It’s one of 550 Panda Trekking TwinAirs in the UK. It’s effectively a Panda 4x4 without the driven rear axle; instead, it features Fiat’s Traction+ system, which uses the front brakes to emulate a limited-slip differential for additional traction.
Why buy a Trekking, though?
Why buy a Trekking, though?
Well, some of you will recall that I spent a lot of time looking at the 4x4 and Cross variants of the Panda last year.
The idea was to replace my Forester with something similar that was newer, smaller and more efficient – and the Panda was one option. They were all quite expensive, however, and the price didn’t stack up well against the performance and kit levels. This was £8k, for example.
I still wanted a frugal and compact car, though; I didn’t need a big car, and my increasing work-related mileage meant fuel costs and reliability were becoming an issue. The search continued but little excited me.
More to the point, I also wanted a daily driver that required effectively zero maintenance so I could concentrate on my project car. The last thing I wanted to do was reach the weekend and, with whatever energy I had left, spend it working on my daily.
In the end, I bought a Volkswagen Up from a local dealer. It had a persistent issue with wind noise, unfortunately, and the dealer ended up buying it back from me. That, in some respects, was a blessing – because there was much about the Up that I didn’t like.
I was back to square one. A few other cars came and went – more on those later – while the search continued.
At the start of January, I spotted a Panda Trekking locally. I’d not really considered the Trekking but, as it was not far away, I ventured out for a look.
At the start of January, I spotted a Panda Trekking locally. I’d not really considered the Trekking but, as it was not far away, I ventured out for a look.
It transpired to be more compelling than I imagined. It was 75kg lighter than the Panda 4x4, more efficient – particularly in the real world – and sweeter to drive. It was also more affordable and retained the 4x4's practicality and rugged nature.
This one wasn’t for me, though, as it had a bit too much cosmetic wear and tear. I wanted something that was a turn-key car, remember, and didn’t want to get involved with having wheels refurbished and the like immediately.
Unfortunately, I then fell ill for six weeks. During that time, I saw an ad for a Tuscany Green Trekking – the colour I really wanted, which was unique to 4x4s and Trekkings.
When I was able to travel again, I drove down to view it. I knew, upon seeing it, that it was the one.
When I was able to travel again, I drove down to view it. I knew, upon seeing it, that it was the one.
It was a pin-sharp car that had clearly been looked after. Suffice it to say, I was delighted and bought it on the spot. It’s so rare to find a car that’s as pictured and described and, after effectively a year of looking, lost time and travel costs, the relief was palpable.
Just seeing it puts a smile on my face and I’m glad that I waited for one in Tuscany Green. I love all the little details, too, such as the embossed Panda pattern on the interior trim. Charming.
The little 875cc TwinAir puts out 84.5bhp and 107lb ft, which propels the 1050kg Panda from 0-62mph in a perfectly serviceable 11.5sec. It has a claimed average economy of 61.4mpg, too, and is cheap to tax. It's a fun little machine to hack about in.
Brim-to-brim, on the first tank, it averaged 43.75mpg – that’s after mostly around-town work, so lots of cold starts and short trips. On longer runs, it’s returned over 50mpg without effort. The trip's pretty accurate as well, indicating only ~1.45mpg over the true figure.
I’ve only done a few things to it so far; I bought a new set of mats that fit properly and I added a custom load bay liner, so I can do tip runs without tearing up the original boot carpet.
It’s not all been plain sailing, mind; it went back to the dealer to have one issue looked at, at which point they damaged it by driving it into a post. Fortunately, they repaired the damage and did a superb job of doing so.
Anyway, that leaves two outstanding questions: what happened to the Focus and the Legacy?
Well, the Focus – which was superb to drive and unerringly reliable – got traded in when I bought the Panda. I didn’t have the energy or time to deal with selling it at the time, and nor did I want to drive all the way out to the dealer again. Problem solved.
The Legacy, well, there’s a story. I bought it primarily out of curiosity – and I also thought it might make for a more comfortable, refined and better-equipped alternative to the Forester.
However, I just didn’t like it. I thought its engine a little characterless, even with a sports exhaust system, and the economy was miserable around town – I had expected that, mind.
More prominently, the steering was disappointing. As suggested by some reviews, it was too light and lacking in feedback. It was only if you were really tanking along that it started to have some bite, and got a little more involving, which was effectively a moot point.
It also just felt excessive hacking around town in a large saloon. I had quite an interesting reaction to its media system, too: I hated it. I just wanted a straightforward car I could drive and enjoy, and not to be bombarded by useless distracting and glaring screens.
Originally, I planned to trade it in against the blue Panda Trekking – as its trade-in value was close to what I paid for it. Anyway, aside from not liking that Fiat, on the way back from the dealer it did a head gasket in. Hah!
The EZ30 in mine did what quite a few do; the HG develops a minor leak, which forces coolant into the header tank. No smoke, no running issues. Provided you kept it topped up, it’d run like a top all day long. (Maxxed out the thread length, so will continue in a moment.)
(Off we go again.)
Anyway, I wasn’t going to get involved in a £2000+ rebuild, nor was I going to throw more money at the other parts the car needed. I still didn’t have the energy, for one thing, or the space.
Anyway, I wasn’t going to get involved in a £2000+ rebuild, nor was I going to throw more money at the other parts the car needed. I still didn’t have the energy, for one thing, or the space.
I advertised it on the Legacy Facebook group and, I kid you not, in five hours it was gone from my drive. I lost several hundred on it, but I ticked a box and found out what the Legacy was like. A refined and affordable cruiser, with lots of traction, but otherwise uninteresting.
Anyway, I’m glad to now have a dependable and charming little daily runabout that won’t break the bank. And, now that I don’t have to think about my daily driver, I can turn my attention back to my long-neglected Corvette. Onwards!
One footnote: the expense of this search, in terms of time and travel, would have covered the Forester's running costs for some time – even with my increased mileage. It would have probably have been flawless, too, considering the work I'd done.
The benefit of hindsight, etc.
The benefit of hindsight, etc.
Still, on the flip side, I've learnt a lot on my travels and have ticked another few ownership boxes. Can't complain too much – and I've now got a car that should serve me well for several years. We got there in the end...
@threadreaderapp unroll
CC @BahnstormerTom. Did think of you when I saw the temperature gauge spike for the first time, heh.
