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SPEX
Year: 1990
Host: GT4 & GT5
Class: City Car
Type: 3-door
hatchback
Country: Italy
Price: 5,109 (GT4 Used Car Lot), 13,660 (GT5 UCL)
GT4
Mileage as Tested: 75,629.0 km,
GT5 Mileage as Tested: 8,947.5
Construction: steel unibody
Length: 1341"
// Width: 59.5" // Height: 55.7"
Wheelbase: 85.4"
Track: 50.4" [F], 50.6" [R]
Ground Clear: 5.2"
Weight: 1,609 pounds
Steering:
unassisted rack & pinion
Turn Radius: 30 feet 2 inches
Layout: Front Engine/Front-Drive
Tires:
F.
Suspension: Macpherson struts, coils
R. Suspension: coils
Brakes: solid discs [F], drums [R]
ABS? no
Engine: 1.0 liter SOHC inline 4
Aspiration: natural
Fuel System: EFi or 1 weber carb (depends on
website info)
Valves per Cyl: 2
Bore x Stroke: 2.76" x 2.56"
Compression: 9.2:1
GT4 and GT5 cars were
both given oil changes for all specs & testing below. GT5 car did not receive an engine rebuild
GT4
GT5
Horsepower: 44 @ 5,250
44 @ 5,400
Torque: 54.90 @ 3,250 54
@ 3,500
Credits per HP: 116.11 310.45
Pounds
per HP: 36.54 36.54
Pnds
per Torq: 29.31
29.80
HP per Liter: 44.0
44.0
GT4 Idle: 550 // Redline: 6,000 // RPM Limit: 6,500
GT5 Idle: 625 // Redline: 6,000 // RPM Limit: 6,500
Transmission:
5-speed manual
Differential: open type
0-60 mph
GT4: 21.466
GT5: 20.101
0-100 km/h
21.643
0-100
mph
GT4: nil
GT5: nil
400 Meters
GT4: 23.028 @ 61 mph
GT5: 22.xxx @ 63 mph
1,000
Meters
GT4: 44.937 @ 77 mph
GT5: NA @ 78 mph
1 Mile
GT5:
57.622 @ 85 mph
100-zero mph
GT4: no test
GT5: no test
Top Gear RPM @ 60 mph:
Top
Speed at Redline:
1st: 24.4 mph
2nd: 47.2
3rd: 72.4
4th: 90.3 @ 5,600 rpm (GT4)
91.2
@ 5,500 rpm (GT5)
5th: nil
--------EXTERIOR / HISTORY----------
A year ago, I was on a crusade to write as many new Nissan Skyline articles I could. The site would
get filled with a half-dozen new R32, R33, and R34 reviews. Um...it's a year later, and instead of Skylines I am still
writing up econoboxes. And this car, the Fiat Panda Super, might be considered the king of cheap econoboxes, in certain
countries foreign to me.
I knew absolutly nothing about the Fiat Panda Super in my early days of GT4, so thank goodness for Wikipedia.
This is just about the only site I've found that has Fiat Panda info.
The Fiat Panda started production in 1980.
It featured '80s-era boxy looks with an expected Italian flair for subtle decoration. In other words, it's a box, but
it's got a certain look and style that define it as "Italian". Dozens of Panda versions were created, some with fancy
names like Young, Dance, Cafe, FIRE, FIRE Crazy, Eletta, etc. There were hatches, vans, and even some 4X4s. Petrol, diesel,
and electric powerplants, as well.
The original Panda stuck around until 2003, and had become a stalwart in Europe,
the Middle East, and parts of Asia, but by the New Millenium its looks, powertrain, chassis (etc.) had become dated.
A new Panda (Nuova Panda) was then created. It possesses typical New Millenium looks (swooping, curvy bodywork which is anything
but box-like), carries the Panda tradition onwards, yet it's just not the same cheap, no-frills machine as the Old Panda.
The main selling point of the Panda in its early days was that it was so inexpensive. Anonymous Wikipedia
writer #11,920,201 tells us this was basically a car for "peasants", and as I drove my Panda Super about, I started to imagine
its original owner (not Jørgen, I am talking about the kid who originally owned the car) lived in the old Soviet Union.
I nicknamed my car "Bloc", and started to think Bloc had originally been owned by a farmer's son, since the Super seems to
have been created with younger folks in mind.
Like the original Beetle and Mini, the Panda was also rugged, dependable, and durable. Early Pandas suffered
typical rust problems, but by the time the car in our game was extant, Fiat had solved this to some extent by using galvanized
steel; hence this could be why we get a 1990 car, rather than something from the early '80s.
There
were dozens of Pandas, but we happen to get one of the best: the Super 1000S i.e. During the Engine
section below, we will learn why we are lucky to get the Super, and not some other version of Panda. Go ahead, take a guess
why....
