well i finally got round to having a test drive at the local (gloucester) fiat dealer in a grey 100hp this morning. ive had experience of the panda, had a test drive in a 1.2 a few years back and my ex has owned a multijet sporting for a couple of years as well which i used to drive a fair bit.
ok - impressions - well, the car looked a lot better in the grey than in pics of the colour, and i can see why its the most popular now. the tyres were suprisingly chunky looking, and overall the appearance looks great (3 door would be better of course but we cant have everything!)
driving - had to put sport mode on, without it it felt lifeless, and the steering was too light). loved the exhaust note, liked the handling - great to have an absence of roll compared to the multijet..and though some have complained about the ride i found it to be fine - i liked to feel the bumps through the chassis and the wheel. the gadgets were cool - air con, electric mirrors, radio controls on wheel etc are all benefits on a car for this price range, and as with other pandas it felt solid. oh, and the seats were nice n cosy fit too!
but there's no way i'll now be buying one after the test drive - why? in a word, performance. i was competely underwhelmed by the power. im not in the market for 197/cooper s levels of horsepower, but i do want to feel im in a sporty vehicle if im buying what is an (albeit junior) hot hatchback! yes, its a step up from the multijet, but not by much at all - and even high in the rev range there wasnt much of a kick. we had a good long test drive over a variety of roads and with both of us driving, and it was disappointing not to have the power we expected. it all feels responsive and solid, and i cant fault the smoothness of the engine - but as it stands, a hot hatch it is not.
so to sum up, if you're happy with the modest performance then its a great car - i cant fault it in any other way. it only reinforces my belief that fiat must put the 1.4 tjet in the panda - the extra power would make ALL the difference and deliver the full potential. so come on fiat, give us the 120hp in 2008!!!!!
it also made me realise how great my seicento schumacher is - just as much fun to drive, and at least as good handling with much more direct steering. will have to carry on looking at alternatives for now - i dont really want to fork out for a 500 abarth and i dont particularly like the style or the image of that car anyway...so ah well, will be carrying on with old faithful sei for now after all
ok - impressions - well, the car looked a lot better in the grey than in pics of the colour, and i can see why its the most popular now. the tyres were suprisingly chunky looking, and overall the appearance looks great (3 door would be better of course but we cant have everything!)
driving - had to put sport mode on, without it it felt lifeless, and the steering was too light). loved the exhaust note, liked the handling - great to have an absence of roll compared to the multijet..and though some have complained about the ride i found it to be fine - i liked to feel the bumps through the chassis and the wheel. the gadgets were cool - air con, electric mirrors, radio controls on wheel etc are all benefits on a car for this price range, and as with other pandas it felt solid. oh, and the seats were nice n cosy fit too!
but there's no way i'll now be buying one after the test drive - why? in a word, performance. i was competely underwhelmed by the power. im not in the market for 197/cooper s levels of horsepower, but i do want to feel im in a sporty vehicle if im buying what is an (albeit junior) hot hatchback! yes, its a step up from the multijet, but not by much at all - and even high in the rev range there wasnt much of a kick. we had a good long test drive over a variety of roads and with both of us driving, and it was disappointing not to have the power we expected. it all feels responsive and solid, and i cant fault the smoothness of the engine - but as it stands, a hot hatch it is not.
so to sum up, if you're happy with the modest performance then its a great car - i cant fault it in any other way. it only reinforces my belief that fiat must put the 1.4 tjet in the panda - the extra power would make ALL the difference and deliver the full potential. so come on fiat, give us the 120hp in 2008!!!!!
it also made me realise how great my seicento schumacher is - just as much fun to drive, and at least as good handling with much more direct steering. will have to carry on looking at alternatives for now - i dont really want to fork out for a 500 abarth and i dont particularly like the style or the image of that car anyway...so ah well, will be carrying on with old faithful sei for now after all
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