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Fiat Panda
Foot down and mirror, signal, painkiller
A little while back I tested a bog-standard Fiat Panda and while it was slower than a real panda, it was also a damn sight cheaper to buy or run. So on balance, I liked it very much.
Since then, though, a couple of things have caused me to look once again at those initial findings. First of all James May, my colleague from Top Gear, has bought one, which means there must be something wrong with it, and second, I know what that something is.
Yes, the Panda is very good in town and very good, too, in snow and ice. It is also a great deal of fun on small rural back roads, because even if something does turn out to be coming the other way, there is always room to squeeze between it and the hedgerow.
But the Panda is a very small car, which means it has a very small engine, which means it is absolutely hopeless on the motorway. As hopeless as I would be on the men’s downhill course at Klosters.
Multimedia
Driving an underpowered car on the motorway is one of the most dangerous things a man can do. It’s up there with sticking your middle finger in the bottom of a sleeping tiger. It’s very nearly as dangerous as driving through Alabama with “Hillary for President” written on the side of your car.
The problem is simple. You come up behind a truck that is doing 50mph in the middle lane. So you think you will simply pull out and overtake. You therefore indicate, wait for a gap in the stream of traffic to your right and ease out.
Textbook stuff. Worthy of a Mr Tufty safe driving award from PC McGarret No 452.
Except you’re in for a shock because although you have your foot welded to the floor and you’re in third gear and the little engine is screaming itself to death, you are not doing what a scientist would call “accelerating”.
And now the car in the outside lane that was a speck in your rear-view mirror is leaving thick black lines all over the road as the driver desperately tries to avoid slamming into the back of the “effing a***hole” that pulled into his lane at 50mph . . . and then failed to go any faster.
You’re terrified that at any second it will slam into your tailgate, and this is doubly worrying when you’re in a Fiat Panda because the tailgate in question is only 4in abaft of your most precious and vital organs.
I use this as a general rule of thumb. If a car has less than 100 horsepower, it is never safe to pull into the outside lane if there is a car in sight . . . even if it’s three miles away. If a car has less than 60 horsepower, it is never safe to pull into the outside lane at all.
Sixty horsepower was fine in the days when cars had four wheels and a seat but now the average small car has so much safety equipment and so many luxury goods nailed to its dashboard that it weighs more than Bolivia. And to move a country, you need more than 60 horses. A lot more.
As you may know, I’m not well disposed to the idea of governments banning things, except for beards and ginger hair and butter beans and Scotsmen sitting in Westminster and caravans and any talk of global warming by people who don’t know what they’re on about and the Toyota Prius and books with no plot and costume dramas on ITV and anything with Jade Goody in it and Ken bloody Livingstone, but the only thing that stops me from banning the Fiat Panda from the outside lane of a motorway is that May would become even later for his call times on Top Gear.
Actually, there’s another reason. Fiat has just brought out a more peppy version of its lovable little car that has — wait for it — a dizzying 100 horsepower. That’s about a fifth of what I reckon is necessary to make progress these days, but hey, it’s a step in the right direction.
A 100 horsepower Panda should, in theory, be the perfect car. As cheeky and as much fun as its less powerful brothers. But useable on the motorway and not burdened with the ponderous May association.
It looks fab, too, with all sorts of sporty chicken wire grilles and zoomy lights. If it were a dog, it would have patches and cockeyed ears and it would whiz round your mother’s ankles whenever she came to stay and make a point of sticking its nose in the vicar’s crotch. But nobody else’s. If it were a dog, you’d like it a lot.
But it isn’t a dog. It’s a car and it’s good at that, too, easily swallowing two children into the back and, thanks to its boxy body, still having a decent-sized boot. I bet you could get an ironing board in there if you were determined enough.
So snow, ice, the school run, the motorway, town centres, parking, flash dinner parties, the station run in a morning. The little Fiat can take all these things in its stride and still be suitable for the family man who likes to spend his weekends doing extreme ironing. So, as a result, the specialist motoring press has been raving about this car.