In GT4 I found one costing just 5,109 cr, just as I was starting off a Sunday Cup. Nice! It
has some miles on it, but nothing out of the ordinary for a 27 year-old. My GT5 Panda had just over 8,000 miles on its odometer,
so perhaps this could be why it's costing 8,551 credits more? Somehow I doubt it. Are Panda prices rising
in real-life as the original ones get rarer? Either way, what we wind up with here is an underpowered car at first, but
also a very light one, at just 1,609 pounds to start. These cars show up in GT4's used car lot more often
than they do in GT5's so if you have the latter game and desire a Panda, it might take awhile to find one.
The
Panda starts light and doesn't move very fast, but eventually can become a little uber-machine; a Peugeot
106 junior, a pint-sized action hero.
----------ENGINE / DRIVETRAIN----------
Earlier it was mentioned that the Super i.e. happens to be one of the best available. Oh really? With
just 44 horses after oil change, this seems hard to imagine. This car has an engine displacing just 999 cc. In real-life,
there were several other engines (diesels as well as petrol-based), including a 652 cc 2-cylinder flat air-cooled
type; something which sounds as if it came from the Fiat 500's day.
So we've got the best of the best, yet power still
rates lowish, too low to do anything at all, so far as competing goes. Zero to 60 mph can be had in just over 20 seconds,
and 400 meters in a newspaper-turning 22. This means that the typical Japanese Kei car can blow the
Panda away! Keis can also sometimes make it over 100 mph, which the Panda is wont to accomplish until we
start buying some more power. Yikes.
But the good news is the Panda is not doomed to die an early Gran Turismo death.
In either GT4 or GT5, it will need some engine work early on, but for those who persist this one does become very
viable and valuable as a racer.
I raced a Panda Super long ago in GT4's Sunday Cup, FF Challenge,
and probably did some Compact Car stuff, as well. And in GT5, so far I've done Sunday, FF, and World Compact Car Cup. Granted,
this car isn't a modern Punto with 120+ horses. In other words, we can't enter any of these races and not tune for
more power. It'll take about 50k of credits or more in either game to get the Panda Super rolling in all of these, which
means most gamers will simply avoid the Panda at all costs.
So what's so "super" about the Panda Super? It all starts
to make sense once we get some tuning (and power) involved.
GT4 includes three NA kits and two turbos, while
GT5 includes three of each. Power in GT4 rates as follows.
HP
torque
Stock: 44 @ 5,250 54 @ 3,250
Tuned*:
49 @ 5,200 59 @ 3,250
Stg 1 NA: 73 @ "
88 @ "
Stg 2 NA: 107 @ "
127 @ "
Stg 3 NA: 120 @ " 104
@ "
Stg 1 Tbo: 100 @ " 111 @ "
Stg
2 Tbo: 152 @ " 152 @ "
*"Tuned" means it had computer chip installed. Oil change was done for all specs above.
Notice
that with a Stage 2 turbo, power increases dramatically. For Beginner League racing, most of us won't be needing this
sort of power! The Fiat Panda will need this once it's doing the Clubman, perhaps.
Now in GT5, the power rates
as follows. Oil change was done for this car, and the Engine Rebuild as well, for all specs below except where it says
"Stock". Here we have
HP
torque
Stock: 44 @ 5,400
54 @ 3,500
Tuned*: 61 @ 5,300 68
@ 4,100
Stg 1 NA: 71 @ 5,300
77 @ 4,200
Stg 2 NA: 89 @ 5,400
95 @ 4,300
Stg 3 NA tba
Stg 1 Tbo: tba
Stg 2 Tbo: tba
Stg 3 Tbo: tba
*"Tuned"
in this game means I had the best aftermarket parts (computer, intake, and exhaust) equipped, but no official engine or turbo
stages
As can be seen, some power can be had, and it does come in handy. This keeps the Panda
Super rolling through many races, but not all of them.
One of the problems with this car early on is its transmission,
which is geared very tall. 5th gear is basically dead weight while the Panda's power is stock or nearly so. A close-ratio
transmission will help a lot at certain tracks, but at others it'll wind up being too short. What this means is full-custom
racing gears may become a very possible option in the long run.
----------CHASSIS / HANDLING------------
I mentioned something about this car being a Peugeot 106 junior, basically a small but bossy sort of automobile.
I imagine that in its day, the Fiat Panda Super must have been sought after by the youths of Asia and Europe the way
Integras, Scion xCs, and Golf GTIs are or were craved in my country. The Super got the best horsepower jump after all
(compared to other Pandas) and is probably easy to tune, as well.
In either game (GT4 or 5) this
car basically handles the same: lots of options. Lots of front-drive traction and madness, and lots
and lots of fun, too. Those who pass the Panda Super by don't know what they're missing. It's like driving a Kei car, but
with a much torquier engine!
