General Opinions welcome - my next step - Panda 4X4 Cross - Additions & Mods

[UKRMedic]

My other car has full Apple CarPlay, cruise, emergency braking, speed radar, digital dash, an engine I can hardly hear… you get the idea. It’s fine. It gets me places rather nicely and passengers tell me how smooth it is.

Starting to think my other car that drives itself (Almost) is overrated.

By comparison, in the Panda I can feel the road, hear the engine, listen for any little knock or squeak that might indicate something starting to break…. And I love driving it so much more because of that. The other car is ‘so easy’ it takes away the ‘engagement’ that really is what driving should be all about.

My God, you really can hear everything. It's like the 1980's all over again!

I have made two mods to my Panda: brighter headlight bulbs, and an LED in the interior that’s it. The rest is ‘just right’ (for me) to put a smile on my face every time I drive it.

I'm getting there. It's a lot of fun for sure! (Still going to fit cruise control though!)

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

By the way - it’s a small thing - but keeping the standard radio means the Panda app can talk to the car. Not really that helpful, except - as I’ve just done - for checking how much fuel’s in the car while sitting in the house after a week away and not using the Fiat. I now know I need to leave early tomorrow to fill it before my long drive out. (The app gets confused between miles and km — it means miles here)

 

[UKRMedic]

By the way - it’s a small thing - but keeping the standard radio means the Panda app can talk to the car. Not really that helpful, except - as I’ve just done - for checking how much fuel’s in the car while sitting in the house after a week away and not using the Fiat. I now know I need to leave early tomorrow to fill it before my long drive out. (The app gets confused between miles and km — it means miles here)

Yes...
My Mondeo likes to send me all kinds of error messages via their app! I bought an OBD reader just to clear them once a week.

The ford and fiat apps really do seem like they're still in development (although they probably aren't).

The fiat uconnect live app seems pretty decent, but obviously, not available to us with the radio system with valves instead of microchips!

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

How about this as an Apple CarPlay solution? Plugs into the Aux in (on the back of the radio, or in some models via a socket in the glovebox.). Not clear if it will respond to steering wheel controls - clearly the volume will but maybe not track change etc. no idea if any good - link popped up on FBook. https://carpuride.com/collections/7...le-with-mirror-link-google-and-siri-assistant

 

[UKRMedic]

How about this as an Apple CarPlay solution? Plugs into the Aux in (on the back of the radio, or in some models via a socket in the glovebox.). Not clear if it will respond to steering wheel controls - clearly the volume will but maybe not track change etc. no idea if any good - link popped up on FBook. https://carpuride.com/collections/7...le-with-mirror-link-google-and-siri-assistant

Certainly is a good option.
Learning to live with basics however, quite refreshing to just live with something that doesn't tell you how much milk is left in the fridge though... and less to nick inside the car, win win!

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

...quite refreshing to just live with something that doesn't tell you how much milk is left in the fridge though...

I like that!
And yes, there is a lot to be said for the 'keep it simple; approach.

 

[Marcus Daly]

I think we’ve seen this one before?

 

[UKRMedic]

I think we’ve seen this one before?

Marcus...
My interest has once more peaked...

God I'm easy to sell to...

 

[UKRMedic]

Fiat Panda | Car Tablet | Android | Audio Elite

Fiat Panda Car Tablet Garanzia anni 2 Prezzo esclusa installazione Dotazione Confezione:- Apparato Car Tablet- Cavi e cablaggi- Antenna GPS- Connettori USB- Mascherina di supporto per auto

shop.audioelite.it

Euro 699 - Soon killed my interest! (Now if it was 300..... ;-) )

 

[UKRMedic]

Quick update....
I had to bite the bullet and buy the radio. Seriously doing my head in not being able to multitask.
I've found, whilst streaming music, and having Google Maps navigate me, and receiving calls, and messages from one of a million different apps - the OEM system just doesn't handle it all well, and needs me to use the handset whilst driving - which isn't going to happen in the UK.

I've become accustomed to having screen handoff, and the stereo unit sharing the processing, meaning, I can answer messages by voice, have the GPS running on screen, and take calls, whilst streaming music.

I've ordered it from the manufacturer at $150 ish and it's coming from China.
Let's see if this works - or if the car spontaneously combusts! Hopefully it arrives before my impending road trip!