Thinking that it might actually be Jesus with alloy wheels, I borrowed one. And I’m sorry but I pretty much hated it.
The problem is that the original, proper, normal Fiat Panda was conceived as a local car for local people. It was designed to be as cheap as possible and it is: £7,000 for a car that has, give or take, just as many parts as a £21,000 VW Golf is little short of remarkable. And it’s not like it was made by jungle people who were brought up on What Ox magazine either.
The trouble is that by sticking a 1.4 litre engine under the bonnet, you are now paying £10,000 for a £7,000 car. And it shows.
Yes, it’s faster. Yes, it corners well. And yes, it rides more smoothly than you might imagine, too, but there is almost no refinement at all. It’s like putting a Saturn V rocket in your vacuum cleaner. Sure, you will get the housework done more quickly but there will be some issues with noise, vibration and harshness.
And so it goes in the hot Panda. The engine gave me a headache, and because it’s pretty loud I had to turn the stereo up, and that made my headache worse. So then I had to slow down, and then what’s the point of all that extra power?
They say it will do 115mph, and I dare say that’s right, but achieving this speed is hard — there aren’t enough Nurofen in the world and it’s not desirable anyway because the Panda is so small it feels like you’re the food and it’s the hermetically sealed bag.
The windscreen is right there, in front of your nose. The back window is right there, touching the back of your head, and the deep side windows complete the picture with your peripheral vision. So when you’re doing 90mph it feels like you’re doing 90mph . . . without the benefit of a car around you. That’s quite disturbing, especially when you have the headache from hell.
I suppose if I were a well-off youth after a stylish urban runaround, and I never needed to make a long journey, the 100 horsepower Panda might make some kind of sense. But for anyone else, I’m afraid it’s time to draw pretty much the same wearisome conclusion that I seem to draw with all small car tests these days. You’re better off with the Suzuki Swift Sport.
Vital statistics
Model Fiat Panda 1.4 16v five-door
Engine 1368cc, four cylinders
Power 100bhp @ 5800rpm
Torque 94 lb ft @ 4500rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel 43.5mpg
CO2 154g/km
Acceleration 0-62mph: 9.5sec
Top speed 115mph
Price £9,995
Rating 2/5
Verdict Like a rocket in a vacuum cleaner
I just bought a 1.3 Diesel, for 6K brand new from one of the Internet based Fiat centres. I love it, fast, comfortable and I am 6 feet 3 inches tall. Angel will remap it to 100BHP with no external signs that this is a hot version, and fuel economy goes up too. Forget 7 or 10K, what a bargain.
Nick Bowles, Hebden Bridge, W Yorks
I totally disagree with Clarkson. I have had a 100hp Panda for over a year and every time I drive it, it brings a smile to my face.
What else can you buy for £10000 that ticks all the boxes
Superb reliability( not a problem from day 1 ) and it even has bluetooth. This car is just magnificent fun.
Andrew Sykes, Westhoughton, England
After driving the Panda 1.3 diesel I found it to be a fun car to drive, but come on Fiat, can’t you get that diesel engine to be a bit quieter. It’s absolutely dire, it’s supposed to be a refined modern diesel engine, but instead sound more like an old Ford Transit with 100,000 miles on the clock!!!
Stone, poole, england
Clarkson is so right about the 1.2 engine panda, I have one and its a wicked car for nipping around but when you take it on a motorway, it will not accelerate at all!
Alex, Colchester, England
I've had sport coupe's for years, Cougar V6 and Celica 190 T.Sport being the last 2. I never thought I would stoop to buying a small city car but after driving my wifes 107 and really enjoying it I bought a Fiat Panda 100hp and believe me I love it.
It's quick, fun to drive and very economical.
