I know there has been a lack of updates on onehundredhp recently, but there is a very good reason for that; I simply haven’t been doing the mileage!  Since the service back in May I have done no more than 1000kms and all that has been made up by work runs - the same road everyday.  Of course, the massive cost of petrol here puts me off just driving about, as a tank now costs nearly 45 euros!

Despite this restricted use, the Panda is running fine but it does feel like it needs a good thrashing to wake it up.  A planned getaway in August may require a car journey, so perhaps it will be then.  Its friend the Suzuki Swift is away on a road trip in Europe at the moment, which the Panda no doubt is jealous of!

Anyway, rest assured the Panda is still great and problem free and this blog is still up and running!

This happened a while back, but work blogging has left little time for personal blogging so my update is a bit late.  Still, never mind it’s not as if there was much to say, which when it comes to a service - and a service at a Fiat dealer at that - this is a good thing!  Took the car in early and were asked by the service department what the car was in for, we replied it was the first year service and the car had done 15,000kms.

The service technician told us they would do the oil and filters and a few other bits, but the Panda would have to return at 20,000kms to have the air filter and something else done, it just wasn’t worth doing it at the present mileage.  It seemed odd at the time, but it does make sense, it’s just a pain to keep having to return.

Five thousand kilometres is a long way off anyway, I have barely pushed 500 in the month since it was serviced and don’t expect to have to go before the end of summer.  We picked the car up the following morning (it was ready before, but it was impossible to make it before their 4pm closing) and noticed an immediate difference when driving away, not only was the engine smoother and slightly more responsive, but the brakes had stopped their infernal squeaking!   It was something we mentioned when it was dropped off and they said they had a cure, but to be honest I didn’t expect anything much from them, and it was nice to be proved wrong.

Since then the car has been perfect and a just over 90 euro, the price was reasonable too.  Shame they didn’t clean it though.  So, a far better experience with Spicar Fiat this time.  I hope it will continue.

Today, it’s the Driving Experience.

I sometimes wonder if people read this blog, notice the car and the website address and think ’seriously pal, it’s a Panda’, which after all, is a very accurate statement. It is a Panda; a small city car that doesn’t cost a fortune to buy or run, doesn’t do stupid miles per hour or possess hair-on-fire acceleration, yet in my mind none of these things make a whole heap of difference if the car drives and handles like a builder’s wheelbarrow.

When you sit in the Panda, it feels much like any other and to the average car driver this is how it will remain until the journey has ended. But to a car enthusiast, someone who appreciates the automobile, they will already be wondering how it sounds when the engine starts. For me, this is where the 100hp experience starts. It has a great, growly, mechanical but tuneful engine note, which seems to do a fair impression of a Boxer engine at times, coaxing you to push the revs a little higher than normal.

On the road it’s planted and precise, forget the obsession with the stiff suspension - no, it doesn’t ride like a normal car, move on - for once you’re on a good road and stringing together some corners, you’ll be glad of it. Like the suspension, the 100hp’s power steering was another point of contention on release, but has largely been forgotten since then, the reason being is that it’s pretty good. There’s no doubt it feels different to ‘normal’ power steering, but that’s it, just different, not better or worse. To me it’s communicative and suitably responsive even without Sport mode activated, but with the button pressed, it weights up nicely without losing feeling.

To my eternal disappointment, the roads which I travel regularly are filled with traffic ranging from suicidal bikers, cretinous taxi drivers, oblivious Hyundai drivers and a whole host of German saloon drivers who are convinced that I am holding them up in some way. This type of environment is not suitable for the aggressive throttle response which Sport mode brings with it, thus it’s almost continually off. But to the Panda’s credit, it’s still enormous fun to drive.

When I do get some clear air, or leave the city, Sport mode is an addictive little thing which has the unfortunate side effect of making you press on far harder than you would normally. The acceleration feels like it’s not going to end, the instant-on response from the throttle fools you into thinking something much more potent lies under the stubby bonnet and that engine note seems to get even better. It’s the closest you can get to having two cars in one.

Is this a lot of gushing for a Panda? Yes, it is and I’m not ashamed to say so. For I am still astonished that I have been able to find a car which looks this good, feels this good to drive and is suitably different, which doesn’t cost a fortune to run nor did it require me to prostitute myself or close family members in order to purchase it.

