General What Panda have I bought?

[Jerseywurzel]

Hi all,
I ordered a new, 2011 Panda 1.2 Dynamic and collected last week.

According to the specs on the Fiat website & the brochure I got, it should have:

Split rear seat
Cloth headrests
aircon

It hasn`t got a split seat, but I did get the 5th person seat belt, so I guess that cancels out.

I got the "PVC" open head rests, 4 of them
I seem to have climate control, rather than Aircon (I don`t have an auto switch, just the clickable dial which you turn but can push in).

Nowhere on the body can I see a model, engine size etc.

How can I find out what I`ve got?

Other specs which came as advertised include:
Foglights, roof bars, height adjustable driver seat, cd/mp3 player, 14" alloys, body coloured door post, electric mirrors, 12v socket, height adjustable steering wheel, fix&go puncture kit

which indicates the new Dynamic. But I really wanted the aircon & cloth head rests

 

[cryptixabarth]

Perhaps, you have got the dynamic, but iwould have thought that it would indicate this with some lable on the car?

Or an alternative suggestion, they might have given you the base model with upgrades on the spec?
check the invoice and query it with the dealer

 

[Jerseywurzel]

I would have thought I could find a label but nothing on the door jamb, nor the tailgate. I did query the aircon with the dealer & he said it was aircon. I`m just confused because reading the manual, there seems to be 3 types of control: Manual, climate and air con. I seem to have the climate.

What`s the difference anyway?

 

[Geddes]

It sounds like a standard Dynamic, but with the five seat option. The extra belt comes with head restraints on the one-piece rear seat and it sounds like you then get matching plastic restraints in front as well.
Personally I'd have preferred four full seats over the ability to seat three midgets in the back

The AC sounds like the standard Fiat AC where you turn it on by pushing the dial that controls the fan speed..

 

[Jerseywurzel]

@Geddes
Ah, thanks, the bit about the headrest/seatbelt makes sense.

What`s the difference between standard AC & the other?

Ta muchly.

 

[The Beard]

Well you could tell the dealer that this wasn't what you'd ordered and reject it, although if you've put a few miles on it that's out of the question.

Air Conditioning simply conditions, or dehumidifies if you like, the air in the car. It is very useful for clearing icy windscreens and misted up glass in general. What A/C systems all have is a refrigeration function which is what we usually think of when we talk of A/C. What you can't do is set the temperature you want.

With Climate Control you can. So if you set it to 20 degrees, for argument's sake and the outside temperature is 25 then it will keep going until the interior is at 20. But if the outside temperature goes up to 30, with a car with A/C the temperature inside goes up as well.

With Climate Control it will stay at the temperature you set. Mrs. Beard's Alfa has C/C and an Auto button so whatever the temp you set the system goes berzerk until it achieves the desired level. C/C is always more expensive than A/C.

You should be able to discount the diesel, unless you're very hard of hearing and you'd know if you had a 100HP because it would say on it. As far as I know you can't get C/C on a basic so it must be a Dynamic or Eleganza.

If it turns out you ordered a a Dynamic and got an Eleganza - STFU.

As a matter of interest, where I work is suddenly having a love in with FIAT and they've taken about a dozen Doblo vans and half a dozen Panda Dynamic MJ diesels. The only badges are a FIAT one on the grille and the same on the tailgate along with the word Panda. There isn't even the word Multijet like on mine.

 

[Geddes]

What`s the difference anyway?

Take a look at the dashboard of this 100HP.
There are no knobs at all. That's a Panda with climate control.

 

[trackdayqueen]

You have manual aircon. You don't have climate control. There are two types, one is manual aircon, Ie you push the button in and aircon is on, then it's up to you to set the fan speed and temperature.

With climate you just set it at a desired temp. Then as others have said it will automatically direct the air to the dash vents or screen and feet depending upon outside temp. Climate control is far nicer than manual aircon as there is no twiddling to do, as once you have set the temp you don't have to touch it as it does all that for you.

 

[JD82]

Sounds like a Mylife or an Active 1.2 with the 5 seat pack and the aircon and alloy option ordered. The dynamic should have cloth head rests but FIAT are always changing the specs!

 

[Geddes]

The dynamic should have cloth head rests but FIAT are always changing the specs!

