I've can get 70 mph in 4th gear so it has got grunt and if you drop the speed below 60 mph you can get Good MPG out of the TA engine
General Panda 4x4
- Thread starter catnash
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General Panda 4x4
I've can get 70 mph in 4th gear so it has got grunt and if you drop the speed below 60 mph you can get Good MPG out of the TA engine
Moultoneer
Member
In my case I've just changed from an Alfa Mito 95HP Multijet to the Panda
Trekking TwinAir, and the performance of both seems quite similar- the
Panda's lighter weight making up for the 10HP power deficiency
Driving the Panda TA on the gearchange indicators is strangely diesel-like
as one's encouraged to stay around the peak torque revs- and I'm now
averaging about 55MPG (having covered just over 1000 miles to date)
The only time I've used more than 3000rpm is for overtaking, when the
acceleration is very satisfying (with motorcycle-style noise
)IMHO you'd need to cover a rather high mileage to justify going for the
Multijet, and I speak as a former diesel devotee!
I think the TwinAir really is a game-changer
Chris
Hi 4x4Fun,
I think you'll be absolutely fine overtaking at 50mph whether you choose the TA or diesel.
I live in a similar sounding area where there are lots of rural roads and not many opportunities to overtake. We have the 1.2 regular Panda which is less powerful of course, but I never have any trouble overtaking quickly at 50mph in third or fourth gear. Sure it doesn't sound particularly refined (lol!), but as long as the rev counter is around 3500 or above it won't let you down. The power is there, you've just got to know how to use it
I can well imagine it will feel odd moving from a 2.0TD as you have got plenty of torque on tap whenever you need it. But I would be very surprised if either engine was insufficient for your needs once you got used to them.
Put it this way, if I can do it in my puny little car then you will have no problem!
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I had the opportunity to try the split personality of the T/A motor over the last week:
Exiting narrow side roads feeding into busy country A and B roads where the traffic is doing c.60mph (or 80mph, in the case of the A303): The car accelerates up to speed very decisively; this manoeuvre now feels 'safe' in a way that the old Mk3 never did. Living in the countryside, this ability to get up to speed quickly is very important and the Panda T/A does not disappoint.
Up until now I've been holding off a bit and just been tickling the throttle on station and school runs, so it was nice to experience some of the zip that I noted from my test drive way back at the start of January.
Exiting narrow side roads feeding into busy country A and B roads where the traffic is doing c.60mph (or 80mph, in the case of the A303): The car accelerates up to speed very decisively; this manoeuvre now feels 'safe' in a way that the old Mk3 never did. Living in the countryside, this ability to get up to speed quickly is very important and the Panda T/A does not disappoint.
Up until now I've been holding off a bit and just been tickling the throttle on station and school runs, so it was nice to experience some of the zip that I noted from my test drive way back at the start of January.
philboo
Member
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/suzuki/swift/64928/suzuki-swift-4x4-goes-sale
I can only imagine this has come to the UK because of the 4x4 panda. Looks good value though. I did find a review of it a while ago when it was rumoured a UK launch may be in the pipeline but it wasn't amazing. Certainly not top gear SUV of the year ;-)
I can only imagine this has come to the UK because of the 4x4 panda. Looks good value though. I did find a review of it a while ago when it was rumoured a UK launch may be in the pipeline but it wasn't amazing. Certainly not top gear SUV of the year ;-)
babbo_umbro
Established member
This video from the monthly Quattroruote also shows the underside of the 4x4 TA
http://tv.quattroruote.it/premiere/video/premiere-panda-4x4-mov/
http://tv.quattroruote.it/premiere/video/premiere-panda-4x4-mov/
Still don't get why they put a beam rear axle on it, cheap bastards.
babbo_umbro
Established member
Especially when the previous model had a completely rejigged back end. However, it does seem to work quite well.
It's just penny pinching sadly. Sure the beam axle works, but it'd be better with full IRS
babbo_umbro
Established member
The only possible benefit from the beam axle is it's articulation - would those three-wheeled stunts they show so much on the new model be possible on the old one?
I'd like to see the car proper cross axled. Balanced on 2 opposite corner wheels.
Then see how good the eld is.
I know a perfect place for this. It's a neglected road that passes right over the mountain from Quakers Yard to Merthyr Tydfil.
When I have a spare hour I'll go up and make a movie.
Then see how good the eld is.
I know a perfect place for this. It's a neglected road that passes right over the mountain from Quakers Yard to Merthyr Tydfil.
When I have a spare hour I'll go up and make a movie.
few days ago I was driving around a roundabont I became aware the tires ware soft bouncey whether this is due to the hot cilment and the tires losing there stiffness
That sounds about right. They are proper winter tyres designed for cold weather.
I think though that FIAT have done a rather good job of making the Mk4 4x4 actually drive very well on full-winters even in the summer. I agree you get a bit more squirm and perhaps other traits, but it is just so well resolved through the Panda's helm that any lack of grip compared to all-season or summer tyres is just not an issue. The more i drive the little car, the more I realise just how damn good it is; I mean, by which yard-stick would anyone expect a city-car based 4x4 to handle so well? FIAT clearly decided that the rule-book needed re-writing...
Another thing I am re-appreciating after my months of Panda-absence is just how handy it is to have a narrow and short car for parking at the station and in town.
Becoming addicted...
Another thing I am re-appreciating after my months of Panda-absence is just how handy it is to have a narrow and short car for parking at the station and in town.
Becoming addicted...
I think though that FIAT have done a rather good job of making the Mk4 4x4 actually drive very well on full-winters even in the summer. I agree you get a bit more squirm and perhaps other traits, but it is just so well resolved through the Panda's helm that any lack of grip compared to all-season or summer tyres is just not an issue. The more i drive the little car, the more I realise just how damn good it is; I mean, by which yard-stick would anyone expect a city-car based 4x4 to handle so well? FIAT clearly decided that the rule-book needed re-writing...
Another thing I am re-appreciating after my months of Panda-absence is just how handy it is to have a narrow and short car for parking at the station and in town.
Becoming addicted...
In truth, a small 4x4 with added ride height is the PERFECT city car.
Want to pull out into a small gap from a junction? 4x4 helps immensely, I've got a mk3 4x4 and it's fantastic for this.
It's higher than most other cars other than proper 4x4's which is fantastic
It's got good ground clearance and doesn't have massive wheels so you can drive it up kerbs without worrying about trashing your wheels, perhaps more of a worry with the Mk4 and its 15" wheels.
One beef I have with my mk3 4x4 and the way it drives is the horrid way in which it self centres the steering, it feels so rubbery compared to our 500..... They've used the same suspension arms and strut top mounts in the mk3 4x4 as they did in the 2wd Panda so unless they've changed something on the subframe, the castor could have been adversely affected. That and the lack of a proper LSD in the rear are the only things I have against my 4x4.
Most people won't care about those things so I'm sure that the Mk4 4x4 is a cracker and probably one of the best city cars.
Maybe in a few years time I'll have a Mk4 4x4 as well
Because of the hot whether I've had the Air-Con on High and I notice that the fan speed goes faster when the engine revs faster also fan slows down ,I notice this On fan speed 3 or 4 ,I have manual air-con ,I wonder if this is built in so it works this Way
Moultoneer
Member
I noted the same thing the other day- on my next drive I'll hook up my
multimeter to see if it's related to the alternator voltage.
If it isn't, it's probably beyond my reasoning powers
Chris
It'll just be the charging capacity of the alternator I suspect, not at 100% charge at idle.
Panda in the wild.
