2005 Fiat Panda Multijet Sporting 1.3 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

This is Polski Fiat at its cheapest and nastiest!

Faults:

The micro switch in the boot release kept firing the boot open indiscriminately.

Very rattly interior and very poor quality trim / plastics.

Strange loose sounding rumbles from front and rear suspension.

Engine smoked badly and used a lot of oil.

General Comments:

I loved the look and character of the Panda, but was bitterly disappointed by it's poor quality.

The refinement of the turbo diesel engine is superb, especially at motorway speeds, but there is an awful dead period of turbo lag at low speeds (worse in cold weather.

Once moving the performance is great, but the initial poor throttle response is verging on dangerous in my opinion.

Horrible horrible tacky plastics used for dash and door trims.

By contrast the seats are well upholstered, durable and very comfortable.

My Panda replaced a much loved and respected Fabia TDI, and happily has been replaced by another Fabia TDI.

For cheap economical quality transport, look no further than the series 1 Skoda Fabia.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th April, 2009

16th Apr 2009, 01:21

I would heartily disagree - the Multijet Panda is a very good car for the money, and our 2007 70BHP was one of the best cars we have owned, excepting the tight cabin.

A diesel Fabia is a much more expensive car - the diesel Panda is available at 5899GBP and Fabia 1 at 8600GBP, so the comparison is unfair.

I would also state that Polish built Fiats are the best of the brand, with the least rattles and best build quality.

The later Pandas had the ECU downtuned to 70BHP from the earlier Sporting models 90BHP, and this rectified the lag by putting all of the power at tickover level not higher up the rev range.

I think the Diesel Panda is the best budget car of our time, and is unbelievably good for 5899GBP new with 70mpg and 35GBP pa road tax. The Fabia may be a good car, but is far more expensive.

28th Apr 2009, 15:07

Everybody know that you can buy a pre reg Panda at a massive discount, but the list price of the basic Panda Dynamic is £9395 so comparison with the Fabia is quite fair. The fact that delivery mileage Fabia Diesels are not available at under £6000 can only serve to confirm that it is a far superior product. However, I was referring to the first generation Fabia as a second had buy so new prices are therefore irrelevant.

Incidentlly the Panda Sporting was a special edition based on the Dynamic and used the 70BHP motor. The 90BHP Mjet has never been available in the Panda.

This site is all about experiences and opinions, so although I'm obviously ecstatic that you like your Panda, I stand by my experience in that mine was rubbish.

2005 Fiat Panda Dynamic 1.2 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Exellent

Faults:

Condensation in near side headlamp - replaced under warranty.

Covering for Air bag cover/ horn push on steering wheel began peeling off - replaced under warranty.

That's it in 28500 miles.

General Comments:

I was a bit reluctant to buy a Fiat due to the company's reputation and after-sales, but I have had no cause for concern and have been very happy with the overall purchase.

I love this little car. I bought it to use for commuting to and from work and needed a reliable cheap car to run, that was also practical. My intention was to use my no-claims insurance discount on a second older and more powerful car for pleasure only, but I haven't bothered as this little Fiat has been good enough for me to enjoy and get pleasure from.

Its good to drive. The car is happy to take on any road and despite a bit of body roll the car handles well. Being small its great in town and visibility is good. The gear change is one of the best I've tried and the electric power steering which is already light can be made lighter at a flick of a switch. The car is also fine on the motorway. OK its not fast by any means, but the 1.2 is nippy enough for me to spend most of my time in the fast lane and will keep up with the traffic with no difficulty. Good sound insulation also make long motorway journeys easy, as does a good sound system.

The cabin is well thought out and roomy with comfy front seats and a good driving position. The dash is unusual in having the gear lever sticking out of it, but its very easy to use and adds character, which I feel the panda has loads of.

The running costs are as expected very good and despite getting driven hard, the car has yet to average less than 50MPG on a tankful of fuel. The insurance is only group two and road tax £105. Dealer servicing costs are expensive, but I doubt Fiat are any worse than others and if I decide to run it into the ground I will go independent.

In the time I've owned it, I've been very satisfied with my little panda. It's a great city car which offers more and you can get a new one in the UK for less than £6000 if you shop around. It makes me laugh to see people spend twice as much and often more on some cars which are in my view rubbish.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st May, 2006

16th Jan 2007, 09:46

Well written and a spot on review I have just purchased a 1.2 dynamic, what a lot of car for little money superb!

13th Jan 2010, 07:03

I agree. I recently bought a 2004 1.1 model as a runabout for £2k; it's solid, reliable, great to drive, even through the winter. (See http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/fiat/panda/r124725/)

I may replace it with the diesel model when I eventually come to sell it, as the 1100cc unit isn't quite as thrifty or refined as your 1.2 Dynamic.

Nigel.