Paul Potter, Hull, East Yorkshire
this 100hp is a fun little car and it pleases me no end that clarkson hates it.
i bought my mrs one about a year ago and it has been so reliable (infact the most reliable car we have ever owned)
i have a Subaru impreza sti and i have so many problems it has put me off Jap cars for life.
this is the reason we refused to go the swifts route and to be honest i've never had that much trouble with fiat cars only UK dealers.
you guys are right, old clarky is so out of touch hes showing what a fossil he turning in to.
i am that impressed with fiat these days that i'm ditching the impreza and getting the grande punto abarth when it comes to the UK.
come on clarky you know you had fun in the panda.
dean butcher, deeping st james, uk
"Refinement", Jezza? We are talking about a hot Panda still, right, not a Mercedes-Benz?
You need to remember that young people think "vibration" is a nightclub. You're getting old!
Alex, Johannesburg, South Africa
Dont agree with this review-i have a Panda with the electronic gear box (automatic ).i also use it on The A4 Autostrada between Bergamo and Milano (in rush hours too!).Because i know how to drive , I make sure that I dont end up behind a truck in the first place.It will cruise at legal limit of 130kmh all day and beyond.The diesel is faster.Top i've had on the clock was 150kmh.
Overtaking is no problem with this car,providing you know what you're doing (just like with any car actually)-oh and it dont drink much either,about 15 to 16 per litre in full automatic and without going slow.
Paul Barker Hemings, Milano, Italy
I have a 100HP and I think it is fantastic...the 'Sport' button should be marked 'FUN' with a capitol FFF....I love it ....Wayne, Manchester, England
Wayne France, llandudno, UK
The trouble with Mr Clarkson is that he seems to have lost the plot! A car is a box on four wheels designed to get you from A to B reliably and with as little fuss as possible. Economy and comfort also help. My present car is an Audi A6 with all the go-faster gismos, but it does not alter the fact that my ten mile daily comute moves at an average speed of 15mph. What do I need all that pwer for? Let alone the expense!
Well actually I am keeping the A6, but I am buying a Diesel Panda because it "does what it says on the tin" and guys who really know what they are talking about have worked out that in real life it is the most economical car on the road with about 53mpg delivered in practical conditions.
Nigel Eborall, Lincoln,
I have a Multijet (Diesel) with 'just' 70 BHP. It has caused several drivers to drop a gear or two on their big engined cars and belt up the road AFTER me.
With the torque this busy little engine pushes out, it has no problems with overtaking on the motorway or anywhere else for that matter.
Maybe JC just needs to drive ordinary (Non 400 BHP) cars a bit more often ;)
BJ20
Ireland
BJ20, Cork, Ireland
Fiat stands for ,first in automobile technology.NUMERO UNO FIAT.From down under
john-lenny, sydney, australia
I bought a 9 month old Panda Dynamic about 4 weeks ago for its measley £35.00 a year tax and its whopping 65 mpg, not that i have got any where near that figure 53.2 mpg so far!
Yes Mr Clarkson it is slow but it can quite happily break all the UK speed limits, not that i have but it could. And to be honest i have started to get quite attached to the little thing, it seems much larger when you are driving it, a bit MPV like really. And the build quality seems very good.
So if you dont earn the national debt of Africa and you want a good cheap reliable car buy a Panda :)
clive, maidstone, kent
Clarkson should lose some weight perhaps. Having recently covered the nearly 100 miles from Amiens to the Chunnel in about 1 hour 15 minutes in my Wife's 1.2 Panda AUTOMATIC (that should pee off Clarkson even more) carrying the two of us plus part of the French wine lake, I cannot agree with what he says about performance. And it was fairly quiet and very comfortable. And it will top 100 quite willingly - still only doing about 4,500 rpm. And even at those speeds it still returned an average above 46 mpg. And there are now a lot of surprised French drivers - that at least should please the big C !
John Gudgeon, Downham Market,
Got a multijet fantastic just gone to tax it £35 for the year.
Thinking of purchasing another.
Michelle Jennings, Manchester,
Had a Fiat Panda Multijet for 7 months, covering 7000 miles. Paid £6200 (metallic silver) for 'pre-reg' showing 80 miles.Chuffed with the 64 mpg, I am currently getting, and will smile when asked for £35 next time I tax the thing. It is extremely quick off the mark at lights etc and a pleasure to drive going up the gears.
