General 1.2 vs twinair

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General 1.2 vs twinair

lauryloo

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hi all

i am torn between buying a twinair and a 1.2 panda.

what are the advantages to going for a twinair (apart from the 0 road tax) over the 1.2?

I like the idea of a higher bhp

also - i am guessing the engine is going to be the same in the fiat 500 so could i drive a 500 locally to see what i think of the engine?
 
I am torn between buying a twinair and a 1.2 panda.

Your plan to compare the engines in the 500 is sound. Don't believe the official economy figures. Buy on the basis of how the car drives, not on its performance on paper.

The TA will cost you more in every respect bar road tax; initial purchase, depreciation, fuel, servicing and insurance.

They're quite different to drive; first impressions can be deceptive, and some have found they just couldn't get on with the TA once that first impression had worn off. If you decide to buy one, I'd strongly recommend hiring a similar car for a full day to make sure you're comfortable with it. It's expensive to find this out at the end of the first week.
 
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1.2 is better on fuel and cheaper to service.
I am used to 2 cylinder motorcycles so Twinair is not quite the shock it is to some and I like its quirks but you either get it or you don't.
Test drive is good idea but the TA gets better with miles so try to find one with at least 5000miles (it seems they suddenly get better at 4000miles -mine certainly did)
You drive the 1.2 on power (high revs) and the TA on torque (change gear sooner 3-5000 rpm) just like a big 2 cylinder bike.
 
You drive the 1.2 on power (high revs) and the TA on torque (change gear sooner 3-5000 rpm) just like a big 2 cylinder bike.

You can, but you don't have to; on my 1.2 I don't normally go over 2000 rpm in the intermediate gears; it's never been driven over 3000 in the 80,000 miles I've owned it. It'll pull quite happily, albeit lazily, from about 28mph in 5th.

The reward is 55+ mpg over 80,000 miles, not bad for a petrol car.
 
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hi all

i am torn between buying a twinair and a 1.2 panda.

what are the advantages to going for a twinair (apart from the 0 road tax) over the 1.2?

I like the idea of a higher bhp

also - i am guessing the engine is going to be the same in the fiat 500 so could i drive a 500 locally to see what i think of the engine?

As already mentioned. Drive them both.

I bought a Twinair without having driven it and simply had to get rid of it after 6 days and buy a 1.2. I didn't like the TA noise/vibration/delivery though some love it. Yes, I should have test-driven.

As JRK notes, whilst the 1.2 is lower on power/torque it's generally more flexible (and very quiet). You can skip gears and slope around in low revs with no vibration, as long as there's no rush.

Each to their own eh.
 
Absolutely agree JRK. The 1.2 is happy enough at low rpm, not quick by any means and in traffic would be quite leisurely if changing up at 2000 rpm. I'm usually changing up at 2500-3000 rpm, a little faster but then she is keeping up with the flow, conversely she uses more fuel but not what I'd say uneconomic.
An odd thing happened last week, the neighbour across the road has a 500 TA, done just under 25,000 miles, she has a 6 month baby and came over to look at the Panda and said two things..... I want one as she has back trouble and it's painful putting baby in the seat in the back due to two doors and....... Would I do a straight swap, I declined the offer, I'd driven her car a couple of months ago, quick etcetera but hard to drive smoothly on the short drive but I felt it could be tiring, my 1.2 is uncannily quiet.
 
Hi l have done a comparison on home servicing a TA and the 1.2 fire engines at Euro car parts today with the holiday 75 code used..TA parts came to £106.00 and the 1.2 came to £76 all in. So Castrol oil fiat spec ,plugs air filter oil filter and pollen filter.So quite a saving if you have a 1.2 petrol.I like my TA i will look for the same model in a 1.2 next time..
 
hi all

i am torn between buying a twinair and a 1.2 panda.

what are the advantages to going for a twinair (apart from the 0 road tax) over the 1.2?

I like the idea of a higher bhp

also - i am guessing the engine is going to be the same in the fiat 500 so could i drive a 500 locally to see what i think of the engine?

I test drove the Panda 1.2ltr and 85TA back to back, and decided to buy the TA.
Before that i drove 3 years with the 1.2ltr in the Panda 169.
Because the Panda 319 weighs more then the Panda 169 the 1.2ltr will feel/be slower in the 319.
If you are a sporty driver :D choose the 85TA, if you are more a cruising driver choose the 1.2ltr
 
Hi l have done a comparison on home servicing a TA and the 1.2 fire engines at Euro car parts today with the holiday 75 code used..TA parts came to £106.00 and the 1.2 came to £76 all in. So Castrol oil fiat spec ,plugs air filter oil filter and pollen filter.So quite a saving if you have a 1.2 petrol. I like my TA i will look for the same model in a 1.2 next time..
When buying new, it would probably no longer available by that time. ;)
 
The 69hp 1.2 before they changed to Euro 6 in 2014 is about the best version of this engine, so I think you made a good choice.

After around March 2014, it went a bit flat, they felt a bit strangled when the revs climbed and Fiat altered some settings with the engine speed and clutch switch that made it bog down a bit when taking off.

Our's Lounge was March '14 and that was the one we got shot of, but we kept the 2012 Pop.

I can't really comment on a FWD Panda with the TA, but the 4x4 TA can be a bit weary after an hour or so, plus it's not really suited to too much stop start stuff as first gear is painfully low, then again it's not really designed for the commute I do or as a long distance cruiser, but it's great when it's slippy and you can wind it's turbo up when it's on the move and it is a lot of fun then.
 
Having owned a 1.2 Panda and, now, a TA. I think the TA is great on the motorway and dual carriageway and faster roads. The 1.2 is much easier to drive around town and smoothly at lower speeds. My choice would be made based on where I do the majority of the driving. The TA does get people scratching their heads when you drive past though. It doesn't sound like any other modern car engine.
 
Hi.
90% of my driving is around town. A couple of months ago I went to Cramlington and I had no issues whatsoever on the motorway, the long climbs on the M74 were fine so long as you were doing around 75 before hitting them, below 70 and the revs dropped, get into 4th and the car would then accelerate fine and you could then get back into 5th.
For rapid progress use the gears freely in the 1.2.
 
thanks again for all the replies

i am really looking foward to getting behind the wheel of a panda again

the car i have chosen appears to have 5 seatbelts fitted and i've attached a picture of something below, which i am not sure is?

88965_32_big.jpg
 
i thought that might be it - should it have a sat nav with it then or was it an option just?

thanks :)
 
option,but not cheap !
check ebay if you want one, Alfa use the same (it apparently detects the car and changes the look to suit- ie Alfa badge or Fiat badge on the display ) you also get touch screen access to Blue and Me which is probably the most useful feature !!
 
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