Panda 4x4 - Twinair or multijet?
Discussion
I've been out in my 4x4 in the snow in the last week or so. It really is a capable lttle vehicle and I leave the Hilux at home when it snows. I've got the twin air. It seems to throw the odd electrical brain fart from time to time but has been pretty reliable. The flexi hose in the centre of the exhaust is blowing and apparently is expensive to replace so not tackled that. We got the petrol because short journeys and was expecting diesel to get more and more expensive vs petrol over the years. 40mpg is about as good as it gets.
I was chatting to a retired motor engineer last week and he said the twin air was the best version but didn't elaborate why.
I'm astonished at how they keep their value. I think once people get one, they hang onto it. The 4x4s are probably at a seasonal peak ATM.
The other 'cult' type car in a similar vein is the Yeti 4x4
I was chatting to a retired motor engineer last week and he said the twin air was the best version but didn't elaborate why.
I'm astonished at how they keep their value. I think once people get one, they hang onto it. The 4x4s are probably at a seasonal peak ATM.
The other 'cult' type car in a similar vein is the Yeti 4x4
Funnily enough I just picked up a twinair 4x4 at the weekend. Basically a third car but primarily bought to make sure we have something unstoppable in bad weather (which can be a problem where we live). We did have another TA 4x4 a while ago as a stop gap car while we were waiting for a new car to arrive having sold our old one already. I wish I'd just kept that one as I've spent the 2 intervening years regretting selling it. Considering we only had it 3-4 months, it really got under my skin.
I don't know that much about the diesel I'm afraid other than I think it's the Vauxhall Corsa lump right? So should be a fair bit of info out there. The TA is definitely not bullet proof but doesn't seem to have any massive Achilles heels and they don't seem too tricky to keep on top of. I understand oil choice can be critical though so worth ensuring you're servicing with the correct grade.
Blue and me units fail causing battery drain and loss of radio and a flashing odometer. Fairly easily and cheaply sorted (I'm going through this now on our new one).
Driver's seat bolsters wear. I understand that you can buy replacement covers from fiat or maybe something you might have to live with. I might actually put a patch over our's. Not pretty but it's a bit of a rough and tumble sort of car to start with so maybe it's in keeping.
Check that the 4WD is working. You should be able to check on a loose surface. If the front wheels break traction and it's not working I believe you should see an error message on the dash. Someone else might be able to confirm.
A lot of them are now fitted with s
te tyres. Good tyres aren't as cheap as you might think. You could be looking at £500 for premium set. It's worth bearing in mind when viewing and comparing cars.
I don't know that much about the diesel I'm afraid other than I think it's the Vauxhall Corsa lump right? So should be a fair bit of info out there. The TA is definitely not bullet proof but doesn't seem to have any massive Achilles heels and they don't seem too tricky to keep on top of. I understand oil choice can be critical though so worth ensuring you're servicing with the correct grade.
Blue and me units fail causing battery drain and loss of radio and a flashing odometer. Fairly easily and cheaply sorted (I'm going through this now on our new one).
Driver's seat bolsters wear. I understand that you can buy replacement covers from fiat or maybe something you might have to live with. I might actually put a patch over our's. Not pretty but it's a bit of a rough and tumble sort of car to start with so maybe it's in keeping.
Check that the 4WD is working. You should be able to check on a loose surface. If the front wheels break traction and it's not working I believe you should see an error message on the dash. Someone else might be able to confirm.
A lot of them are now fitted with s
te tyres. Good tyres aren't as cheap as you might think. You could be looking at £500 for premium set. It's worth bearing in mind when viewing and comparing cars. I'd go for the Multijet.
I've had a Panda and a Qubo with the 1.3 diesel, no problems with either of them. The Panda averaged over 70mpg, the bigger and heavier Qubo around 60mpg. That's mixed driving, measured brim to brim.
I had the Qubo remapped to 96bhp, up from the stock 74bhp. Made it much better on steep hills. The later ones were around 90bhp from the factory IIRC.
I've had a Panda and a Qubo with the 1.3 diesel, no problems with either of them. The Panda averaged over 70mpg, the bigger and heavier Qubo around 60mpg. That's mixed driving, measured brim to brim.
I had the Qubo remapped to 96bhp, up from the stock 74bhp. Made it much better on steep hills. The later ones were around 90bhp from the factory IIRC.
Definately the petrol. Its cheaper to tax and way more characterful, you also get 6 speeds rather than 5, with 1st being particularly short, which makes the twinairs awkward flatspot less of an issue when doing hill starts.
The diesel isnt magnificently reliable, DPFs, injectors, etc. And at the end of the day, its a small car that for almost all of the time youre using it, will be doing short trips. Why on earth wouldnt you buy the petrol?
The diesel isnt magnificently reliable, DPFs, injectors, etc. And at the end of the day, its a small car that for almost all of the time youre using it, will be doing short trips. Why on earth wouldnt you buy the petrol?
LotsOfLaughs said:
Definately the petrol. Its cheaper to tax and way more characterful, you also get 6 speeds rather than 5, with 1st being particularly short, which makes the twinairs awkward flatspot less of an issue when doing hill starts.
The diesel isnt magnificently reliable, DPFs, injectors, etc. And at the end of the day, its a small car that for almost all of the time youre using it, will be doing short trips. Why on earth wouldnt you buy the petrol?
It's funny, when I bought our first 4x4 Twinair, I bought it from a guy who was a bit of an enthusiast for Panda 4x4's. I asked him why he was selling it and he said it wasn't ideal for long trips down to spain where they had a second home. Fair enough I thought. I asked him what he was going to get instead and the answer was a...... Panda 4x4 1.3 diesel! Could never fathom that decision. Though I guess it would save a little on fuel.The diesel isnt magnificently reliable, DPFs, injectors, etc. And at the end of the day, its a small car that for almost all of the time youre using it, will be doing short trips. Why on earth wouldnt you buy the petrol?
I went with the Twin-air, it's a quirky engine with an old school elastic band type feeling mid-range.
The 6th gear was one reason (1st is comically short in the cross though) and I wanted petrol.
So far it's great, loving it. Simple engine, likes a drink!
My journey to date below with it....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
The 6th gear was one reason (1st is comically short in the cross though) and I wanted petrol.
So far it's great, loving it. Simple engine, likes a drink!
My journey to date below with it....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
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