The main difference between GT4 and GT5 is that in the latter game, the Panda
Super can be driven and raced on cheap tires much more often than the Panda of GT4. By the time the GT4 Panda is entering
the FF Challenge, it must be driven on sports. Or else. This is not true in GT5, where I used medium or soft radials
for the bulk of my racing so far.
Here we have one of those boxes from the '80s that possesses above-average
braking, accurate steering, a lack of weight, and a narrow 58 inch girth. For all these reasons, the Panda Super
i.e. simply dominates the Beginner's races in either game, but also it has some limits.
Braking can be forced
late for instance, but not too late. I've been in several situations where I've over-estimated this car's braking
abilities (after braking too early into certain zones), after which dreadful moments of understeer start to ensue. That's
one thing this car does not have much of: damage control. Brake too late, and you will pay. Narrow
tires are mostly to blame. But if braking is tried in a timely manner, this one does nothing but grip
(and sometimes grab) inwards. It grips the road like an alkie grips a bottle of Mad Dog.
Mid-turn, the
Panda Super typically offers options to tighten or loosen up the car's line, which is GREAT during those times when we're
early in the race, and traffic has bottlenecked to the point that it's difficult to find a way through. In a Panda, if
there happens to be a way through, chances are it'll be able to guide its way in that direction. And "that direction"
often leads reliably to gained positions and possibly victory.
When exiting turns, the Super still likes to play
its new-found role of Track Boss.
After years and years driving around cornfields, fish markets, and crappy little towns as the farmer's
son's first car, Bloc the Panda Super relishes its new life, and it shows. Front-drive Panda traction is great.
It's a very punchy sort of traction, too. Point the car, and give it all the gas you can, WHILE the steering
is cranked! Its tires might protest a little, but the car still moves in the direction you want it to go, a decent amount
of torque pulling it away. If there's no wheelspin (in effect, when leaving that hairpin more carefully), this car often offers
Integra or Fiat Coupe-like options--grabbing out of that turn, sometimes with a tightened line. It's this sort of behavior
that can make an older driver (like me) say things I'd rather not type here. Good things, not bad things, but also
dirty things...and I'm not typing them.
But (again) there are some some limits. In either game, a
limited-slip unit will probably become needed rather early. In GT5, I noticed my red Panda started smoking
its tires reliably at Madrid Mini's Compact Car event, despite the fact that it only had 86 horsepower! It is possible
to live with smokey tires for awhile (it's fun as hell, after all) but this mini-hatch could use some LSD if we want
to take it more seriously, even when it seems it hasn't got the power to warrant such a part.
Understeer and
wheelspin aren't this car's only demons; since it is so light, oftentimes curbs and unseen bumps can wreck small havocs on
the Panda's cornering lines. A curb can throw it off-balance, for instance, ruining this car's otherwise near-perfect traction. But
overall, this one rates well in my opinion, so far as Handling goes.
So go ahead and start with this cheap tin box
of sardines, and do not be surprised to surprise the GT world.
PROS---------------------------------
1). Cheap and inexpensive
(GT4 much more so than GT5).
2). Lightweight. What happened to all the truely light hatches over the years?
3).
A virtual handling demon. The Panda brakes late, corners with precision, and offers some grabby traction while exiting. It
does (however) require some eventual tuning as we tackle races more challenging.
4). NA and turbo kits available in
both GT4 and 5. Some decent power can be wrought, too, power I wish I could put under the hood of some of my Kei cars in these
games.
5). Fun to drive! Pushy, tossable, and a true Hot Hatch, once we get our hands on some more power, especially.
6).
GT4: one of those used cars that isn't too troubling to locate.
7). A great beginner's car, and a great car for tackling
early Beginner and Pro League races in either GT4 or GT5.
CONS---------------------------------
1). Slow. Acceleration is especially lacking, sometimes even after we've dropped dozens of credits for more power.
2).
Understeer doesn't seem to be a problem at first. And then it DOES. By the time this one finally starts to push, chances are
you're stuck with this for a few painful seconds.
3). GT5: overheating tires easy to accomplish, on both
the inside and the outside.
4). Tuning (especially limited-slip) is needed quicker than it seems it should be, early
in the Panda Super's career.
5). Tall gearing. 5th is too far to reach while power is near-stock.
6). To some,
the Fiat Panda Super is one of those cars that should have not been included on the roster.
7). Ugly, some may also
think. It's hard to get endeared to a rolling box, after all.
8). GT5: rarely found as a used car in this game,
for gamers like me who desire boxy, sluggish econoboxes. :)
9). Eventually, the Panda Super's career will end. I have
yet to find where and when this happens personally, but this aint the most capable, powerful FF on the market.
Published: December 30, 2012
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