Warning: veeeeeeeeeeery long post!
As I’ve posted elsewhere I currently drive a Ford Sportka SE; in 30 months it’s done 58,000 miles, and judging by the amount of warranty work needed and anecdotal evidence keeping it is going to bring some big bills.
A new car then, seems to make sense.
Now, the Sportka (SE) has been great, surprisingly versatile; 210 mile motorway trips bouncing along in the 90’s, zipping around town, swallowing me, Mrs S and the Boy along with a weeks holiday luggage - with some clever packaging -, rallycrossing across fields at country fairs… who needs anything else?
Well, more rear space would be nice, a quieter ride, a bigger boot, better fuel economy, more speeeeeeeeeed, five doors…
All the reviews I’ve read about the 100HP enthuse about how much fun it is to drive – certainly the Sportka’s great talent. However steering feel is marked down as too light and remote (another strength in the Ford; it’s heavier than most modern cars but adds to the chuckable feel, the instant flickability [sorry to go all Troy Queef]) and the ride is noted as crashy and pogo-y. But then the SE hardly has a Royce type ride so this would have to be comparative.
So, I popped myself down to a local dealer. They didn’t have a 100HP but had a boggo Panda, in bright orange.
First impressions then.
Where the Sportka SE is all curves and blistered arches lending it a more aggressive look compared to the shopping trolley Ka the 100HP is very blocky. all straight edges and truncated rear. Of course it’s an ‘honest’ shape, no frippery which lends it appeal but it didn’t excite me that much, I worried if I’d do that climbing out and doing the last look over the shoulder thing as I walk away.
Obviously looks are subjective, but in bare facts the Panda is shorter and narrower than the Sportka, has 4HP more and a little less torque.
9.5secs (100HP) vs 9.8 to 62mph, 115mph (100HP) vs 108 top speed (though the Speedo on the Sportka happily shows more than 110 – woooo, feel the power).
1.4 litre engine vs the Sport’s 1.6 - 42mpg (100HP) vs 37mpg (33-36 in my experience) . Six speed gearbox, climate control.
Not yet convinced by the looks then, but I try out the seat. Good lord, it’s high! The bumph says the 100HP’s seat is even higher than the standard model and this is bad enough! Even with the van like silhouette my eyes seem to be at the same height as the header rail. Next disappointment follows closing the door (solid enough clunk) – you sit a lot closer to the side of the car than in even my Sportka SE. A touch claustrophobic then – yet the glasshouse is deep, perversely meaning you feel quite exposed; even sitting in the showroom I felt perched on the Fiat, not sat in it.
The dash does feel and look substantial compared to the Sports ‘teardrop’ design. The wheel holds buttons for the stereo – welcome to the world of tomorrow! – a touch of sophistication over the Ka, though the wheel rim is the same section all round and not shaped like in Ka’s, it’s not as tactile.
The plastics don’t feel cheap, happily, and neither did the big square lump of a centre console look too 80’s, as I’d feared from the pictures.
I guess the Panda’s big ‘party piece’ is the dash mounted six-speed gearbox. I’ll resist using the phrase ‘van-like’ again, because while it felt unnatural initially I’m sure it will make very good sense in use, the stick just a hand drop away from the wheel. However the lower housing seemed to intrude a little into the footwell, again adding to the (very) small car feel.
The base model had a five-speed box and of course I wasn’t on the move so I can’t really comment on the HP’s six speeder, but the throw seemed a little long and not as flick-of-the-wrist snickety as the Sportka’s.
I was feeling a tad disappointed at this stage, looking around trying to find the same amount of oddment storage I’ve got in the Ka, wondering what all the hype was about. Into the back then, and here was good stuff, one of my requirements, the Fiat is shorter than the Ka but has a lot more space in the back - impressively so. But again, you sit very high and close to the roof lining.
Last stop, the boot. Now the Ka has just about managed on several week long holidays; Mrs S’s hard suitcase flat in the boot, my soft case on top, bits and bobs squeezed around and The Boy’s stuff on the rear seat next to him. Looking at the Fiats boot I didn’t know whether to giggle or sigh, despite on paper having a bigger litre capacity it’s tiny, 100mm+ smaller front to rear than the Ka. New suitcases then…
Second thoughts.