I concede that handling on country roads is appalling and road noise is terrible. I am developing tinnitus trying to drown out road noise with the stereo. My major gripe is with the downward gearing, despite the diesels hard working nature I find that taking large roundabouts in 3rd, at around 15-20mph, leaves the engine juddering severely and the change down to 2nd is so violent you feel like you are going to smash your head into the windscreen and then have to stop and pick your engine up off the road. The gear spacing for changing up gives great acceleration, but is a major liability when changing down robbing the car of low rev torque. Overall 7 out of 10.
Ian Barker, Corby, Northamptonshire
I've done almost 3000 miles in my Panda 100 and my ear drums haven't bled once... It does hack off allsorts of people driving flash beemers and bespoilered Astras though. Strangely none like being overtaken on the twisty bit at Bass Lake by my manic white Panda ! It IS noisey inside but that's what the CD player is for...
Paul , Cockermouth, UK
I'd be curious to hear what Clarkson had to say about the Multijet, which is torquier and supposed to be better on the motorway.
Mark, London, UK
I think you are missing the point mr clarkson short of driving about in oil burners with erratic power delivery there is not really any way of having fun without frequent visits to petrol stations. The crop of superminis are bloated and oversized so to get anyhtign resembling performance they all need either maniac high revving large capacity engines or forced induction to overcome their weight issues. I for one welcome a small lightweight car with fun handling. Remember how much fun little saxos and 106's were before eu madness made all cars be made from cotton woll in case you injure anyone who wants to bounce off your bonnet! They proved that small lighweight hatches were more than capable. I think we are all guilty of demanding bigger heavier cars that we don't really need. The mk1 golf was a huge selling car and it was more than capable of all the duties asked of it, yet now the current polo exceeds its size and the golf! Small is beautifal
Alan McGavin, Glasgow,
"Last time around it was an Astra one litre, 3 cylinder. "
When was that, 1973?
By the way, Jeremy, I think your Alabama comparison is a bit of an exageration. In the last election, although Bush won, Kerry got as much as an 83% in some counties.
Al, Spain,
hi there i have a 1.2 fiat panda eleganza i have just come back from a 1600 mile round trip spending a week in orkney with the car full of gear and my wife and two kids it sat at motor way speed very well even overtaking other bigger cars so i say to u mr clarkson you are use to running your ford gt wich breaks down a lot more than my panda so anything less than your ford would seem slow but its cheap to run and tax and will do more miles to the gallon than what u drive ( love top gear by the way )
david mckenzie, carlisle , cumbria /uk
I drive a small car, which I dare say, may be even slower than the panda. It's not dangerous when overtaking on the motorway - you just need a bit of a run up (oh the shame)!
J, London,
Hi Jeremy,
How come you left out the new Barabus which is a Veyron basher in your Top 10 fastest cars column?
Max Ncube, Lusaka, Zambia
I have to agree that the regular petrol engined Panda's are slow and can be a hazard on the motorway. I have the diesel 1.3 turbo version Panda, and having driven on the motorway recently, and a distance of 427miles each way, I found my Multijet diesel very nippy and capable of holding it's own with much larger cars.
The Multijet has good acceleration, is perky and fast when you need to overtake or suddenly increase your power, and a joy to ride, and with the added economy over the petrol engined siblings plus only costing £35 a year for road tax, I'm more than satisfied with it for local and motorway driving.
When I want speed and fun I drive my Classic Mini with rebored engine and built to race, when I want to drive longer distances and in comfort (and yes I find the Panda quite comfy for long journeys) I drive my Panda.
H Case, Cromer, Norfolk
Your absolutely right Clarky, i have a mini cooper and when i took it in for a service they gave me a Panda for the Day, I got in the panda, drove to the bottom of the road, pulled up, got out and walked home. its not that it wasn't exciting and quite fun, but more like an economy tin of beans, just knew there was a better version out there, and it wasnt the Panda,
Julian Fabio, Farnham, Surrey
Dear Mr Clarkson
I must tell you that the primary reason for purchasing the Sunday Times is to digest your motoring reviews. I find them witty, informativeand a thoroughly good read.
