General Question

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General Question

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Hi all,

I'm toying with replacing my facelift (2018) TwinAir Panda Lounge for one with a winter pack, but I can't seem to find any that came with the winter pack, only on the 4x4 and Cross version, which I already own. Was the winter pack option available on the facelift standard Panda?
 
Hi all,

I'm toying with replacing my facelift (2018) TwinAir Panda Lounge for one with a winter pack, but I can't seem to find any that came with the winter pack, only on the 4x4 and Cross version, which I already own. Was the winter pack option available on the facelift standard Panda?
Yes, though a rare option. Our 2017 1.2 Lounge has them.

The heated seats I've never used, though they took a while to warm (bases only) when I tested them.

Heated windscreen is Ok but:
a) If it's frosty you may well also have a load of condensation on the inside and the heated-screen doesn't easily shift that
b) You now have tiny wires in your vision all the time, which, when sunny fight with the shiny dash-top to see which can best wreck your view ahead

On balance, like the City-brake and DAB, not something I'd personally seek out.

However, someone's flogging one on AT:

 
Last edited:
Yes, though a rare option. Our 2017 1.2 Lounge has them.

The heated seats I've never used, though they took a while to warm (bases only) when I tested them.

Heated windscreen is Ok but:
a) If it's frosty you may well also have a load of condensation on the inside and the heated-screen doesn't easily shift that
b) You now have tiny wires in your vision all the time, which, when sunny fight with the shiny dash-top to see which can best wreck your view ahead

On balance, like the City-brake and DAB, not something I'd personally seek out.

However, someone's flogging one on AT:




Thanks for the info and link AB, at least I know they are around with the winter pack option.
 
My 2018 4x4 has the winter pack, as did its short-lived predecessor (written off by a large truck hitting it from behind eight weeks after I bought it in 2018 - although MOT records show it is back on the road somewhere!)

I agree with @AB100 that there are pros and cons to it.

The heated screen does work very well - when it works. But mine stopped heating a large section of the screen quite early on and the screen was replaced under warranty. That screen in turn was broken by a flying stone, so it now has a third one in place. So far as I know, it is still working now, but the connections to the glass do seem 'fragile'.

And yes, especially in conjunction with low winter sun and the silly, shiny dash, it can be tricky to see clearly past the wires and the reflections. I dit cut a chunk of black 'stage dressing felt' to cover the driver's side of the dash which eliminated the reflections. But the summer sun has faded the cloth to a beige colour that now reflects again. I'll redo it soon. (didn't do the passenger side owing to the airbag in the top of the dash panel)

The seat heaters are good, but only heat the base, not the seat back. And they only have one setting - pretty hot! My newish-to-me 2013 Defender has fully heated seats that do seem to be better (although again, only one setting), and I have used these since the cabin heater takes longer to get warm than the Panda does.

They are both 'nice to have' options, but to be honest I hardly use them. Auto climate might be more useful? And all-season tyres.

As an aside...
The condensation on the inside is actually a by-product of having air con. Using the aircon in winter is a great way to keep the windows clear from misting on the inside, but tends to leave water (which forms as condensation on the chiller matrix in the heater) sitting in the heater box under the dash. Although most does rainout under the car there seems to be enough residual moisture which, when parked overnight, evaporates onto the inside of the screen where it condenses as big droplets. The answer is to turn off the aircon while driving home from wherever you've been, and instead set the heater to max and the blower on full for a bit, to dry out the heater box.
 
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