I took Mrs Skyhook to look at the boggo Panda a few days later. I must say, I was more impressed on this second viewing. It certainly has a solid feel to it, given the price, and with Climate and Bluetooth etc a nice level of kit. The footwell is narrow, but I've tried with two pair of shoes now and it's not been a problem. I won't be able to wear my big chunky boots though. The housing for the high gearstick does eat up space, there is less space to spread your legs (no jokes please) than in the Ka, but I don't think it will be an annoyance. However, the door is very close to my right elbow; again more so than in the Ka which is a worry, but I'm sure I could adapt, and wouldn't notice it after a while.
And I found the lever which lowers the seat height. Oddly it lowers the seat just under the bum but not the knees which feels slightly odd but on the lowest setting I felt much more comfortable and 'in' the car. The passenger seat is still set high though, there is less headroom that in the (lower) Ka. I'm starting to like it.
The big worry was the stupidly tiny boot, even given the masses (all things being relative) backseat space. However, we stumbled on the fact that the rear seats can be slid forward! I'm amazed that that wasn't mentioned in the sales bumph, it's a very handy feature, allowing you to choose boot space/rear seat space depending on your needs for a journey. Big tick from both of us then, Mrs Skyhook even found the pedals more suited to her than in the Sportka SE. Until, of course, we found the slidey seat isn’t an option on the 100HP!
Test Drive.
I found a second dealer offering the HP at 25% off list - £7,999. I put down a refundable £100 deposit to get dibbsies on the one Ambient White with Skydome roof Panda on the current shipment there and then.
The dealer was good enough to source and fetch a 100HP for me, considering I had all but signed on the dotted line anyway, but I did want a test to find if there was any horrendousness that would be impossible to live with.
In grey (“It’s silver” corrected the salesgirl) the 100HP adds a welcome element of chunkiness over the standard models. The front grille treatment, the subtle wheel arch extensions, the lowered suspension and attractive (smaller than the Ka) alloys gave it a subtle sportiness. I’ve overheard yoofs sneer as they walked past my factory standard Sportka “I’ve never seen one of those that hasn’t been modified”, so a subtle car will make a change, even though I love the sportka’s pre-chavved wide arches, fog/driving lights and 16” alloys. Well, I say subtle, the 100HP's blacked out rear windows are a bit drug-dealer… I wasn’t too sure, but now I’m glad I opted for white – the grey/silver looks good in magazine photos but a little too anonymous in the metal. Now, my initial doubts have gone, I love the looks
I couldn’t make my excuses and leave work too early, so after skiving off an hour before end of play I got to the dealer just as the Nottingham evening traffic rush was starting, which wasn’t ideal. The 100HP was so new it still had protective sheets applied to the roof and bonnet, the rear boot release, heater and stereo weren’t working as the fuses hadn’t been fitted yet (no jokes about Fiat reliability please, am I sure about the fuses here!) so that wasn’t ideal either.
Still the Salesgirl drove it out the carpark for me and we swapped seats. It wasn’t until the drive was over that I realised that my concerns over the housing of the high mounted gearstick and the closeness of the drivers door hadn’t been an issue, no body parts were banged on Fiat in the making of this test drive. The closeness of the pedals was no problem for my size eights either, though perhaps the Sportka’s cramped pedalbox had stood me in good stead here.
On the move then, and visibility is good, aided by the small window in the C-pillar and upright hatchback. The view out the front was less good; with no climate control working the window was full of condensation, requiring an old school ‘back of the hand’ wipe several times during the journey – I’m glad I wasn’t the Salesgirl who had had to drive it up the M1. The door mirrors seemed a little small too, after the Ka, but I’m sure I’ll adapt. Incidentally, the electric controls for these are mounted on the floor just in front of the handbrake, the electric window switches are mounted either side of the gearstick – cheaper to engineer, but for ergonomics I’d prefer them on the door.
We went in a loop round a part of the ring road, then down some back streets. I probably didn’t get above 50, but did get to go down streets and around roundabouts that I’m familiar with. Interestingly, while more refined that the Sportka there was also a noticeable bit of ambient noise - tyre roar? This seems quite common now, as sound deadening gets better the engine and other noises are well suppressed, but tyre noise remains. This is of course, a cheap, small car so this id to be expected, and I certainly don’t think it’s obtrusive. I’m expecting the six-speed gearbox will make it a quieter, nicer place to be on the motorway than the Ka too.
The gearbox seems to be held in extremely high regard. Being set so high, just a droop of the hand from the steering wheel, it felt a little odd, being used to the Sportka’s little turned aluminium ball being right by my knee, and the shift felt vaguely longer than in the Ka, but I’m sure familiarity will show it to be more than fine, and not a let-down. With trying to assess the car while talking to the Salesgirl, cleaning the windscreen and not hitting anything I didn’t graunch a gearchange or have to hunt around the gate once. But them I should bloody hope not!