It does, but the five seater is still an option and then you lose the split fold seat and nice head rests.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

You've standard A/C, not C/C

 

[Jerseywurzel]

hThanks all, for the info.

It seems that I probably do have a Dynamic, but with manual rather than auto aircon, and because I have 5 seat belts, lose the cloth headrests.

Sound right to you?

I am beginning to really like it now, faster acceleration than the Seiccento Sporting and handles well

 

[Nathan126]

Probably just a newer more refined engine, the seicento is stated to have the same 0-60.. roughly

 

[trackdayqueen]

It seems that I probably do have a Dynamic, but with manual rather than auto aircon

Dynamics have manual aircon, they do not have climate control unless it's spec'd.

 

[ivantate]

Does the dashboard tell you the economy if you press the button on the end of the wiper stalk?

if it does you have a dynamic.

 

[Jerseywurzel]

Does the dashboard tell you the economy if you press the button on the end of the wiper stalk?

if it does you have a dynamic.

Yes, it has a trip computer, if that is what you mean

 

[The Beard]

Thinking about it, if you have rotary heater controls with a push-push button on the dashboard with the letters A/C then you have air conditioning, whereas if you have push button heater controls and a digital temperature readout then that's Climate Control.

Er, what was the question again?

 

[Jerseywurzel]

Thinking about it, if you have rotary heater controls with a push-push button on the dashboard with the letters A/C then you have air conditioning, whereas if you have push button heater controls and a digital temperature readout then that's Climate Control.

Er, what was the question again?

Well, I have rotary controls with a pussh button, but there isn`t any lettering at all! But there isn`t a digital readout so that rule sout Climate Control.

Damn!!! I see the seagulls have left a pressy all over the roof & windscreen again

 

[JTD_Liam]

The rotary control for the fan speed should have a little white snowflake on it above a LED which lights up when you press the control in? If it has that then it's manual aircon. It's definately not climate control but just clarifying it has some sort of aircon as some models have none at all. The manual aircon is the standard feature on Dynamic models now.

For some reason they've given you the 5 seat optional extra. You could moan about if you don't want it, as it does lose the split rear seat & nicer headrests, but basically what you've got is just the standard new Dynamic plus 5 seat option, which now comes up on the Fiat configurator as having 'Front & Rear Un-Upholstered Head Rests' - i don't think it used to state that.

Liam

 

[Jerseywurzel]

The rotary control for the fan speed should have a little white snowflake on it above a LED which lights up when you press the control in? If it has that then it's manual aircon. It's definately not climate control but just clarifying it has some sort of aircon as some models have none at all. The manual aircon is the standard feature on Dynamic models now.

For some reason they've given you the 5 seat optional extra. You could moan about if you don't want it, as it does lose the split rear seat & nicer headrests, but basically what you've got is just the standard new Dynamic plus 5 seat option, which now comes up on the Fiat configurator as having 'Front & Rear Un-Upholstered Head Rests' - i don't think it used to state that.

Liam

THanks to everyone, I think I inderstand now. I seem to have the 2011 Panda 1.2 Dynamic with manual aircon and it does cool the car nicely. I`ve also got the 5 seat option which according to Fiat configurator, now come with 4 "non-upholstered headreats", also meaning you can`t have the split seat, sliding seat option.

Anyway, this forum is a mine of useful information and I have been trawling through carefully. I now realise there are foot rests on both sides of the centre console, presumably for left & right hand drive clutch rests. It makes economic sense to maake one console for both versions.

Also the gearing of 3-5th gear is much higher than the Seicento Sporting I had before, so have to run it in lower gears for slightly longer. It has slightly more power though, over the 1.1 Seicento.

I also now know I need to buy "cross bars" to use the roof rails, but that rails produce less drag when you don`t use them all the time, over the cheaper roof bars. All very useful info!

Anyway, I`ve had the car 2 weeks now and have just about got the seating/steering wheel height just about right for me. The ride is much higher and to be honest, I was very comfortable in the Seicento and it`s taking a bit of jiggling to get as comfortable in the Panda.

All in all, there's so many good points in this new car, I know I`ve made a good choice

BTW my old car sold at the dealers in 2 days, for £400 LESS than he gave me for it

Any,way, thanks again for the input, and the forum. You rock!