General Panda ESP???

[Sammyboy]

I've just ordered a new Panda Eleganza with ESP (ASR MSR and Hill Holder), side and curtain airbags, parking sensors, steering wheel mounted stereo controls and the 6 speaker audio system with the subwoofer.

I was told ESP was an option that was rarely specified on the new Panda - does anybody else have ESP on their Panda??? Can anyboy tell me how the Hill Holder works? Has anybody got the subwoofer - is it any good???

This is the first car I have brought brand new and I got a Fiat Staff discount of 27% my Eleganza should have cost about £10,500 but with my options and discounts I got it for £6,900!!!

Please let me know if you can answer any of my questions - many thanks!

 

[santa]

Here in Denmark all Panda's have ESP as standard and so does my 100HP.
When you hold on en incline over a certain grade, the system will hold the brakes for about 1½-2 sec. when you release the brake pedal. You then have plenty of time to work the clutch and speeder to accelerate without rolling backwards (it also works if you hold nose down a hill and want to back up the hill).

 

[Sammyboy]

Thanks for the info. It's about time ESP was standard on all new cars not a £420 option! The Hill Holder feature seems like a brilliant idea. I've only got to wait for another 10 weeks for my PAnda to arrive! :-C

 

[Layney]

I think ESP is a good option, although not for the 100HP when you are likely to want to switch it off.
After reading the Evo review of the 100HP, they advised not to chose ESP as it cannot be turned off. I'm assuming this is the same across all models....

Layney

 

[Sammyboy]

Hey Laney, thanks for the imput. I have been meaning to find out if the ESP on my Panda Eleganza is switchable but forgot to ask when I was buying my car. I know it's better if you can switch it off (to get out of deep snow, mud etc) but I'm not bothered if it's always on however I can see your point with the 100HP, if the ESP can't be switched off it is going to hinder swift progress every now and again.

 

[Andy Monty]

the ESP will help you in snow surely...

ESP tested on fifth gear about 6 mins into the film shows its well worth it...



IIRC you can turn off the ASR (anti skid regulation) part of the system..

 

[santa]

IIRC you can turn off the ASR (anti skid regulation) part of the system..

That's correct, you can only switch off the ASR.
And the ESP isn't that intrusive on the 100HP. I had mine on a technical course last fall and it took a lot for the ESP to step in (and when it did it was justified).

 

[Chinky_500]

ESP is more important than ABS or airbags imho - it would definitely save you from a big skid / slide at high speed.

 

[Trefor]

I have ESP (and side/window airbags).

Layney - most people don't drive over the limit, and you won't get many professional drivers doing so on the public road (whatever EVO says). ESP hasn't prevented me from enjoying my 100HP up to now.

 

[santa]

Layney - most people don't drive over the limit, and you won't get many professional drivers doing so on the public road (whatever EVO says). ESP hasn't prevented me from enjoying my 100HP up to now.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[hcampian]

I have the ESP also and it's just perfect, not too intrusive, it will only activate in the last moment, unlike the VAG ESP that activates all the time.
It got me out of some serious situations a couple of times (of course, I wouldn't get into that kind of situations if I wouldn't know the ESP is there for me :devil.
The main advantage that I see is that you can drive your car to the limit. When you see the ESP flashing, you just slow down a little. Anyway, the limit on a 1.2 Dynamic with 13'' wheels is pretty damned cool on dry tarmac, I can only imagine how it feels on an 100hp. :slayer: And it's a symphony on snow.
I just don't recommend to go past over the ESP limits, to see how much it can take. I wouldn't try that, it's a Panda not a Ferrari.
I can't tell you anything about the airbags, haven't tried those yet but it will rise the Panda to 4 or 5 stars in the NCAP, the one tested having only a driver front airbag.

 

[Layney]

I have ESP (and side/window airbags).

Layney - most people don't drive over the limit, and you won't get many professional drivers doing so on the public road (whatever EVO says). ESP hasn't prevented me from enjoying my 100HP up to now.

You're right, most people won't drive over the limit that the ESP can handle and that is another reason why I didn't want to spend the extra £420 on it.

There may be times when I will want to drive it harder though and those are the times when I don't want ESP cutting in.

Yes, it may help in the snow, but I thought it was my other halfs job to tow me out of the snow Glad we don't get much snow in the UK.

Layney

 

[Gofra]

You're right, most people won't drive over the limit that the ESP can handle and that is another reason why I didn't want to spend the extra £420 on it.

There may be times when I will want to drive it harder though and those are the times when I don't want ESP cutting in.

Yes, it may help in the snow, but I thought it was my other halfs job to tow me out of the snow Glad we don't get much snow in the UK.

