Buying Blind Pandamonium – Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross
Discussion
As a winter runabout, I’ve often fancied a Suzuki Jimny or a Fiat Panda 4x4 (especially the Cross). The used prices of the newer shaped Jimny are pretty crazy and you are far better buying a new one. Decent old shaped Jimny still fetch strong money too. Unfortunately, a Jimny was simply unjustifiable for a second/third car. My attention swung back towards a Panda but even they are tricky to find at a decent price in the specific spec that I wanted – it had to be a 4x4 Cross 0.9 TwinAir petrol finished in Tuscany Green and equipped with the Winter Pack which adds a heated front windscreen and heated seats. I’ve driven a couple of Panda’s over the years with the most recent being a rental in Kefalonia and they always just seem to do the basics very well. You’ll also see far more Panda 4x4’s in the agricultural parts of Italy (and other parts of Europe) than you will Land Rovers or Range Rovers.
After months of searching and a near miss with a mis-represented ex-salvage car at the last minute (always do a HPI/similar check!), this 60k mile 2016 car surfaced in South Wales which is around 5 hours drive each way from where I am. Although I’m pretty risk averse when it comes to buying cars, I didn’t have a day or two to take out to go and see the car. So, after asking for more pictures along with a bit of sounding out & negotiating, I took the risk of buying the car blind and arranged for the dealer to deliver it to me. I’d asked to see the AA Inspection report before committing (I’m not sure how worthwhile these things actually are but it was healthy) and it was agreed that the car would have 12 months MOT, a service & brake fluid change which were nearly due along with 3 months warranty & 12 months breakdown cover.
Thankfully, the car was exactly as presented in the pictures & described by the dealer when it arrived with me on the 1st December 2023.
The first thing I did was take it in for 2 Michelin CrossClimates to be fitted on the front to match the rears as it had recently been fitted with a set of (I kid you not) ‘Joyroad’ ditch finders. I also had a 4 wheel alignment done whilst it was in. I was aware of the tyre situation and had negotiated a price for the car which more than paid for this little job. The garage also let me have a poke around underneath and the car is very clean – it even still has the sump guard in place which is fairly unusual.
The 0.9 TwinAir engine is a funny little thing with a Vespa-like rasp at times, but the 85bhp it produces does a fairly good job of propelling the car along. You need to keep it on the boil using the 6 speed manual gearbox to keep it spinning between 2k & 4.5k rpm. Around 12 of my 35 mile daily commute is on the motorway and the Panda is absolutely fine at this too only feeling a touch strained above 75ish mph, which is no bother. I did a 220 mile round trip recently which was almost completely motorway with no drama. This engine means that the road tax is only £35 per year. Economy wise, it’s only averaging 38mpg which isn’t great but exactly what I expected and in line with other owner’s experiences. This make me even more amazed at the 30mpg average that I get from my 440i with 4 times the power and around 60% more weight.
I’m also surprised at just how (relatively) high you sit in a Cross amongst other traffic – it genuinely does give better visibility on country lanes etc than a usual hatch does (in comparison to the V40 for example).
I’ve had a good play in deep snow and some bits of off road and it handles it all perfectly – it even has a hill descent control setting that works effectively (only used it once).
Downsides/issues so far:
The headlights are dire – a couple of candles would do a better job, so I’ll upgrade the bulbs when I get a chance.
The windscreen washer pump is really weak and I’m only getting a trickle onto the screen although the pump sounds healthy enough. I will need to get that looked at properly.
It’s a Fiat/Italian and the interior rattles a bit in various places in the morning till the cabin has warmed up but I’ve located where they’re coming from and can probably deaden the sound when I have some time. The clutch pedal also has a little squeak when you initially depress it – again, I’m sure that’s an easy fix.
The car is pretty well equipped with things like climate & voice control and phone connectivity works really well, but for some inexplicable reason, it doesn’t have DAB. Not a massive problem but surprising and a little disappointing.
So far, I’ve done nearly 2000 miles and it’s proving to be a great little car along with being everything I’d hoped it would be. It’s also been pretty versatile and I’ve used it as a little van a couple of times. I’m also thinking about getting some roof bars so that I can transport my mountain bike to an upcoming Llandegla trip.
The scary thing is that we seem to be reaching for the Panda keys instead of the other two cars more often than not…
After months of searching and a near miss with a mis-represented ex-salvage car at the last minute (always do a HPI/similar check!), this 60k mile 2016 car surfaced in South Wales which is around 5 hours drive each way from where I am. Although I’m pretty risk averse when it comes to buying cars, I didn’t have a day or two to take out to go and see the car. So, after asking for more pictures along with a bit of sounding out & negotiating, I took the risk of buying the car blind and arranged for the dealer to deliver it to me. I’d asked to see the AA Inspection report before committing (I’m not sure how worthwhile these things actually are but it was healthy) and it was agreed that the car would have 12 months MOT, a service & brake fluid change which were nearly due along with 3 months warranty & 12 months breakdown cover.
Thankfully, the car was exactly as presented in the pictures & described by the dealer when it arrived with me on the 1st December 2023.
