I've had my car for 2 months now and have done 1600 miles but i dont notice any difference in the engine at all. I read on here that after 100 miles i should feel a difference in the performance.
The pop model i test drove had done just over 100 miles and felt a lot quicker than mine which is a lounge.

When can i expect to feel a difference?

Obviously i'm not expecting a pocket rocket!

Your lounge will likely be heavier than the pop due to the glass roof, which may be one reason.

I think most people would suggest a difference over 1000 miles, not 100.

My 1.2 definitely feels a lot better now that its done 4500 miles. I suppose it depends on how/where you drive it. I'm mostly a city driver, and its definitely got nippier in those situations. On the motorway though, it doesnt feel all that different to when I bought it. I'm still very very happy with it though

i've done just under 3k and the engine does feel looser and more nippy, and is able to cope with hills better in higher gears. Ive read on other threads tho that it can be over 5k before it feels different. I think you have to take into account that modern engines can do tens of thousands of miles over their lifetime, so really 100 or even 1000 miles is a very small fraction of what they are designed to do, so if you expect it to be completely loose and tractable after a couple of hundred, by the time you get to 80000 all the moving parts will be rattling around like a pea in a can.

sorry i meant to put 1000 not 100!

I'm close to 8000 myself and I have to say that I noticed the difference for the better after 6000. I have 1.2...

I've had the 1.2 engine in several cars now - usually takes best part of 5k to loosen up properly.

Mine really loosened up at around 5-6k, especially 1st gear. It feels really quick pulling away from traffic lights now!

So will I notice an improvement in fuel economy too? I'm currently only getting 38.6 around town and 40.3 on mix of town and motorway. I was expecting a lot better than that. What is everyone else getting and has it improved over time?

Used to get about 45 when driving round town, now I get around 49 so it has improved slightly. But then so has the weather so it's impossible to tell properly.

Do u have the 1.2? You get more mpg than the official figures? Do u drive slowly? I get nowhere near what u get around town!

That's poor, i got 52 MPG in the Abarth last night (not kidding) but strangely the engine feels slower after nearly 5000 miles in 12 weeks, must be something wrong with it (and the clutch is crunchy). Sorry that wasn't very helpful was it, it's not a 1.2

tommus said:

Do u have the 1.2? You get more mpg than the official figures? Do u drive slowly? I get nowhere near what u get around town!

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He does have a 1.2 ............. BUT!

This is Lloyd we are talking about.

I'm currently on about 51mpg according to the display, it always settles about that, sometimes when ive filled up and reset it it starts off about 53. When we went down to the New Forest recently and my mrs was driving with her soft foot on the moteyway, we got a reading of over 60 to the gallon.

This is really good as in my 1.2 panda 4x4 i was lucky to get 40mpg and that was driving with an egg on the pedal. I dont drive the 500 particularly carefully. Do you rev it hard in low gears or not change up enough? Maybe its your driving style?

Well I like to get where I'm going quickly! I wouldn't say I over rev or floor it but I think it needs to be revved to get a decent pace,I don't hold on to revs either and change up when I feel it needs it.I must admit I do around 80-85 on the motorway! Think I may try that Eco drive thingy. May ask the dealer to run a diagnostic check to make sure all is ok next time I go.

tommus said:

Do u have the 1.2? You get more mpg than the official figures? Do u drive slowly? I get nowhere near what u get around town!

Click to expand...

I've got a 1.2, but my figures are below the official ones! I used to drive everywhere quickly but have calmed down a lot lately hence the increase. Doing 60-70 on the motorway will increase the figure dramatically, mine shot up to 61mpg when I cruised at 60mph on the motorway recently.

Our 1.2 is used for mainly short town journies & averages 41 / 42 mpg.

On longer runs it'll usually average 48 / 49 (often driving at 80+ mph)....

I like to drive my 1.2 in a spirited fashion and currently display 40.3mpg average. Still only done 2200 miles but car lots quicker now than when I bought it.

God I've just realised I must be one of those people I hate to drive behind! Sorry guys, I'm gonna go sit in the back of my 50+mpg 500 and do some knitting!

I drive slow too notts, i started cos I wanted to save money on fuel - but I've realised I feel a lot happier when I drive at a more relaxed pace.

7.5 weeks till I get my 500!!! :slayer:

do you know, I moved my seat back a couple of inches, and its made a world of difference to my driving habits. I'm so much more relaxed now and I just waft about the place! It's amazing.