I was expecting the steering to be light, but on that brief drive it felt fine. Lighter than the Sportka, definitely, but then the Ka is old school again in its weighting, not many mainstream modern cars feel as heavy, Mondeo included. It was consistent in feel though, none of this daft resistance about dead centre that drops away as the wheel turns. It didn’t feel overlight like a Meganes, but without a longer test I can’t give a detailed analysis. In any case, there is a sport button that lowers the assistance by 20% and increases throttle response by 30% below 3,000 rpm. Again, it’ll take a longer test to see how much difference this really makes.
“Terrible” and “bouncy” are two words that seem to crop up a lot in the ride section of reviews. This of course, is comparative – I’m coming from a Sportka. Time will tell, but on this short slowish drive, where the Ka stiffly crashes on pot-marked roads the 100HP seemed to float better, slightly bouncy yes, but perhaps preferable to the spine-jolts that the Ka delights in. This is, after all, a car with a short, narrow wheelbase, not a limo.
I’d say it lacked the eagerness of the Ka, but then this is a car with very quick pick-up from slow speeds, it encourages a heavy right foot on the right-hand pedal, and I was being a bit more subtle in the 100HP. However, it was telling that on the ring road roundabouts, where you have to go for the slightest gap in traffic, the 100HP inspired confidence, it’s nippy. And using one roundabout to do a U-turn put another worry to rest; body roll seems acceptable.
I couldn’t try the climate control, or Bluetooth (not that I would’ve) and I’m a bit sad there doesn’t seem to be an iPod connection (back to my FM transmitter and retuning every time a local radio station interferes then), but the seating position was good, and I could comfortably sit in the back with the front seat set for me. Perhaps equal on space to the Ka, but you sit higher, more upright, and there is space for your feet under the front seats, which is a great help. Now the boot… not as deep as the Ka’s, but higher and wider due to better packaging. It’ll do.
So, I’m currently a happy excited bunny – I’ll miss the Sportka SE massively, but I think the Panda is going to be a fine, fine, replacement.
You haven’t actually read all this have you?
As I’ve posted elsewhere I currently drive a Ford Sportka SE; in 30 months it’s done 58,000 miles, and judging by the amount of warranty work needed and anecdotal evidence keeping it is going to bring some big bills.
A new car then, seems to make sense.
Now, the Sportka (SE) has been great, surprisingly versatile; 210 mile motorway trips bouncing along in the 90’s, zipping around town, swallowing me, Mrs S and the Boy along with a weeks holiday luggage - with some clever packaging -, rallycrossing across fields at country fairs… who needs anything else?
Well, more rear space would be nice, a quieter ride, a bigger boot, better fuel economy, more speeeeeeeeeed, five doors…
All the reviews I’ve read about the 100HP enthuse about how much fun it is to drive – certainly the Sportka’s great talent. However steering feel is marked down as too light and remote (another strength in the Ford; it’s heavier than most modern cars but adds to the chuckable feel, the instant flickability [sorry to go all Troy Queef]) and the ride is noted as crashy and pogo-y. But then the SE hardly has a Royce type ride so this would have to be comparative.
So, I popped myself down to a local dealer. They didn’t have a 100HP but had a boggo Panda, in bright orange.
First impressions then.
Where the Sportka SE is all curves and blistered arches lending it a more aggressive look compared to the shopping trolley Ka the 100HP is very blocky. all straight edges and truncated rear. Of course it’s an ‘honest’ shape, no frippery which lends it appeal but it didn’t excite me that much, I worried if I’d do that climbing out and doing the last look over the shoulder thing as I walk away.
Obviously looks are subjective, but in bare facts the Panda is shorter and narrower than the Sportka, has 4HP more and a little less torque.
9.5secs (100HP) vs 9.8 to 62mph, 115mph (100HP) vs 108 top speed (though the Speedo on the Sportka happily shows more than 110 – woooo, feel the power).
1.4 litre engine vs the Sport’s 1.6 - 42mpg (100HP) vs 37mpg (33-36 in my experience) . Six speed gearbox, climate control.
Not yet convinced by the looks then, but I try out the seat. Good lord, it’s high! The bumph says the 100HP’s seat is even higher than the standard model and this is bad enough! Even with the van like silhouette my eyes seem to be at the same height as the header rail. Next disappointment follows closing the door (solid enough clunk) – you sit a lot closer to the side of the car than in even my Sportka SE. A touch claustrophobic then – yet the glasshouse is deep, perversely meaning you feel quite exposed; even sitting in the showroom I felt perched on the Fiat, not sat in it.
