General Is a panda diesel going to be good enough in town?

[Goudrons]

I presume it's "Enfield" as in the place?
And you drive in and around the same dire traffic as I do here in S London.

If so, that's respectable, could be better, could be worse!

I crawled from Westminster Bridge to Welling last week, around 13 miles, took me 1h & 45m, I doubt I got half of 37 mpg on that trip, might have knocked on the door with Stop/Start though.

I have a 5 speed box, but 99% of the time I could get away with 3!

The pre Eco 1.1's and 1.2's aren't super efficent and it's made to look worse by the small tank and crappy traffic.
Which is why I suggested a small, modern petrol car with stop/start.

I regularly visit the old 'uns up north, it's a 460 mile round trip and if we use the Panda, it's 2/3's of a tank to ge there driving like Ebenezer, so there's another fill up for the return trip
My Mrs moans, that my Jag does it in one tank and returns home with a quarter still in, yet the £95 to fill it up seems lost on the arguement!

There is another way, I have an old diesel Combo Di with the Izusu 1.7 and it's doing around 90 to a gallon of pump diesel.
It just so happens it'll run on a 50/50 mix of diesel and used filtered rapeseed oil I get free, and it's perfectly legal, you can use 2500 litres a year before paying tax on it.
In the summer it'll take high percentage of oil (70%) before it struggles to start a little.

 

[AB100]

Anyone who is looking for a (white) diesel Panda needs to pop to the Mannheim auction website where they seems to have a mass.


Alternatively, the red Eleganza at the bottom will be very cheap I imagine.




Physical Auction FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET 4X4


06/2013 - VK13OHT - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK WHITE (TAN) 11,664 w Dsl Man 1 FGA Manchester 20/03/2014


Physical Auction 2268 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET LOUNGE


10/2012 - EJ62EJA - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK RED 11,100 w Dsl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction 8302 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET DYNAMIC


01/2011 - YS60GDE - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK GREY


(BLACK) 49,606 w Dsl Man 3 ALD AUTOMOTIVE Colchester 11/03/2014


Physical Auction 2272 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET DYNAMIC


10/2009 - HN59FYH - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK WHITE 9,784 w Dsl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction 2280 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET DYNAMIC


10/2009 - HN59FYP - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK WHITE 10,112 w Dsl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction 2266 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET DYNAMIC


11/2009 - HN59KBE - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK WHITE 7,806 w Dsl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction 2262 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET DYNAMIC


10/2009 - HN59HFV - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK WHITE 15,171 w Dsl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction 2270 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET DYNAMIC


10/2009 - HN59HFR - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK WHITE 12,130 w Dsl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction 2260 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET DYNAMIC


10/2009 - HN59EEG - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK WHITE 9,212 w Dsl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction 2276 FIAT - PANDA - 1.3 MULTIJET DYNAMIC


10/2009 - HN59BGX - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK WHITE 8,664 w Dsl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction 2264 FIAT - PANDA - ACTIVE


09/2005 - HV55UKE - 1.1L - 5DR HATCHBACK YELLOW 14,971 w Ptrl Man FGA Bruntingthorpe 12/03/2014


Physical Auction FIAT - PANDA - DYNAMIC


11/2004 - WR54YFU - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK GREEN


(GREEN) 63,618 w Ptrl Man 5 BENFIELD MOTOR GROUP Washington 12/03/2014


Preview Stock FIAT - PANDA - DYNAMIC


09/2004 - CU54SYW - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK YELLOW 1 w Ptrl Man 2 PERRYS Wimbledon


Preview Stock FIAT - PANDA - ELEGANZA


07/2004 - RK04CCA - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK BLACK


(GREY) 125,557 w Ptrl Man 4 WEST LONDON MOTOR GROUP Wimbledon


Physical Auction FIAT - PANDA - ELEGANZA


06/2004 - FT04AYE - 1.2L - 5DR HATCHBACK RED


(BEIGE) 69,319 w Ptrl Man 3 G K Group Mansfield 11/03/2014

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

To be honest that sounds a bit low for a 1.2 Panda when our 100hp averages 36mpg and is mainly urban with a few weekend blasts with the lead foot.

Is that brim to brim or what the computer tells you though

 

[AB100]

Is that brim to brim or what the computer tells you though

On our 100hp it's brimmed.


We don't really have the traffic issues experienced in London though.


On the rare occasion I am forced to attend the office, it drops rather more, as I drive on the bypass then and speed increases.

 

[portland_bill]

I keep the heater on cold even in the winter to give the engine a bit of a chance to warm up. Otherwise the temp gauge hardly rises off the stop on a journey.

Temp gauge should come off the stop within 2-3 minutes of normal driving, or a mile at most. Your thermostat may be stuck open.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

I'm getting 52-55mpg out of a diesel Bravo doing similar journeys to you Andy, but I wouldn't expect OP to be doing the same as they're in heavy town traffic by the sounds of it. My Bravo I'd expect to drop to about 45-48mpg in similar driving, and your Punto about 50-55 at very best. Just what ratio in mileage terms is your country:town

having had my 1.3 for quite a few years now I can confirm the worst i've ever seen out of it was 55mpg and thats on the dash which i've established underreads by about 3mpg compared to tank fill figures (so 58mpg ish)

at this time I was doing short journeys of 2-3 miles daily in heavy rush hour traffic with the occasional 8 mile burst up the A47 out to parents house, quite often i'd be at work before the vent blew warm air so the engine never heated up properly. the worst effects I saw from this was the glow plugs died in the middle of the winter which would probably have died soon enough anyway, ive found the biggest hit to the MPG is driving long distances at anything above 60mph economy drops off drastically above 60, where as our 1.9 which was clearly geared for the motorway cruise would get better fuel economy at 70mph then our 1.3

 

[thebiglad]

Sounds about right OP, I do almost all town driving and get about 250 miles to the tank too (from brimmed to the light just coming on) or up to about 280 if I am pushing the needle well into the red.