Is the Panda driving perfection? No, of course it’s not. What it is though, is pretty close for the amount of cash involved, if you’re looking to buy new. I’ve enjoyed myself every time I have driven my 100hp in much the same way as I did with my old MX-5. With the Mazda, I lived in an area criss-crossed with country lanes and sweeping A-roads and with the Panda, I live in (well, near) a busy city where I have to make an effort to get to the good stuff. It’s got to have a split personality, otherwise it would either be a) tedious or b) terrifying, instead of what it is for me - a great car in the environment it was clearly designed for.

Let’s be honest, if the driving experience was a negative point of the 100hp, I would have mentioned it by now.

This week is the one year anniversary of owning the Fiat Panda 100hp, so in order to let everyone know just what it has been like to own the car for a year, I will write a post on a different area of ownership each day this week to build up a complete picture by Friday. Hopefully anyway! Here’s what I will discuss and when:

Monday: Reliability

Tuesday: Bodywork and Trim

Wednesday: Driving Experience

Thursday: Practicalities and Dealer Experiences

Friday: Overall Ownership and the Future

I would also like to hear any suggestions for weekend posts, so if there are any specific areas you would like me to comment on that I don’t cover, please feel free to let me know and I will put something together for Saturday and Sunday.

Anyway,this being Monday, let’s look at reliability.

To be honest, this is a bit of an easy one as (touch wood) I have had no mechanical issues at all. The only time the Panda has had to go to the dealership is for its 5000 km oil change and to be repaired after its small accident. The car has suffered with squeaky brakes, mainly in reverse for some reason, but they have only recently began to feel their age and as far as the gearbox is concerned it has the same direct, satisfying motion that it did from the start.

Seeing as the brakes and the gearbox seem to be areas which have let other Panda 100hp drivers down, I’m happy that they haven’t caused me concern. After speaking to my Brother-in-law regarding his Suzuki Swift (also purchased brand new) and his lack of reliability issues, I wonder how many new cars suffer from problems these days, especially when they are not highly-stressed performance vehicles? Even the Hyundai Matrix in the family, which is now four years old and not exactly cherished, has only suffered from a dodgy solenoid!

It’s also pleasing to say I have had a years trouble free motoring in a Fiat, as the manufacturer still suffers from a bad reputation in the UK and, I’m sure, other places too. Most of all, I have enjoyed the feeling of confidence in owning a new car. I was away for nearly three weeks over Christmas and if I still owned my Mk1 VW Golf Gti and had not disconnected the battery, it would be flat, but the Panda started as if it had been used the day before. It also took the journey to Lefkada, over 1000km in all, three-up, returned good fuel economy completely in its stride. Owning a reliable new car has certainly put me off owning a used car again, especially one purchased here in Greece.

So reliability for the Fiat Panda 100hp, one year in, gets a tick in the box from me. Just hope it doesn’t all change now I have written this glowing report!

This is the second time Channel Five’s car TV show Fifth Gear has shown Fiat’s Panda 100hp, and the second time it has been a waste.  First, they pitted the car against a Ferrari 360 Modena around a tight, twisty track which, admittedly, highlighted the Panda’s excellent handling, but failed spectacularly to give us any idea of what the car was like in the real world - where it belongs.

So, Monday’s episode was set to redeem itself by putting the Panda head-to-head with the Renault Twingo GT, a 1.2 turbo, to see which is the best for ‘young drivers’.  Where did they do this test?  On a track.  What did they do?  Sent Vicki Butler-Henderson around for a ‘hot’ lap in each car and made the fastest the winner.  How informative.  I won’t even get started on the whole ‘young driver’ thing…

If you’re interested, the Panda did win this shootout, by about half-a-second I think, but once again Fifth Gear failed to give us any idea of what the car is like actually on the road, where I suspect it will spend 99.9% of its time!  We had more of a road test on a 22 year old Capri and a MkII Golf GTi!  Now, I know that Fifth Gear isn’t a patch on Top Gear and we should give them dues for actually featuring the 100hp, but really - what a missed opportunity to feature a car that is now being imitated by the majority of small car manufacturers.

In protest, I am going to see what I can do to get a proper road test of the Twingo GT and the Panda’s other rivals….