General Do you like your TwinAir?

[AGH1965]

If you need more power than eco mode offers, then press the button to turn it off.

Of course, although pressing the button might be too much of a distraction when you need all your attention to enter the motorway safely. Personally I would prefer a kickdown pedal to temporarily leave the eco mode.

However, with my previous 500 I drove thousands of miles in eco mode before I discoverd that fuel economy wasn't any better than with eco mode off.

From that moment on I only used eco mode as a self-flagellation. Whenever I got unsatisfied about the performance of my TA85, I punished myself by demanding to drive at least 250 consecutive miles in eco mode. After these punishments, when I finally allowed myself to switch off eco mode, I was always really impressed by the performance of the TA85.

 

[MrS]

Accelerating hard in fast moving circumstances is not ecodriving.

You don't press the brake pedal if you don't want to stop, and you don't turn on the wipers if it isn't raining. By the same argument, if you don't want to ecodrive, don't press the ecodrive button. Simples!

I agree, and that is what I tend to do - 90% of the time it's off for me and it'll remain that way. Regardless, I'd personally argue there is a distinction between driving economically and the need to accelerate (even as a sort of 'safety feature'). It's no doubt liveable, though I do believe it has the potential to prove dangerous in testing circumstances.

Regardless, these things are no doubt subjective and I'm sure many users are more than happy with the level of performance.

I use the eco mode when pootling around town as it makes the engine smoother at low revs.

I'd tend to agree with this - I'd say the time eco is best fit for purpose is when travelling around familiar areas - local shopping, etc.

 

[Tyron71]

I drive in eco mode most of the time and having spent a couple of years commuting to work in a Mitsubishi shogun 2.5 td and spending close to £50pw to now spending £20pw in my twinair and no road tax is enough to make me smile. Its faster, nimble and although despite the difference in specs reminds me of my boy racing days in my hothatch 205gti back in the day. If driven properly the eco button, to me, acts as a boost button with a noticeable difference that puts a massive smile on my face when needing to overtake. I got a black one with black alloy wheels that i nicknamed 'gangsta 500' and to me is one of the coolest little cars I've owned. I service it myself which is cheap and easy to do and even after owning it for a couple of years I'm not at all bored with it and would have another. Small, cute, bags of character and upto 110mph from an 85hp engine you could put in your pocket, that still blows my mind.....as you've probably guessed I'm a very happy 500ta owner. Kudos Fiat [emoji16]