SAPD
New member
Well, I've been registered on the forum for 18 months, I thought it was about time for my 2nd post...
After some invaluable help from forum members Tifosi V8 and Medlow - whose opinions I value highly since they had the same good taste as me in previous cars
- I picked up our Electroclash Grey Panda 100hp on Wednesday last week. It enjoyed a gentle pootle around the city during the latter half of the week and then a motorway journey up to the other half's parents' house in Cumbria. It performed well on both counts. I was pleasantly surprised about the relative refinement on the motorway. My test drive had only included a brief stint on a dual carriageway and it was with Clarkson's ridicule of the 100hp's motorway manners lodged firmly in my mind that we set off up the M6 on a friday evening. What was I worried about?! JC may find the cabin noisy and the engine weedy but, then, wouldn't you when you're used to your SL55s, XC90s and the various uber-saloons he gets to waft around in on a daily basis? I must say, coming from a VX, I can't see what his problem was. I would imagine that I could have quite comfortably sat at around 85 all the way up the M6 to Carlisle - without developing even the smallest headache - if this wasn't illegal, of course.
Anyway, up in deepest, darkest cumbria is where my fun with the Panda started...
Girlfriend's brother recently landed himself a 53-plate boxster and we were eager to get out on the road and see how the two matched up. We have a well-worn test route that has seen planty of action from our past steeds (namely a Leon Cupra, Clio 172, VX220 and Clio 182) and encompasses pretty much all surfaces, inclines, descents, hairpins, straights, lumps, bumps, cambers and any other car-testing road features you'd care to imagine. So, we fuelled up (him £60, me £30) and headed out towards Hartside. Now, it goes without saying that the Porsche could clearly romp away from the 100hp on any given straight, without so much as breaking a sweat, but I was given the honour of leading our little convoy and it was with great pleasure that, on numerous occasions, I had to wait for the boxster to catch up after a series of medium to tight bends. I'm not suggesting that the Panda is 'faster' than the Porker, or that I'm a better driver than GF's brother, but the key lies with the absolute ease with which I found I could jump into the Fiat and fling it into and around corners, even after only a few days ownership. I think much of my advantage was knowing that I could barrel into corners carrying a little too much speed and not have to worry about braking halfway through the bend, if necessary. Having also owned a mid-engined car, I know full-well that the last thing one usually wants to do in one of those is exaggerate that pendulum effect by transferring more weight by braking whilst turning. This can lead to a sudden lack of talent followed by ruinously expensive repair bills.
Anyway, all in all, we had an amazing day out on the Alston moors and the 100hp returned an average of 30mpg. Smashing.
Now the bit you've all been waiting for... indeed, the bit most of you have skipped to... PICS!
Oh, and fond look back at what I had to part with 18 months ago:
Cheers
After some invaluable help from forum members Tifosi V8 and Medlow - whose opinions I value highly since they had the same good taste as me in previous cars
- I picked up our Electroclash Grey Panda 100hp on Wednesday last week. It enjoyed a gentle pootle around the city during the latter half of the week and then a motorway journey up to the other half's parents' house in Cumbria. It performed well on both counts. I was pleasantly surprised about the relative refinement on the motorway. My test drive had only included a brief stint on a dual carriageway and it was with Clarkson's ridicule of the 100hp's motorway manners lodged firmly in my mind that we set off up the M6 on a friday evening. What was I worried about?! JC may find the cabin noisy and the engine weedy but, then, wouldn't you when you're used to your SL55s, XC90s and the various uber-saloons he gets to waft around in on a daily basis? I must say, coming from a VX, I can't see what his problem was. I would imagine that I could have quite comfortably sat at around 85 all the way up the M6 to Carlisle - without developing even the smallest headache - if this wasn't illegal, of course.Anyway, up in deepest, darkest cumbria is where my fun with the Panda started...
Girlfriend's brother recently landed himself a 53-plate boxster and we were eager to get out on the road and see how the two matched up. We have a well-worn test route that has seen planty of action from our past steeds (namely a Leon Cupra, Clio 172, VX220 and Clio 182) and encompasses pretty much all surfaces, inclines, descents, hairpins, straights, lumps, bumps, cambers and any other car-testing road features you'd care to imagine. So, we fuelled up (him £60, me £30) and headed out towards Hartside. Now, it goes without saying that the Porsche could clearly romp away from the 100hp on any given straight, without so much as breaking a sweat, but I was given the honour of leading our little convoy and it was with great pleasure that, on numerous occasions, I had to wait for the boxster to catch up after a series of medium to tight bends. I'm not suggesting that the Panda is 'faster' than the Porker, or that I'm a better driver than GF's brother, but the key lies with the absolute ease with which I found I could jump into the Fiat and fling it into and around corners, even after only a few days ownership. I think much of my advantage was knowing that I could barrel into corners carrying a little too much speed and not have to worry about braking halfway through the bend, if necessary. Having also owned a mid-engined car, I know full-well that the last thing one usually wants to do in one of those is exaggerate that pendulum effect by transferring more weight by braking whilst turning. This can lead to a sudden lack of talent followed by ruinously expensive repair bills.
Anyway, all in all, we had an amazing day out on the Alston moors and the 100hp returned an average of 30mpg. Smashing.
Now the bit you've all been waiting for... indeed, the bit most of you have skipped to... PICS!
Oh, and fond look back at what I had to part with 18 months ago:
Cheers