The dash does feel and look substantial compared to the Sports ‘teardrop’ design. The wheel holds buttons for the stereo – welcome to the world of tomorrow! – a touch of sophistication over the Ka, though the wheel rim is the same section all round and not shaped like in Ka’s, it’s not as tactile.
The plastics don’t feel cheap, happily, and neither did the big square lump of a centre console look too 80’s, as I’d feared from the pictures.
I guess the Panda’s big ‘party piece’ is the dash mounted six-speed gearbox. I’ll resist using the phrase ‘van-like’ again, because while it felt unnatural initially I’m sure it will make very good sense in use, the stick just a hand drop away from the wheel. However the lower housing seemed to intrude a little into the footwell, again adding to the (very) small car feel.
The base model had a five-speed box and of course I wasn’t on the move so I can’t really comment on the HP’s six speeder, but the throw seemed a little long and not as flick-of-the-wrist snickety as the Sportka’s.
I was feeling a tad disappointed at this stage, looking around trying to find the same amount of oddment storage I’ve got in the Ka, wondering what all the hype was about. Into the back then, and here was good stuff, one of my requirements, the Fiat is shorter than the Ka but has a lot more space in the back - impressively so. But again, you sit very high and close to the roof lining.
Last stop, the boot. Now the Ka has just about managed on several week long holidays; Mrs S’s hard suitcase flat in the boot, my soft case on top, bits and bobs squeezed around and The Boy’s stuff on the rear seat next to him. Looking at the Fiats boot I didn’t know whether to giggle or sigh, despite on paper having a bigger litre capacity it’s tiny, 100mm+ smaller front to rear than the Ka. New suitcases then…
Second thoughts.
I took Mrs Skyhook to look at the boggo Panda a few days later. I must say, I was more impressed on this second viewing. It certainly has a solid feel to it, given the price, and with Climate and Bluetooth etc a nice level of kit. The footwell is narrow, but I've tried with two pair of shoes now and it's not been a problem. I won't be able to wear my big chunky boots though. The housing for the high gearstick does eat up space, there is less space to spread your legs (no jokes please) than in the Ka, but I don't think it will be an annoyance. However, the door is very close to my right elbow; again more so than in the Ka which is a worry, but I'm sure I could adapt, and wouldn't notice it after a while.
And I found the lever which lowers the seat height. Oddly it lowers the seat just under the bum but not the knees which feels slightly odd but on the lowest setting I felt much more comfortable and 'in' the car. The passenger seat is still set high though, there is less headroom that in the (lower) Ka. I'm starting to like it.
The big worry was the stupidly tiny boot, even given the masses (all things being relative) backseat space. However, we stumbled on the fact that the rear seats can be slid forward! I'm amazed that that wasn't mentioned in the sales bumph, it's a very handy feature, allowing you to choose boot space/rear seat space depending on your needs for a journey. Big tick from both of us then, Mrs Skyhook even found the pedals more suited to her than in the Sportka SE. Until, of course, we found the slidey seat isn’t an option on the 100HP!
Test Drive.
I found a second dealer offering the HP at 25% off list - £7,999. I put down a refundable £100 deposit to get dibbsies on the one Ambient White with Skydome roof Panda on the current shipment there and then.
The dealer was good enough to source and fetch a 100HP for me, considering I had all but signed on the dotted line anyway, but I did want a test to find if there was any horrendousness that would be impossible to live with.
In grey (“It’s silver” corrected the salesgirl) the 100HP adds a welcome element of chunkiness over the standard models. The front grille treatment, the subtle wheel arch extensions, the lowered suspension and attractive (smaller than the Ka) alloys gave it a subtle sportiness. I’ve overheard yoofs sneer as they walked past my factory standard Sportka “I’ve never seen one of those that hasn’t been modified”, so a subtle car will make a change, even though I love the sportka’s pre-chavved wide arches, fog/driving lights and 16” alloys. Well, I say subtle, the 100HP's blacked out rear windows are a bit drug-dealer… I wasn’t too sure, but now I’m glad I opted for white – the grey/silver looks good in magazine photos but a little too anonymous in the metal. Now, my initial doubts have gone, I love the looks
I couldn’t make my excuses and leave work too early, so after skiving off an hour before end of play I got to the dealer just as the Nottingham evening traffic rush was starting, which wasn’t ideal. The 100HP was so new it still had protective sheets applied to the roof and bonnet, the rear boot release, heater and stereo weren’t working as the fuses hadn’t been fitted yet (no jokes about Fiat reliability please, am I sure about the fuses here!) so that wasn’t ideal either.
