Hi I've recently purchased a Panda 4x4 , I live in the UK and I'm hoping it snows soon so I can to test it's capability, I agree with you they're a great little car
Nice to see another owner, we have one here in Scotland the last 2 years and I think its a little 'swiss army knife' of a car, very capable, ideal in snow but unpretentious, its no wonder they are all over the Alps. I came from a LR Defender and 90% of the time it does what i needed the defender to do. Atb Andrew
Appreciate your thoughts on the Panda 4x4 cross, excellent video👍😎 I'm looking at buying the 4x4 model which I guess is very similar spec but without hill decent and slightly lower ride height, which doesn't really concern me. It will just be a cheap to run city car with fun 4x4 ability for UK winters. So what are your thoughts on it after long term ownership? Cheers Phil
Hey PD Tech. Sorry for my late answer. I sold the Panda some three months ago as I got tired of having two cars. However, I almost don't have anything but good things to say about the Panda. The one negative thing would be a slightly disappointing fuel consumption, especially at highway speed. I believe, though, that the normal 4x4 you are planning to buy is a better choice in this respect. The ride height should be more than adequate unless you plan to use the car in the forest. As a city car the Panda is marvelous, which is more than can be said for my Alfa Romeo 159...
@@roadofplenty237 Thanks for the reply and your thoughts about the Panda 😎👍 I eventually bought one a 2014 Panda 4x4 0.9 Twinair Antarctica, it's a limited edition model with some extras above the normal 4x4 so it has reverse parking sensors, aircon, heated electric mirrors, privacy glass, blue and me etc Hill Hold and lots of other stability and traction extra features. We're very happy with it so far, I like the rugged styling the high up seating position gives great visibility. I'm impressed with the Twinair engine, I did have concerns it would lack power or be too noisey at speed but when driving it you quickly forget it only has 2 cylinders, it is definitely very agile and nimble having 6 gears helps to keep it in the right part of the rev range to help progress. Like you say fuel consumption is not as good as indicated on paper but I feel part of that is the way you drive it and if you rev it through the tange in each gear, then it is going to use more fuel but it's a challenge not to drive it like that and change when the indicator tells you, at around 2k revs is when the power starts to come in but it tells you to change up lol 😎👍😁
Dear Michael. The transmission tunnel is not really restrictive. However, I am finding it slightly unpleasant due to the hard material of the plastic. If I used it for more longer trips I would actually consider putting some softer padding on it.
I was at the Fiat dealer (Sweden)to possible buy a new Panda cross a few days ago but I was recently told that the vehicle tax for a new Panda is 6884kr/year.It's a little too much for a such a small and "cheap" car :(
The only thing I dislike about this car is the fake protective grills on the front and rear. Why not just make them from actual metal, and be fixed properly to the chassis and actually provide protection like the under body cages, and not make them of silly plastic just clipped on ? Saw one that had run into something, what a joke. Plastic all squashed. Pretentious. Id rather have the standard 4x4 because apart from the descent control, it performs just as well, and its cheaper to buy. Most buyers do not go off-road with these apart from muddy tracks and of course, if you live in an area which gets bad winters, its a fab car for the money but not the cross version. At full price you are better off paying a bit more and buying a Subaru XV instead.
Hi Ernie. I guess I agree with you on your comment about the fake protective grills. However, I still like the looks. I'm not quite sure I need the additional ride height compared to the 4x4, but in the winter it's really nice to have the ground clearance.
In the XV you would lose more value. The Panda 4x4 is one of the best cars for holding its value. MPG would also be better in the Panda, Road Tax. Not to mention the 9 months of the year you need a parking space in town. The Panda and the Jimny are probably better in snow due to the low weight. I had a Vitara that was definitely better downhill than previous land rovers I had, just because it was lighter.
Hi I've recently purchased a Panda 4x4 , I live in the UK and I'm hoping it snows soon so I can to test it's capability, I agree with you they're a great little car
They're great in the snow. Hope you'll get some in the UK.
Thank you for this enjoyable review and for the demonstration on how to deal with hoax callers 👍
Thank you Keith.
