General TwinAir Thread (including MPG)

[Melanabb]

I've met your wife Tony and she seemed like a sensible sort, she'll get used to it. I've gone from 3L engine to 1.2 500 - it was different and definitely slower but got used to it fairly quickly and then loved it even more than the Subaru Beastie! (all power, no soul ) Maybe a NF meet to cheer us all up? It is bleak midwinter after all - we all need cheering... I can talk to missus if you recon it'll help

 

[grimwau]

I've met your wife Tony and she seemed like a sensible sort, she'll get used to it. I've gone from 3L engine to 1.2 500 - it was different and definitely slower but got used to it fairly quickly and then loved it even more than the Subaru Beastie! (all power, no soul ) Maybe a NF meet to cheer us all up? It is bleak midwinter after all - we all need cheering... I can talk to missus if you recon it'll help

There you go again Mel, being all lovely and sensible.

The meet seems like a good idea and I'm looking forward to the South Devon event as well.

Always a lovely atmosphere at these get togethers.

 

[Mikey1985]

I'm slightly suprised your wife dislikes it so much over the diesel, it's 0-60 in 11 seconds and it's torque comes in insanely low down like a diesel if not better. I rekon it's how she's changing gears. Obviously a turbo engine is very dependant on being in the correct gear or you get apparently no boost at all (anyone remember the topgear turbo test?) if she worked the gearbox differently bet she'd love it.

 

[Mark Elvin]

With all due respect Tony, I've just realised that your 500 was over £15,000

Love a duck.

 

[grimwau]

With all due respect Tony, I've just realised that your 500 was over £15,000

Love a duck.

Cheers Mark, but loving my wife has cost me enough already. :devil:

 

[Tlbarrs]

I have just ordered a twin air and looking forward to it coming very much , I am very interested in what mpg other people have been getting as the reviews seem to vary from 45 mpg to 60 mpg I know it's hard to tell until they have a couple off thousand or so on the clock . I hope it's nearer 60 mpg than 45 mpg .

 

[jrkitching]

I'm voicing an opinion on a car I haven't even driven yet, but it seems to me that the folks who are going to get the best out of the twinair turbo will be those whose own preferred style of driving matches the characteristics of a small, turbocharged car.

Driven inappropriately (think putting your foot down in the wrong gear before the turbo kicks in) & I strongly suspect this car will deliver a disappointing combination of mediocre perfomance & poor fuel economy.

My concern is that FIAT are marketing this to a much wider target audience and that some of the people who are being persuaded into ordering one would actually be much better off with a 1.2 petrol. Selling one to a little old lady to drive backwards & forwards to the shops is IMO wrong - and I know of one such little old lady who ordered one last week.

 

[Tlbarrs]

My last 500 was a Abarth so believe me I know how to drive and I was very impressed with the twin air we went to buy a 1.2 wich was in stock and ready to go but after taking them both out for a drive there was no doudt in my mind the twin air was the one for us .

 

[jrkitching]

My last 500 was a Abarth so believe me I know how to drive

No offense intended - my comment wasn't directed at you personally - you have done the sensible thing which is to drive both & buy the one that's right for you.

But I do worry for the little old lady who was too nervous to test drive anything & ordered the twinair 'cos the salesman said it was a more economical car. She never drives more than 5 miles from home, does about 2000 miles a year & never goes more than about 35mph anywhere. I suspect the only time she exceeds 2500rpm is when she misses a gear.

 

[elation]

Without wishing to start a finished argument (i've been skim reading), but regardless of turbos etc, the force which pushes a car up a hill it torque, not power. One of the twinairs defining features is its torque (147nm from 1900rpm), which gives it its driveability. That torque curve then stays flat right up to the top end of the rev range, which makes it very forgiving and flexible (take a wide roundabout in third and leave it in gear to demonstrate) - 30 - 70mph in one gear is pretty good. Problem is, due to the workings of the Multiair head, below 1900rpm the car has no power. Simple answer is adjust your driving style slightly to make sure that the car is running above 1900rpm when you need the power.

 

[udtrev]

If you are after one without the wait my local dealer has a used twinair for sale !

http://www.pdhcars.com/used_fiat_500_hatchback_835.htm


Trev

 

[rallycinq]

If you are after one without the wait my local dealer has a used twinair for sale !

http://www.pdhcars.com/used_fiat_500_hatchback_835.htm


Trev

I wonder if the zone manager knows they are selling their demo this early?

Cheers

D

 

[Mikey1985]

There are 3 or 4 used twinairs on fiats own website last time I looked, don't really need insider info on that one

 

[udtrev]

There are 3 or 4 used twinairs on fiats own website last time I looked, don't really need insider info on that one

Who is the insider, sure aint me !