Still the Salesgirl drove it out the carpark for me and we swapped seats. It wasn’t until the drive was over that I realised that my concerns over the housing of the high mounted gearstick and the closeness of the drivers door hadn’t been an issue, no body parts were banged on Fiat in the making of this test drive. The closeness of the pedals was no problem for my size eights either, though perhaps the Sportka’s cramped pedalbox had stood me in good stead here.
On the move then, and visibility is good, aided by the small window in the C-pillar and upright hatchback. The view out the front was less good; with no climate control working the window was full of condensation, requiring an old school ‘back of the hand’ wipe several times during the journey – I’m glad I wasn’t the Salesgirl who had had to drive it up the M1. The door mirrors seemed a little small too, after the Ka, but I’m sure I’ll adapt. Incidentally, the electric controls for these are mounted on the floor just in front of the handbrake, the electric window switches are mounted either side of the gearstick – cheaper to engineer, but for ergonomics I’d prefer them on the door.
We went in a loop round a part of the ring road, then down some back streets. I probably didn’t get above 50, but did get to go down streets and around roundabouts that I’m familiar with. Interestingly, while more refined that the Sportka there was also a noticeable bit of ambient noise - tyre roar? This seems quite common now, as sound deadening gets better the engine and other noises are well suppressed, but tyre noise remains. This is of course, a cheap, small car so this id to be expected, and I certainly don’t think it’s obtrusive. I’m expecting the six-speed gearbox will make it a quieter, nicer place to be on the motorway than the Ka too.
The gearbox seems to be held in extremely high regard. Being set so high, just a droop of the hand from the steering wheel, it felt a little odd, being used to the Sportka’s little turned aluminium ball being right by my knee, and the shift felt vaguely longer than in the Ka, but I’m sure familiarity will show it to be more than fine, and not a let-down. With trying to assess the car while talking to the Salesgirl, cleaning the windscreen and not hitting anything I didn’t graunch a gearchange or have to hunt around the gate once. But them I should bloody hope not!
I was expecting the steering to be light, but on that brief drive it felt fine. Lighter than the Sportka, definitely, but then the Ka is old school again in its weighting, not many mainstream modern cars feel as heavy, Mondeo included. It was consistent in feel though, none of this daft resistance about dead centre that drops away as the wheel turns. It didn’t feel overlight like a Meganes, but without a longer test I can’t give a detailed analysis. In any case, there is a sport button that lowers the assistance by 20% and increases throttle response by 30% below 3,000 rpm. Again, it’ll take a longer test to see how much difference this really makes.
“Terrible” and “bouncy” are two words that seem to crop up a lot in the ride section of reviews. This of course, is comparative – I’m coming from a Sportka. Time will tell, but on this short slowish drive, where the Ka stiffly crashes on pot-marked roads the 100HP seemed to float better, slightly bouncy yes, but perhaps preferable to the spine-jolts that the Ka delights in. This is, after all, a car with a short, narrow wheelbase, not a limo.
I’d say it lacked the eagerness of the Ka, but then this is a car with very quick pick-up from slow speeds, it encourages a heavy right foot on the right-hand pedal, and I was being a bit more subtle in the 100HP. However, it was telling that on the ring road roundabouts, where you have to go for the slightest gap in traffic, the 100HP inspired confidence, it’s nippy. And using one roundabout to do a U-turn put another worry to rest; body roll seems acceptable.
I couldn’t try the climate control, or Bluetooth (not that I would’ve) and I’m a bit sad there doesn’t seem to be an iPod connection (back to my FM transmitter and retuning every time a local radio station interferes then), but the seating position was good, and I could comfortably sit in the back with the front seat set for me. Perhaps equal on space to the Ka, but you sit higher, more upright, and there is space for your feet under the front seats, which is a great help. Now the boot… not as deep as the Ka’s, but higher and wider due to better packaging. It’ll do.
So, I’m currently a happy excited bunny – I’ll miss the Sportka SE massively, but I think the Panda is going to be a fine, fine, replacement.
You haven’t actually read all this have you?
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and it makes for an absolutely cracking read. Probably one of the most extensive and in-depth reviews I've ever read for the 100HP 