However, I must register my protest that, having paid a handsome price for this privilige, opening the Motoring Section to see 'Jeremy Clarkson is away' is more than disappointing - I feel cheated. Why cannot this be stated on the cover - are the publishers afraid they would loose revenue?
Regards
Tim Staple
P.S. I note that there is another columnist with a similar style appearing in the News Summary section. The quality is such that convinces one they must be a relation of yours. Judging by the picture it must be your son?
Tim Staple, Horndean, England
Happy Birthday Jeremy Clarkson
emma, chippenham, England
If you have trouble slowing from 70mph to 50mph, because some "idiot" in a panda uses on the only available overtaking lane, how on earth would you avoid the "accident" had the lorry he was overtaking suddenly jacknifed and stopped. You do not own the motorway, its made available to you to use safely, so please do so.
Clarkson, I think you are very entertaining but unfortunatly you promote dangerous and irresponsable behavour that could kill and injure, and I think it probably has already.
N Halton, west wickham,
Clarkson offers opinion, not the Commandments on tablets of stone (as if they are particularly revered by the majority of Christians as opposed to interpreted!!)
When a commentator/reviewer offers pithy and informed comments about an area in which he has quite literally decades of experience I think a lot of the public might do well to give credit to that experience. Instead, a lot of adverse comment seems to come from individuals who are outraged that Jeremy does not offer anodyne opinions designed to be all things to all men.
It is impossible to review a single vehicle in a way that delights all who read the article....Jeremy recognised that quite early on (probably within micro-seconds of becoming a journalist) and it would be refreshing if some of the 'critics' woke up/ grew up/ whatever it takes to be a mature contributor to serious issues.
As to James May, I back Clarkson 100% (because I recognise tongue-in-cheek when I hear it)
Keith Mackman, Dunmow, Essex
Jezza has got it spot on, the Veron is as good as it gets. Lets not mince words here, this is the ultimate, some may say its a posers car and that may be the case, but all who think the Carrera GT or something like that is an 'enthusiasts' car dont know what cars are about. Its the endless persuit of faster and more technologically advanced machines. its not about just seats and a steering wheel anymore and we have to move with the times. Nothing else ever conceived can touch the Veron, and I doubt anything will.
Ian, Middlesex,
LAdies and gentlemen
I trust the moderator will draw the attention of you guys to a recent problem I have just experienced as it cost me a lot of unnecessary money.
Having acquired a new vehicle in September this year, a vehicle of which I am rightly proud, my aging and somewhat in need of repair existing vehicle became redundant. I did nothing with this, being taxed and insured, until January this year, at which point I arranged for it to be scrapped. The vehicle was removed but the relevant apperwork was never completed. Concious of the legal implications I contacted the DVLA in Swansea and explained the circumstances. They advised me to complete the red form and send it to them with with a covering letter and all would be fine. The advice was duly taken on and acted on to the letter.
In early march I received a letter from the enforcement agency in Glasgow informing me that as I had neither taxed nor declared the vehicle off-road they were now proposing to fine me £80.00
Capatin Pugwash, newcastle, tyne & wear
Well you seem to put out reasonable programmes on cars and the Greatest Raid showed some of your other potential.However people who live in Kilner jars shouldn't throw stones so hands of the red haired society.
Mike Knaggs, Leeds, West Yorkshire
What's wrong with ginger hair exactly? And no, I'm not.
Jan Cook, High Wycombe, UK
Agree with Mr Straw in Nottingham. The Greatest Raid programme was terrific. Could you persuade the Beeb to commission a series? It was a great mix of adventure and derring-do; strategy/tactics/planning; and reminiscence. And you gave us a real sense of just how brave those guys were. Amazing stuff. More please!
