panda's greater maybe too.
The seats are waay more comfortable for me in the focus! some actual lumbar support. And they hold me better on corners which seems a bit wrong way round really! On motorway its not much quieter which i didnt expect but it just drifts along which makes the difference. the suspension is a world away from the panda, so many bumps have disappeared to next to nothing in this car!
I loved the panda for its character, it had it in spades.. and no the focus doesnt so much, feels just more 'car' i feel less keen to find it a name.. And i know ill really remember my time with the panda.. sat impatiently behind german saloons on the motorway as it goads me on, nipping up to my mates and bouncing out the seat as i hit the worse bumps. making the most of windy roads.. and most/least of all that bloody italian woman every time i turned it on near the end, chatting about something or other to do with me phone! So now the focus feels more me, just as the panda feels just suited to someone else. It did give me some real ear to ear grins though!!
ps. i have some door speaker adapters i never got round to using if anyone wants to offer anything for them! the rear takes 6" speaker.
