StevenB
New member
Hi Folks! I’m new to the forum but have been stopping by as a guest many many times since the Spring. In May 2008 I bought a Panda Multijet and reading the posts on the forum helped to quell my raging appetite for the car during the agonising wait for it…was spec’d up with Metallic black, alloys, subwoofer, fog lamps and split/folding/sliding rear seat so took a few weeks to arrive.
The dealer was Desira in Diss and my experience with them was good. I swapped my Audi A4 Avant for the Panda would you believe!? Needed to reduce motoring costs and it is testament to the Fiat that I never really missed the Audi in terms of what it was as transport…must confess to missing the prestige image now and again but the Panda was such a great little car. By instinct I’ve always liked small cars and there is something very likeable about the Panda…when I first had a test drive in one I drove the Grande Punto straight afterwards and it was pleasant but so ordinary…no character at all.
Anyway, after 5500 miles and seven months in the Multijet I’m changing again so I thought I’d share my impressions of the car with you all. I have been blown away by it in fact. To my mind it has been designed and built with real integrity and the feeling of perceived quality is amazing for such a cheap car. I briefly flirted in a showroom with a Toyota Aygo and it really was a tin can compared to the robust Panda. I have found it generally refined and quiet once on the move. The Multijet engine never gave me the kind of economy the official figures appeared to promise but I was realistic, knowing that official figures invariably flatter a car. I reckon I have averaged 58 - 60 mpg and this truly has been mixed motoring minus motorways. I find the engine coarse and rattly when cold but this soon goes during the warm-up period (which, in common with most modern diesels, is much too long for comfort on cold winter mornings).
Performance wise, I like the car and it is adequate for most situations but it is no ball of fire. Having read many of Trackdayqueen’s comments, I agree there is a significant degree of understeer. The relative lack of grip and the body roll don’t bother me at all but I do find it reluctant to change direction when pressing on. I can honestly say though that I find it a truly endearing little car, much more than the sum of its parts.
The practicality of the car has impressed me and the sliding rear seat was a very worthwhile extra and at its rearmost setting provides great legroom in the back, at the expense of boot space of course. The five door shell is so easy to enter and exit and the equipment level spot on.
I would not pay for fog lamps again, or the hifi upgrade, which sounds awful to my ears. I know I have been spoilt by our other Audi, which has the Bose upgrade and is the most transparent, balanced sound I have ever heard in a car, but I did expect a bit more…there’s plenty of bass, as you would expect with a subwoofer, but the intrinsic quality is just not there and all the pumping bass in the world cannot compensate for that.
Mine has not used a drop of oil and has had NO issues whatsoever…no squeaks, rattles, creaks, bangs…nothing at all. Faultless reliability, in fact loads of character without any temperament, if that’s not a contradiction…I haven’t even had noisy wipers, mis-aligned washer jets or any of the other common niggles.
The downside? Well, I am changing it because although I’ve owned a few diesels, they have always been a compromise and whilst I know it is a personal experience for everyone, I find the lack of interaction with the engine bothers me…I know it is faster and cheaper to run than the 1.2 petrol but there is no aural satisfaction in revving ANY diesel engine, just a characterless drone that increases in intensity as the revs rise. So, having set out on Panda ownership to REDUCE my costs, I’m doing a slight U-turn…
So, those of you that have read this far into my rambling and excessively long post are asking, “What’s he changing to?”….a new Panda 1.2 Eleganza of course…expected in a few days in red with skydome. Will let you know how I get on and what the differences are. But, I can honestly say that I love Fiat Pandas and find their willing and loveable nature intoxicating and better in every way than other small cars I have driven. For instance, before choosing another Panda, I had an extended test drive in a brand new model Fiesta (1.25 petrol, 82 bhp) and I can see why everybody is raving about them…very accomplished indeed with a big-car feel but totally lacking in charm and afterwards it felt so good to get back into my little Fiat. Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for posting here because I have spent many happy hours on the forum. Steve
The dealer was Desira in Diss and my experience with them was good. I swapped my Audi A4 Avant for the Panda would you believe!? Needed to reduce motoring costs and it is testament to the Fiat that I never really missed the Audi in terms of what it was as transport…must confess to missing the prestige image now and again but the Panda was such a great little car. By instinct I’ve always liked small cars and there is something very likeable about the Panda…when I first had a test drive in one I drove the Grande Punto straight afterwards and it was pleasant but so ordinary…no character at all.
Anyway, after 5500 miles and seven months in the Multijet I’m changing again so I thought I’d share my impressions of the car with you all. I have been blown away by it in fact. To my mind it has been designed and built with real integrity and the feeling of perceived quality is amazing for such a cheap car. I briefly flirted in a showroom with a Toyota Aygo and it really was a tin can compared to the robust Panda. I have found it generally refined and quiet once on the move. The Multijet engine never gave me the kind of economy the official figures appeared to promise but I was realistic, knowing that official figures invariably flatter a car. I reckon I have averaged 58 - 60 mpg and this truly has been mixed motoring minus motorways. I find the engine coarse and rattly when cold but this soon goes during the warm-up period (which, in common with most modern diesels, is much too long for comfort on cold winter mornings).
Performance wise, I like the car and it is adequate for most situations but it is no ball of fire. Having read many of Trackdayqueen’s comments, I agree there is a significant degree of understeer. The relative lack of grip and the body roll don’t bother me at all but I do find it reluctant to change direction when pressing on. I can honestly say though that I find it a truly endearing little car, much more than the sum of its parts.
The practicality of the car has impressed me and the sliding rear seat was a very worthwhile extra and at its rearmost setting provides great legroom in the back, at the expense of boot space of course. The five door shell is so easy to enter and exit and the equipment level spot on.
I would not pay for fog lamps again, or the hifi upgrade, which sounds awful to my ears. I know I have been spoilt by our other Audi, which has the Bose upgrade and is the most transparent, balanced sound I have ever heard in a car, but I did expect a bit more…there’s plenty of bass, as you would expect with a subwoofer, but the intrinsic quality is just not there and all the pumping bass in the world cannot compensate for that.
Mine has not used a drop of oil and has had NO issues whatsoever…no squeaks, rattles, creaks, bangs…nothing at all. Faultless reliability, in fact loads of character without any temperament, if that’s not a contradiction…I haven’t even had noisy wipers, mis-aligned washer jets or any of the other common niggles.
The downside? Well, I am changing it because although I’ve owned a few diesels, they have always been a compromise and whilst I know it is a personal experience for everyone, I find the lack of interaction with the engine bothers me…I know it is faster and cheaper to run than the 1.2 petrol but there is no aural satisfaction in revving ANY diesel engine, just a characterless drone that increases in intensity as the revs rise. So, having set out on Panda ownership to REDUCE my costs, I’m doing a slight U-turn…
So, those of you that have read this far into my rambling and excessively long post are asking, “What’s he changing to?”….a new Panda 1.2 Eleganza of course…expected in a few days in red with skydome. Will let you know how I get on and what the differences are. But, I can honestly say that I love Fiat Pandas and find their willing and loveable nature intoxicating and better in every way than other small cars I have driven. For instance, before choosing another Panda, I had an extended test drive in a brand new model Fiesta (1.25 petrol, 82 bhp) and I can see why everybody is raving about them…very accomplished indeed with a big-car feel but totally lacking in charm and afterwards it felt so good to get back into my little Fiat. Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for posting here because I have spent many happy hours on the forum. Steve
. Even with this lot it manages 46 mpg. In summer it can manage 62mpg on a run, but in this current weather about 50mpg. These are all trip readings so you have to subtract 3mpg to get the true measured figure.