Nice to see another owner, we have one here in Scotland the last 2 years and I think its a little 'swiss army knife' of a car, very capable, ideal in snow but unpretentious, its no wonder they are all over the Alps. I came from a LR Defender and 90% of the time it does what i needed the defender to do. Atb Andrew
Very nice
Appreciate your thoughts on the Panda 4x4 cross, excellent video👍😎 I'm looking at buying the 4x4 model which I guess is very similar spec but without hill decent and slightly lower ride height, which doesn't really concern me. It will just be a cheap to run city car with fun 4x4 ability for UK winters.
So what are your thoughts on it after long term ownership?
Cheers Phil
Hey PD Tech. Sorry for my late answer. I sold the Panda some three months ago as I got tired of having two cars. However, I almost don't have anything but good things to say about the Panda. The one negative thing would be a slightly disappointing fuel consumption, especially at highway speed. I believe, though, that the normal 4x4 you are planning to buy is a better choice in this respect. The ride height should be more than adequate unless you plan to use the car in the forest. As a city car the Panda is marvelous, which is more than can be said for my Alfa Romeo 159...
@@roadofplenty237 Thanks for the reply and your thoughts about the Panda 😎👍 I eventually bought one a 2014 Panda 4x4 0.9 Twinair Antarctica, it's a limited edition model with some extras above the normal 4x4 so it has reverse parking sensors, aircon, heated electric mirrors, privacy glass, blue and me etc Hill Hold and lots of other stability and traction extra features.
We're very happy with it so far, I like the rugged styling the high up seating position gives great visibility. I'm impressed with the Twinair engine, I did have concerns it would lack power or be too noisey at speed but when driving it you quickly forget it only has 2 cylinders, it is definitely very agile and nimble having 6 gears helps to keep it in the right part of the rev range to help progress.
Like you say fuel consumption is not as good as indicated on paper but I feel part of that is the way you drive it and if you rev it through the tange in each gear, then it is going to use more fuel but it's a challenge not to drive it like that and change when the indicator tells you, at around 2k revs is when the power starts to come in but it tells you to change up lol 😎👍😁
Congratulations on your purchase!
Have you found leg room next to the transmission tunnel is unpleasant or restrictive when driving ?
Dear Michael. The transmission tunnel is not really restrictive. However, I am finding it slightly unpleasant due to the hard material of the plastic. If I used it for more longer trips I would actually consider putting some softer padding on it.
I was at the Fiat dealer (Sweden)to possible buy a new Panda cross a few days ago but I was recently told that the vehicle tax for a new Panda is 6884kr/year.It's a little too much for a such a small and "cheap" car :(
That is expensive, but would only be the first three years. I sold mine a year back and miss it quite a lot, especially in the winter.
AnythingThatMoves yes it is expensive even if it's only the first 3 years so maybe it's better to buy the cross hybrid even if it's only 2w drive
Thanks for the review. Any bad points with the car?
Thanks for watching! Not really any bad points except for the few remarks already mentioned in the video. Been away for i while, thus my late reply.
Grandissima panda cross 4x4 sei imbattibile su tutti i campi 😎👍🐼💪❤ 🇮🇪
Skiping the gears in a two cylinder car going up and the car will protest. Changing down two and you will be rewarded.
The only thing I dislike about this car is the fake protective grills on the front and rear. Why not just make them from actual metal, and be fixed properly to the chassis and actually provide protection like the under body cages, and not make them of silly plastic just clipped on ? Saw one that had run into something, what a joke. Plastic all squashed. Pretentious. Id rather have the standard 4x4 because apart from the descent control, it performs just as well, and its cheaper to buy. Most buyers do not go off-road with these apart from muddy tracks and of course, if you live in an area which gets bad winters, its a fab car for the money but not the cross version. At full price you are better off paying a bit more and buying a Subaru XV instead.
Hi Ernie. I guess I agree with you on your comment about the fake protective grills. However, I still like the looks. I'm not quite sure I need the additional ride height compared to the 4x4, but in the winter it's really nice to have the ground clearance.
In the XV you would lose more value. The Panda 4x4 is one of the best cars for holding its value. MPG would also be better in the Panda, Road Tax. Not to mention the 9 months of the year you need a parking space in town. The Panda and the Jimny are probably better in snow due to the low weight. I had a Vitara that was definitely better downhill than previous land rovers I had, just because it was lighter.