Life with Panda

dd74 · 07-21-2010, 09:21 PM

So I was in the Tuscany region of Italy for two weeks, Lucca to be specific, and after figuring out that a Ford Transit was a stupid decision to haul six people in and around the narrow & steep roads, I turned the nine-seater in for a Fiat Panda which was to haul only my family and myself.

Okay, so it isn't too much on looks, but good golly does the little Panda have power for its size. I was fortunate enough to get a 1.4 liter turbo-diesel five speed. On the autostrade, the Panda easily got to 160 kph, and returned high 30s in mpg. The car was also amazingly easy to park as both the front and rear are blunted off. One can fit the little Panda into a parking space that would previously be reserved only for a Smart car.

In Italy, diesels are everywhere. People even put diesel in their scooters and mopeds. Conversely, gasoline is hard to find, as many service stations offer only diesel and nothing else. Another thing is diesel is half the price of gasoline. Sure, it's still expensive at about $4 a gallon, but the fact that you get power and economy in one swoop with diesel is a serious consideration to an already cheaper and more plentiful type of fuel.

What is also interesting about diesel in Italy is its smell. There's almost a pickle-like scent to it, especially when you go hard on the engine. An American guy I met who deals with American diesel boat engines in Europe told me the smell comes from a higher grade of diesel fuel in Europe that is illegal to burn in America. Well, I can't see why it's illegal as I saw no diesel cars belching out thick black smoke as I do in L.A. when those nasty tractors from the shipyards drive their cargo up and down the freeways.

All I can say is if everyone had the opportunity to drive even the smallest displacement modern turbo-diesel car as I had for about 2,000 kilometers between Rome, Florence and Tuscany, they would be convinced it is a viable solution to better mileage and power. I just don't think hybrids or gasoline engines can touch a turbo diesel in performance, both in economy and sheer power.

My Panda looked much like this one. Roomy and faster than you think.

Dottore · 07-22-2010, 06:04 AM

Agree totally about diesel.

Fiat is producing some very high-quality cars these days. It has turned around 180 degrees from the old days. I rented a small Fiat 500 a few times and was amazed by the quality.

Screaming along Italian B roads in a small rented Fiat at full chat is about as much fun as you can have in an automobile IMO.

dd74 · 07-22-2010, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dottore

Agree totally about diesel.

Fiat is producing some very high-quality cars these days. It has turned around 180 degrees from the old days. I rented a small Fiat 500 a few times and was amazed by the quality.

Screaming along Italian B roads in a small rented Fiat at full chat is about as much fun as you can have in an automobile IMO.

+1. Some of the new models, like the Chronos and the Abarth are very, very cool. The Abarth looks like it could terrorize many a mountain road in So. Cal.

I do hope Fiat comes here soon. Particularly in diesel form. That Panda was a cool little car, and held up very well to my mechanical abuse.

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

next time grab an MB A-class car

I wish we had diesel electric hybrids here - hanging a turbo on that would be some extra icing on the cake

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

I had a Passat 2.0 TDI in Sicily last year & I had a ball on the winding roads. My wife . . . not so much. I liked having a bigger car & was hoping for an Alfa 149 but the Passat didn't disappoint.

Ian

The Gaijin · 07-22-2010, 12:48 PM

Let's all keep driving land yachts to go to work and run errands - and the difference between 40 MPG and 17 MPG we can keep sending a big fat % of our hard working GNP to the people that hate us most..

Sorry, I guess the F350 dualie is better to cruise up to the drive through window.

tcar · 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dd74

I do hope Fiat comes here soon.

They already are... Chrysler.

They, in fact, are already working on americanized versions of several of their cars, notably the 500: a fantastic car.

I saw them doing high altitude field testing on 6 of them several months ago here in Denver.

Fiat 500 (2007) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

chicago_82sc · chicago_82sc's Garage

Having lived in Italy for several years and traveling across the country, Lucca was one of my favorites. I have a print of the town in my hallway at home.

As for diesels, didn't Fiat actually develop the direct injection diesel system, but have to sell it off for financial concerns.

tcar · 01:11 PM

Diesels are an issue here. In the EU, it's half the price of gasoline.

Here, it's MORE expensive than gasoline.

Also, it's hard to find it in some places here.

...and the EPA has a diesel issue.

Garp · 07-22-2010, 12:55 PM

The down side to this story is that these engines, delivering massive torque for their sizes, are being placed in just about anything, including small and medium sized vans.
It's not uncommon for me to be tailgated by a couple of macons on their way to work at speeds of 100 mph+. I've been driving big (for our standards) diesel engines for some 17 years now and I'm no longer king of the hill. Just about anything can keep up unless I would really go for it.

dd74 · 07-22-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcar

Diesels are an issue here. In the EU, it's half the price of gasoline.

Here, it's MORE expensive than gasoline.

Also, it's hard to find it in some places here.

...and the EPA has a diesel issue.

This is correct. They're a needless EPA issue at that as many diesels are more clean than gasoline-powered cars. Now, I'm not certain what sort of diesel fuel Europeans are putting in their cars (I refer to that smell). Potentially it's higher octane (?). But I do know not one of them plumed smoke and no smell came from their tailpipes in crowded heavy traffic cities like Rome and Florence.

In 2009, in the U.S., a person who bought a diesel could get upwards of $1,000 or more from the government for their purchase. A BMW 330d, arguably as fast as an M3, was a lot less in '09, particularly with $1,300 back from the U.S. govt. They evidently took a lesson from Euro countries who give buyer incentives for diesel purchases, such as tax rebates, less registration fees, etc.

I think the U.S. oil and car companies balked at the offer the U.S. govt made with its rebates on diesel, so the offer was taken off the table in 2010.

Regardless, in Europe, gasoline engine cars are regarded as "options," when purchasing, so a premium is paid. Here in the U.S., it's the opposite - diesel is an option, which is another reason one doesn't see many of them on the road.

I do know this: the little Fiat Panda is by far the easiest manual transmission car I've ever driven. Because of the turbo diesel's torque, I barely had to shift it once in traffic. But damn! When I hit the accelerator hard, that car burned rubber and scorched forward very unexpectedly. Plus 40 mpg when driven sanely. You just can't beat it.

dd74 · 07-22-2010, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garp

The down side to this story is that these engines, delivering massive torque for their sizes, are being placed in just about anything, including small and medium sized vans.
It's not uncommon for me to be tailgated by a couple of macons on their way to work at speeds of 100 mph+. I've been driving big (for our standards) diesel engines for some 17 years now and I'm no longer king of the hill. Just about anything can keep up unless I would really go for it.

Yep. Our diesel ML 320 out pulls my 911 until it reaches 6,000 RPM. I wouldn't have a chance against a BMW 330d, Audi or Alfa Romeo diesel. Those would stomp my Porsche.