I keep the heater on cold even in the winter to give the engine a bit of a chance to warm up. Otherwise the temp gauge hardly rises off the stop on a journey.

In that case there's every chance you have a faulty thermostat and your engine is never getting properly up to temp.

 

[chippy1]

I would say Theromstat as well as the panda is suppose to be one of the quickest cars for going from cold air to hot air coming out of the air vents in around 20 seconds.

 

[captainslarty]

I would say Theromstat as well as the panda is suppose to be one of the quickest cars for going from cold air to hot air coming out of the air vents in around 20 seconds.

That might be a tad optimistic in the UK -
But, it goes IMMEDIATELY hot here from a 'cold' start, no waiting at all...


We have to sit with the door open for a few seconds, and then use the manual climate control (windows).....

 

[Enfield]

Hi thank you for the response everyone

I do live in Enfield, its not heavy traffic but my job involves many short journeys, 2 miles at the most, 2-3 times a day.

I did think it was low, was expecting mid 40s.....i take all your opinions onboard, thank you

 

[chippy1]

That might be a tad optimistic in the UK -
But, it goes IMMEDIATELY hot here from a 'cold' start, no waiting at all...


We have to sit with the door open for a few seconds, and then use the manual climate control (windows).....

That was according to jeremy clarkson when he drove the panda around london in a race against a marathon runner.

 

[thebiglad]

Sounds about right OP, I do almost all town driving and get about 250 miles to the tank too (from brimmed to the light just coming on) or up to about 280 if I am pushing the needle well into the red.

I keep the heater on cold even in the winter to give the engine a bit of a chance to warm up. Otherwise the temp gauge hardly rises off the stop on a journey.

If I'm right and your cars thermostat is sticking open, the engine won't warm up quickly/fully/at all, resulting in it not working to it's optimum.

This is quite important as it will affect fuel consumption; heater function; gearbox oil temperature and gear change quality etc etc etc.

Basically, it's not good for it to run like that and needs sorting. Very easy and cheap to do as well.


Dave

 

[Eklipze3k]

If I'm right and your cars thermostat is sticking open, the engine won't warm up quickly/fully/at all, resulting in it not working to it's optimum.

This is quite important as it will affect fuel consumption; heater function; gearbox oil temperature and gear change quality etc etc etc.

Basically, it's not good for it to run like that and needs sorting. Very easy and cheap to do as well.


Dave

This happened in my Seicento, quite common and as Dave says, easy and cheap to fix.

 

[AB100]

Hi thank you for the response everyone

I do live in Enfield, its not heavy traffic but my job involves many short journeys, 2 miles at the most, 2-3 times a day.

I did think it was low, was expecting mid 40s.....i take all your opinions onboard, thank you

Presumably you've ruled out the obvious things like:


1. Low tyre pressures


2. The giant wardrobe on the roof


3. The 10 concrete pavers you keep in the boot to make it look slightly pimped


4. The brakes sticking (back ones particularly) - a bane of many an old FIAT as the handbrake seizes on.

 

[Enfield]

Has an MOT tomorrow so could find out if rear brakes are sticking

 

[chippy1]

Presumably you've ruled out the obvious things like:


1. Low tyre pressures


2. The giant wardrobe on the roof


3. The 10 concrete pavers you keep in the boot to make it look slightly pimped


4. The brakes sticking (back ones particularly) - a bane of many an old FIAT as the handbrake seizes on.

You forgot the wife thats 50 stone in weight bit as well.

 

[Jerseywurzel]

I know nothing about diesel, but my 1.2 petrol gets around 50mpg and that's 90% short runs (up to 3 miles, often average 2. That's barely time for the engine to warm up).

On longer runs, the best I got was 58mpg, I think. That's cruising on a motorway at the legal speed limit.

The best way to check your mpg is to use www.fuelly.com

 

[jrkitching]

I know nothing about diesel, but my 1.2 petrol gets around 50mpg and that's 90% short runs (up to 3 miles, often average 2. That's barely time for the engine to warm up).

On longer runs, the best I got was 58mpg, I think. That's cruising on a motorway at the legal speed limit.

The best way to check your mpg is to use www.fuelly.com

There's short runs, and there's short runs.

I doubt that driving on the island compares in any way to driving through traffic in Enfield.

My first reaction was "that's low", but if you're spending most of your time in London traffic, perhaps it's not so bad after all.

Unless there's actually something wrong with the OP's Panda, I doubt very much that anything short of an electric car would do much better in those conditions.

That said, there seems to be a consensus of opinion that the Eco models can actually do better in real life than the earlier cars (the official figures would back this up, but I don't place that much credence on them tbh). From personal experience (I've got one of each), there's not a lot to separate the 60HP & 69HP Eco engines, if driven for best economy. The later engine does seem to use slightly less fuel during warmup, but on any journey of 5 miles or more, there's nothing to pick between them. On a decent run at modest speeds, both are capable of putting 70+ mpg on the trip.

 

[Jerseywurzel]

There's short runs, and there's short runs.

I doubt that driving on the island compares in any way to driving through traffic in Enfield.

Probably not, but then, it can take up to 30 minutes to do that 2miles. It`s during rush hour (why do they call it "rush hour" when it`s almost stationery? :devil

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

There's short runs, and there's short runs.

I doubt that driving on the island compares in any way to driving through traffic in Enfield.

My first reaction was "that's low", but if you're spending most of your time in London traffic, perhaps it's not so bad after all.

You've hit the nail on the head.