Williams, E.Midlands,
just seen your greatest raid programe ,and I must say you did a brilliant job .Its time some lesser known w,w,2 exploits were covered .Most ignored perhaps is the convoy battles of the Atlantic ,O N S 5 being the most amazing episode ,although the malta convoys and the deliverence of the Ohio oil tanker into habour is mindblowing.My dad was an able seaman on convoys and oiften said we know nothing of fear untill you;ve tasted force 8 gale while the ships around you sink from torpedo strikes.My favorite story though is the Amiens prison raid ,the everyday tale of droping bombs like skittles at zero feet in blizzard conditions on a French jail , you would be pushed to make it up.Anyway love the programe, hope you do some more
fF J Straw, nottingham, U K
What perplexes me the most is , what on Earth possessed Fiat to build a 100 hp fiat panda in the first place , when a more refined ,100hp 500 is on the way . and an even more powerful abarth version due in 2008. these two cars have the same chassis and will have more or less the same asking price.
Given the choice i would prefer the latter (and so would thousands of other Italians im sure). simply put , It's in a class of it's own.
Corrado Bertorelli, Parma, Italy
What is all this £7000 for a Panda? I pick up my brand new 07 1.1 Active (any colour you like as long as it's custard) next week for £4995 on the road. In a fairly long motoring career I have driven most things from exotics to 5 old style Panda's. I even drove 32 ton trucks for 12 years. When it comes down to it, knocking 30 mins off my journey time to London realy matters little and as for the sophistication of big cars,well, radio 4 sounds much the same in my 735 BMW as a humble Panda. Some of you may have even seen us towing a racing dinghy all over the country with a red M reg. Panda 1000 fire?
John Saunders, Tunstead Milton, Derbyshire
complete non-car comment - have just read your artilcle on Russia with AA Gill - and am most interested in your 'take your breath away views" of the world. Hong Kong by dusk? Why so?
Lucy Harman, Chicago, usa
Say what you like about the Fiat Panda Jeremy but leave James alone! I think you are secretly jealous of his laid back, common sense attitude to life, and his rugged good looks, fabulous personality and independent lifestyle. He clearly doesn't need to curry favour by dismissing his colleagues' actions or choices. You keep playing your boy's games with your flash fast cars, and leave James to demonstrate how a real man behaves......with or without the Fiat Panda!
Em, Ramsgate, UK
a rocket in a vacuum cleaner? C'mon Mr Clarkson, how many of these have you driven?
Lynne, Alyth, SCOTLAND
Somebody tell me who actually pays £10k for one of these? That money buys you a decent Lexus LS400 / 430, a Range Rover P38 or Jag XJ. OK OK, even if you want a "supermini" that does 200MPG this money will buy you a very decent used Ford KA 1.3. Maybe one for each foot?
Steve, Bedford, England
i own half a mini and it doesnt move.
jim, london, uk
Hi there. Well the Budget is out. Guess what the Gas Guzzler gets a hit. Please tell me, how is a Gas Guzzler defined? I guess gas means fuel. So is the yard stick M.P.G. or is it 4x4 full time 4x4 selective. A people Carrier. I really do not know can you help me?
Philip Richards, Scarborough, England
Here in Oz Fiats were known by the translation "Fix It Again Tony" - have they improved?
Gerry Watts, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Clarkson's wrong about the standard Panda, at least in its diesel version. It's excellent on the motorway: no lack of power, stable and comfortable.
Rob, Brussels, Belgium
I owned an Argentine made Chevrolet (Opel) Corsa, which had a 1.8 16v engine in it and totally understand what Jermey is on about. It was dangerously unstable at freeway speeds. Good fun around town though, and you could get wheelspin in gears one, two and three !
jimmythespiv, Tokyo,
An Astra was the smallest you could find, Phil? You've not been looking hard enough, mate!
Starling, Lancaster,
Presumeably banning ginger hair does not apply to women Jeremy?
Ian, Cambridge, UK
pj, norwich: if you are going to mess about with semantics and attempt to argue the true meaning or definition of a word, please ensure that you are accurate otherwise you end up with someone real pedantic like me pointing out that you are wrong, foreign is only one part definition of the word exotic so there! ps. great review, shame about the car!