The first thing I did was take it in for 2 Michelin CrossClimates to be fitted on the front to match the rears as it had recently been fitted with a set of (I kid you not) ‘Joyroad’ ditch finders. I also had a 4 wheel alignment done whilst it was in. I was aware of the tyre situation and had negotiated a price for the car which more than paid for this little job. The garage also let me have a poke around underneath and the car is very clean – it even still has the sump guard in place which is fairly unusual.
The 0.9 TwinAir engine is a funny little thing with a Vespa-like rasp at times, but the 85bhp it produces does a fairly good job of propelling the car along. You need to keep it on the boil using the 6 speed manual gearbox to keep it spinning between 2k & 4.5k rpm. Around 12 of my 35 mile daily commute is on the motorway and the Panda is absolutely fine at this too only feeling a touch strained above 75ish mph, which is no bother. I did a 220 mile round trip recently which was almost completely motorway with no drama. This engine means that the road tax is only £35 per year. Economy wise, it’s only averaging 38mpg which isn’t great but exactly what I expected and in line with other owner’s experiences. This make me even more amazed at the 30mpg average that I get from my 440i with 4 times the power and around 60% more weight.
I’m also surprised at just how (relatively) high you sit in a Cross amongst other traffic – it genuinely does give better visibility on country lanes etc than a usual hatch does (in comparison to the V40 for example).
I’ve had a good play in deep snow and some bits of off road and it handles it all perfectly – it even has a hill descent control setting that works effectively (only used it once).
Downsides/issues so far:
The headlights are dire – a couple of candles would do a better job, so I’ll upgrade the bulbs when I get a chance.
The windscreen washer pump is really weak and I’m only getting a trickle onto the screen although the pump sounds healthy enough. I will need to get that looked at properly.
It’s a Fiat/Italian and the interior rattles a bit in various places in the morning till the cabin has warmed up but I’ve located where they’re coming from and can probably deaden the sound when I have some time. The clutch pedal also has a little squeak when you initially depress it – again, I’m sure that’s an easy fix.
The car is pretty well equipped with things like climate & voice control and phone connectivity works really well, but for some inexplicable reason, it doesn’t have DAB. Not a massive problem but surprising and a little disappointing.
So far, I’ve done nearly 2000 miles and it’s proving to be a great little car along with being everything I’d hoped it would be. It’s also been pretty versatile and I’ve used it as a little van a couple of times. I’m also thinking about getting some roof bars so that I can transport my mountain bike to an upcoming Llandegla trip.
The scary thing is that we seem to be reaching for the Panda keys instead of the other two cars more often than not…
Thanks for all of your positive comments! It’s comforting to know that I’m not completely crazy. 
Thanks for the tip regarding the oil strainer. I have read about that and it will definitely be getting done. To be honest, I’m not completely convinced by the car’s service history and I’m pretty certain that I’m going to get it in early spring for a full service which will include spark plugs and coil packs so that I know everything’s covered.
A higher ride height – purely down to higher profile tyres I believe
Hill Descent Control
Body protection/plastic bits
Red tow hooks
Slightly better approach and departure angles
Electronic climate control
Don't have much in the way of interior pictures as I hardly see the car in daylight but will post what I have.
Didge3 said:
Twinair is a great engine, had one in a Punto. Make sure the oil strainer has been cleaned, or do it yourself its not a tough job and you don't need to replace it just clean it. The multi-air unit is pretty much the only thing that goes wrong on them. 45mpg can be had with a lighter right foot, the Punto maybe longer geared than the Panda though? 6th gear @ 70mph was about 2400rpm from memory.
Yes, it’s definitely shorter geared than your Punto – 70mph works out at 3100rpm, so a little more frenetic…Thanks for the tip regarding the oil strainer. I have read about that and it will definitely be getting done. To be honest, I’m not completely convinced by the car’s service history and I’m pretty certain that I’m going to get it in early spring for a full service which will include spark plugs and coil packs so that I know everything’s covered.
stevep944 said:
That looks cool. Any interior pics?
What is the 'cross' version as opposed to a non-cross one?
Thanks
The difference between a Cross and a normal 4x4 are:What is the 'cross' version as opposed to a non-cross one?
Thanks
A higher ride height – purely down to higher profile tyres I believe
Hill Descent Control
Body protection/plastic bits
Red tow hooks
Slightly better approach and departure angles
Electronic climate control
Don't have much in the way of interior pictures as I hardly see the car in daylight but will post what I have.
Edited by MarkJS on Tuesday 6th February 13:06
Taffer said:
Welcome to the club!
Only criticism OP is that you went with the wrong colour
]
Only criticism OP is that you went with the wrong colour
]
I’m afraid I couldn’t carry the yellow off although it looks great from afar. I get enough ribbing from colleagues when the Panda is in the car park at work. Little do they know…
The little bugger has now developed its first issue with me though - a bit of a knocking noise come from the front end. Sounds either suspension or drive shaft/joint related. I’ll need to get it in for investigation.
Still love the little thing though…
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