Layney

Layney, all it takes is an icy/wet road or an animal trying to cross it and you'll regret it just like did. I got away just with damaged fingers on my right hand and believe me, if I could turn back time...

Think smart mate

F

 

[trackdayqueen]

I must admit i definately did not ESP on my Panda. In all honesty though its pretty difficult to get any lift off oversteer, especially on my multijet as invariably all it does is understeer, I've tried lifting off mid-corner but it really is hard to provoke.

I've had some bad experiences with ESP nearly causing me to have a big accident in other cars, mainly because of it apply the brakes on the inside rear wheel which caused the car to lurch quite violently.

I'm not a fan of 'bad aids' myself.

This'll be why my fun doesn't have ESP, TC or even ABS.

 

[Layney]

I must admit i definately did not ESP on my Panda. In all honesty though its pretty difficult to get any lift off oversteer, especially on my multijet as invariably all it does is understeer, I've tried lifting off mid-corner but it really is hard to provoke.

I've had some bad experiences with ESP nearly causing me to have a big accident in other cars, mainly because of it apply the brakes on the inside rear wheel which caused the car to lurch quite violently.

I'm not a fan of 'bad aids' myself.

This'll be why my fun doesn't have ESP, TC or even ABS.

Clearly a like-minded individual!

I understand why some people might like ESP, but I've never needed it personally.

I currently drive a Renault Scenic and my other half drives it around MK (the land of roundabouts). It is easily provoked when he wants it to be. It doesn't have ESP, but he is always in control (he appreciates cars and the way they naturally handle)

One day I may even take the 100HP on a trackday to have a bit of fun and see where the natural limits of the car are

 

[Gofra]

Clearly a like-minded individual!

I understand why some people might like ESP, but I've never needed it personally.

I would never dare to say that...

I'm not saying it's an ultimate lifesaver, but I've seen plenty of video demonstrations of what it can do / when and how it intervenes and I can say Im convinced.



As for the intrusions - there's been a debate once and people found the ESP on 100HP very very unintrusive and thus alowing you to drive quite on the limit before it realy kicks in. Besides, you've got hill-hold assistance and ASR that can be turned off separately in case you find yourself in snow or on ice.

True though, they should allways leave the option to turn those things off just in case of a particular scenario where you might find it better without such help.

F

 

[Layney]

I would never dare to say that...

I'm not saying it's an ultimate lifesaver, but I've seen plenty of video demonstrations of what it can do / when and how it intervenes and I can say Im convinced.



True though, they should allways leave the option to turn those things off just in case of a particular scenario where you might find it better without such help.

F

I am not trying to tempt fate by saying it will never happen to me, because it could.

If I was driving a car that was difficult to handle, I would certainly chose ESP for the safety as I am not a racing driver, however I've driven a variety of cars - much more powerful than the 100HP (Clio V6, 350Z, M Roadster, S4 etc...), so I am pretty sure I won't get into trouble without ESP :worship:

If I ever have an accident, I'm sure it will be all down to human error and not the fault of the car I am driving. Cars don't cause accidents, it's the people that drive them....

I think the safest thing when it comes to driving, is knowing the limits and keeping within them.

 

[HP]

It's when it all goes wrong unexpectedly that it saves your skin. Keeping to your limits and a wealth of driving experience might well do you no good at all in that situation. The ESP might keep you and the car intact.

 

[Layney]

It's when it all goes wrong unexpectedly that it saves your skin. Keeping to your limits and a wealth of driving experience might well do you no good at all in that situation. The ESP might keep you and the car intact.

My friend managed to write off his 1-series below 50 mph. The 1-series comes equipped with dynamic stability control, dynamic traction control, auto stability control and I'm sure much more equipment to spend your £'s on.

Luckily he wasn't driving faster otherwise it may have written him off too, but it just goes to show that whether you have all this high tech equipment or not bad stuff can still happen.

I never said it won't happen to me, but whats the point of waiting for it to happen, when there is also a chance that it might not

 

[HP]

ESP/DSC/ASR will never make you immortal or give your car the abilities of an SPV from Captain Scarlet. If you're way beyond it, you're going to crash anyway regardless of how many acronyms you're equipped with.

True, there is a chance it may never happen - but at the opposite end of the scale there is also a chance it could keep you alive.

It's a bit like airbags, they are an option but the UK market tends to opt for air con, bigger alloys etc. rather than them. Air con might keep you cool when you're barrel rolling down the motorway embankment because someone else hasn't seen you and pushed you off the road, but the airbags might make your injuries serious instead of life threatening.