2010 Fiat Panda Active Eco 1.1

I was in the market for a new car for my brother and decided to have a look at the Fiat Panda, I simply could not resist looking at a new car that only cost £5495 from a broker. Here is what I thought of it:

Exterior

It is compact, the 4 wheels are very close to each corner of the car, giving a long wheel base despite the small size. The Active version that I was interested in was the bottom of the range with door coloured bumpers but plastic door handles and door mirrors. At first I was sceptical about the tall body with the narror body, but it creates a rather roomy interior which is good. It sits on 175 tyres which I think are meant to be economical.

Interior Space

It is very spacious for such a small car, I could fit happily in the front as there are lots of adjustment to the driving position. The back seats are limited, with limited knee space but lots of headroom. Shoulder room is adequate, but if you travel with 3 other passengers then it could be a little castrophobic. The boot is decent size for such as small car.

Interior Quality

I didn't expect to have any nice feeling plastic inside and it doesn't but the centre console and all the plastic feel chucy and solid, the buttons do not feel like they will last though, however there are front electric windows, 2 speakers with CD radio. My main gripe is the assembly of the interior, the centre console looks like a badly put together 1/24 car model, with little plastic bits still attach to the trim, any perspective buyers will be advise to go over these parts with fingre nail clippers to remove those small "plastic remains". Unfortunately the rear seats do not fold flat and is not split.

Driving Experience

This was really rather unexpected, I thought the ride would be stone hard and the engine would not go at all. However to my surprise, the ancient Fiat FIRE engine with only 50 or so hp was quite torquey. The trottle is very light, it would need a little adjusting if you came from a larger car. The engine felt extremely responsive, it takes off very quickly. However the lack of rev counter means you don't know how fast the engine is running, it is refine until pushed hard up a hill. It could easily achieve 60 mph on country roads. The ride was also extremely supple. I found it to be more comfortable than Fabia and Yeti I have driven. It is very soft and makes the car feel really big. It is also extremely quiet, barely any wind, road and engine noise.

Handling

As above, it is very comfortable with soft springs, however the handling is compromised. The soft springs means it rolls around A LOT, especially on roundabouts. Furthermore, those skinny 175 tyres means it would slide out quite readily. I was doing 15-20 mph on the motorway and the front was stepping out. The steering wheel does not have any feel at all.

Would I buy one?

I would, however my brother decided he wanted something bigger, so we test drove the Grande Punto Sound. Overall, I would recommend this car to anyone who are in the market for a car that is less than £6k, however, I would recommend looking at the Twingo as well, the interior is better put together, and it is similarly priced, but less practical. At £5495, I cannot see it depeciating a lot in the next year and a bit, and may be a bt of a bargain. The best bet might be getting the most basic version with no extra in white and putting an italian stripe on running the top of the car!