Ray, Liverpool, Liverside
I once went through San Pedro traffic lights sideways in a Seat Panda after the BMW in front of me decided to stop when the lights suddenly went amber. Like stopping the Queen Mary.
Gwilym Rhys-Jones, Costa del Sol, Spain
Little Fiats are always fun - I used to have a Cinqo, which, with decent tyres on it, could handle any given corner in an urban driving environment without braking! The lack of accelaration is less of an issue then...
I only hope Fiat's service infrastructure has improved - I recall sky-high prices, abusive staff and a month long wait to get a handbrake cable as apparently there wasn't one anywhere in the entire country.
ashers, Birmingham UK,
Well, JC, I just bought a spanking new Fiat Panda 100 BHP for the city runs. Easy to park, fast cornering and increadible accelaration in between traffic lights and zebra crossings, WOW, the children love it!
For the more "adventurous trips" I drive a more conservative X5 seven seater, which easily accomodates the whole family without compromising on motorway accelaration or noise levels.
Lets say, this combination provides the best of both worlds in terms or family motoring, while allowing for a small contribution on CO2 emissions reduction when the opportunity presents itself!
Jose, London, UK
Cares not a jot. Got one - love it on A roads, B roads and in town. And as a Scotsman I will enjoy it even more on the motorways south to take up my seat in Westminster.
David, Glasgow, UK (not England)
Just to point out that the real meaning of 'exotic' is .... Foreign
So by that definition, the Panda, being Polish, is exotic, a Jaguar by contrast is not.
pj, Norwich,
One of my sons has a beard. Another has red hair. I like butter beans AND I have a caravan which allows me to park at night and open the door in the morning with a view of the Loire, or the Apennines, or the Mediterranean. I also admire Jeremy Clarkson's writing and forgive him his prejudices. Whether he wants forgiveness or not!
Jan, Tavistock,
simon, AMP and andy johnson have said it all. The old Panda was a sensibly lightweight thingy, you could shove a sheep into the back without worrying about the upholstery, it had a perfectly flat windscreen and (to me - I get to run about in a lot of Italian garage's "courtesy cars") an old Panda always brings a smile to my face! Just as good (maybe better?) turning circle, same light steering - same old narrow gate gearchange, same bizarre ratios as the new one (they have to get four fat Italians up a 45deg slope from standstill, so first is very low and second not very high!)
I don't worry half as much on a Motorway in a new or old Panda as I do in a rollerskate Smart car.
Jeannie, PG, Italy
I would like to know from jeremy whats wrong with butter beans,
when my son has been bold he always finds them on his dinner plate , i just hope he doesn't grow a beard dye it ginger and buy a caravan in revenge
Dermot, lisburn, antrim
Panda is a city car.
And in a city, it is a joy. Easily parked, nice boot, good steering angle, the panda absorbs very well road holes and speed bumps.
Yes, it's slow on motorways.
But if you need a car good for motorways, don't look for a panda, dude.
Look for a suzuki swift sport. But then, don't complain che back seats are good just for LITTLE childrens, and that the boot will make your dog suitable for a wheelchair...
Who needs 125hp in traffic? I dont. I need a citycar, AND my S2000. Which has a ridicolous boot, but i can buy a panda fot that.
Got the message?
PAOLO, BERGAMO, ITALY
Tosh Jeremy, Back in the good old days, the Hillman Hunter 1750cc I had would have been thrashed by a 1.2 Panda, weight or no weight.. It wouldn't overtake anything, and as for electronics, one could set the points with a knife out of the kitchen drawer! The Panda's a great little car, and I reckon you're just jealous of Mr May's. And no I don't have one, just a 1.4 oil burning C2, which isn't any faster I guess.
Steve Hirst, Stockton on Tees, UK
One wonders what Paul's Ka weighs compared to the Panda...that's a big part of Clarkson's point about the thing. You can have less power and still run nicely IF you don't have the weight gain issues, but you can't find a new car today that weighs less than the model preceding it, except for ones you pay way too much for anyway.
