Our cars: Fiat Panda - December

Fiat Panda 1.2 Pop

Week ending December 14
Mileage: 4685
Driven this week: 494 miles

Fiat Panda review

Every time I drive our Panda, I always jab at the base of the key with my thumb, only to remember an instant later that it doesn't have remote locking.

It seems strange that something so basic, yet so useful, could be left off the equipment list of a brand new car in this day and age.

I know our Panda is in basic Pop trim, but how much would it cost Fiat to chuck in a remote sensor as standard?

By Ivan Aistrop

Week ending December 7
Mileage: 4191
Driven this week: 231 miles

I'm not the biggest fan of our Fiat Panda, but its economical engine got me from Bromley to Bruntingthorpe and back on about £30-worth of petrol. Not bad, taking into account some congested A-roads on the way there and slow motorway traffic on the way back.

I was filming readers for an upcoming True MPG feature, and the boot coped with almost all of my gear - two camera bags, two tripods, a rucksack and a microphone case. Only the portable camera track sat on the rear seats, being slightly too wide for the boot.

The two action cameras were charged from the USB port by the gearstick, and my phone connected to the bluetooth system. It's a fiddly procedure, instigated by the menu controls on the steering wheel, but once connected operation was seamless.

A squeal from the engine bay suggested the fan belt is slipping - something to investigate at its first service, I think.

By Pete Brown