Jeb, Midlothian,
JC seems to be in the minority with his views on the Panda 100HP - seems to me to be a very reasonable, fun package. I'm surprised he didn't pick up on the availability of the Pandamonium edition for an extra £560!!
Jeremy Billingham, Robertsbridge, East Sussex
"You say that he has spent too much time driving "exotic" cars. Does a Fiat Panda qualify as an exotic car?" - Marc, St Barths.
Marc, my friend, you miss the point spectacularly. The reason Paul said that JC spent too much time driving exotic cars was because he couldn't cope with something as basic as the Panda, not because he thought the Panda was an exotic car!!
Ari, Torquay, UK
Is being under-powered a problem? Or is being over-powered equally at fault?
Would the Panda driver be called an "effing a***hole" if he had pulled out in front of car that wasn't using every hoof of his (excessive) available horsepower?
Bring back the Fiat 126 is what I say!
AMP, Portsmouth, Hants
Marc from St. Barths, re-re-read Paul's comment: he doesn't mean that Fiat Pandas are exotic cars, quite the opposite.
JC has spent too long on airfield driving exotic cars, so he doesn't appreciate more normal cars, like his Ford Ka or like my own old Panda, which I have had the pleasure and fun to drive from Sicily to Aberdeen, Scotland - though, I will admit, not in one day - among other long distance trips.
Mauro Lazzara, Luanda, Angola
Forget the revamped Panda - the old one is great. Particularly downhill. And to make up for the fact that it uses so little petrol, teh petrol gauge inside is massive so you can see every ml of petrol you are using - at least whilst teh electrics continue working. In other words, a good 5000 km which at an average speed of only 5 kmh, will mean that you will be able to see it going down for a fair while. If you want to take a Panda out to demonstrate its performance best, there is an excellent multi-storey car park in Barnsley whichmust have been designed specifically for Pandas - no other car has the turning circle.
simon, kent,
Totally agree that modern small cars are just too heavy. Just bought a 1964 mini cooper 998, now that can fly, even on the motorway.
Andy Johnson, London, UK
As usual so well said - the Jeremy Clarkson style. Pure pleasure to read it.
And why not a Panda.
john yang , bangkok, thailand
Paul, from Cromer, just re-read what you have written. It is in the "comment" section under a column, which describes Jeremy Clarkson's experience, when driving a Fiat Panda. You say that he has spent too much time driving "exotic" cars. Does a Fiat Panda qualify as an exotic car? Maybe, but only if my local chippie qualifies as a 3 Michelin starred resaturant. Good review, Mr Clarkson, thank you.
Marc, St. Barths,
Every time I visit England, I'm forced into the smallest car I can find.
Not because I'm a scrooge, but because I refuse to give Mr. Brown one more penny than I have to for his "petrol taxes".
Last time around it was an Astra one litre, 3 cylinder. Great on the Wrynose Pass and on the M5 at 3am in the morning, but otherwise a total driving disaster.
Either on the way up the M6 or down the M1 to Heathrow.
I love big "lorries", they are SO protective for small cars, but only if you're in the the left lane, which is exactly where you should be with one of these puddle jumpers..
Phil Bailey, Montreal, Canada
Jeremy has been spending too much time on airfields and driving "exotic" cars. In the last 18 months my ten year old Ford Ka with its ancient 1.3 enduro rngine has made the 270 mile trip to Bristol 15 times - usually in even time.
Paul Barnard, Cromer,
It still looks a hell of a lot better than the 1989 750 CL a mate of mine had. That was a shoe box on wheels and had more plastic fitted than Cher.
Tracey Postill, Hornsea, East Yorkshire
"... I’m afraid it’s time to draw pretty much the same wearisome conclusion that I seem to draw with all small car tests these days. You’re better off with the Suzuki Swift Sport."
So on your recommendation of said Swift Sport, last month, I actually bought one (a Japan build, no less). If I had your eloquence - which I don't, because alas, I am Australian - I would have said something witty, with just the right amount of whimsy. So since I can't, all I will say is, my god, Jeremy, you have immaculate taste.
Mr G Wood, Toowoomba, Australia/ QLD