 

[babbo_umbro]

Haven't posted on the 500 bit before. Had two Pandas - 100HP and MJ - then there was one - wife just written off MJ and went to local dealer on Saturday to try 1.1 and 1.2 petrols. Wanted to try a TwinAir while we were at it - couldn't because it was in the workshop having its ECU updated - haven't seen any mention of the update in this thread so wondered if its generally known about. (Haven't seen much about TA mpg either, which is what I was hoping to learn about.)

 

[grimwau]

I will hold my hands upto the fact compared with alot of you on here I'm no expert by any means. I've never owned a turbo but understand cars enough to plump for a twin air in the near future. I was just searching for a logical reason the OP's wife doesn't like the twin air. I'm sure driven correctly it's an absolute beauty.

Mikey, For a start it is very noisy (mine is anyway) when moving away and accelerating in first gear. I am going to check under the bonnet just to make sure that the air intake or filter box isn't loose as there is a lot of induction roar.

Secondly, it is quite jerky whilst driving at low speeds round town and before you say it, that is with using the gearbox correctly. I drove it today assuming it was just the wife still thinking she was driving a diesel and letting the car labour, but in this case she was right (for once).

Thirdly, it has a rough tickover (more so when cold) which would normally get the comment, "it sounds like it's running on three cylinders" but obviously it isn't, lol.

However, once warm and in the higher gears it is smooth and relatively quiet and a joy to drive so I'm hoping that when it has some more miles on it the situation will improve somewhat.

babbo, I've only done 170 miles so far so not really much to say regarding MPG but FWIW I've averaged 36.8mpg on the trip computer over that distance, 110 miles of it at between 60 - 75mph and the rest round town. Fuel gauge is reading half full/empty so can't actually give exact figures as I need to brim it again to get those.

In mitigation though it has been in the workshop and had 10 miles road testing and I wouldn't imagine they drove it for economy.

OT. Just out of interest went to try a couple of Abarths today and I was very pleasantly surprised at how strongly they pulled at low revs without any boost showing on the gauge and turbo lag wasn't noticeable either. The wife said that the manual one was smoother to drive than the TwinAir round town and the auto version 500c suited her down to the ground.

If they made an Auto version of the hatchback I'm sure that we would have put an order in for one there and then.

 

[306maxi]

If they made an Auto version of the hatchback I'm sure that we would have put an order in for one there and then.

You could have a members motors thread that says "Finally satisfied the missus, no! I really have this time!"

 

[306maxi]

Mikey, For a start it is very noisy (mine is anyway) when moving away and accelerating in first gear. I am going to check under the bonnet just to make sure that the air intake or filter box isn't loose as there is a lot of induction roar

Check the turbo pipes as well

 

[Tlbarrs]

Hi guy's thought you might like this review from the sun .

IT'S a long time since I drove a car powered by a dinky 875cc engine and I wasn't looking forward to it one bit.

Even the fact it was fitted to a Fiat 500 - a car which always puts a smile on my face - still left me unimpressed.

I expected a gutless performance - but how wrong I was.

The Twinair engine is a revelation and perfect to make the Fiat 500 the complete city car - cool, green and ultra-economical.

Fiat are getting slightly carried away when they say the Twinair "reinvents the petrol engine".

But it does a very serious job in taking it to a new level.


Tear the roof off ... 500 is impressive performer
In fact, the 875cc delivers better performance than a 1.2litre as well as significantly better miles per gallon and C02 emissions - so good it beats most diesel engines.

Fiat say you can get 68.9mpg. I managed 63mpg but the engine was brand new and not run in. So there is no doubt you will average well above 60mpg.

Go for the Dualogic robotised auto-gearbox and Fiat say you will get a wallet-friendly 70.6mpg.

It is claimed that no other petrol-production model betters that, and the same goes for the C02 emissions of 92g/km for the dualogic and 85g/km for the manual - both of which exempt you from road tax and congestion charges.The fantastic figures are down to the ingenious two-cylinder engine and Fiat's Start and Stop system which cuts out the engine in traffic to save fuel and reduce C02 emissions.

But the real surprises are the performance - 0-62mph in 11 seconds and a top speed of 100mph - and the peppy sound of the engine, like that of the original 1950s 500C.


Classic ... the interior reflects 50s style
Sporty The engine's gutsy sound is rather like an out-of-control sewing machine. That sounds naff but it isn't.

In a strange way, it's quite sporty. It never feels strained, unless you try and hang on in fifth gear.

The rest of the package is pure retro 500C - a little car which outcutes the Mini for sheer charm, inside and out.

There is a price to pay for this clever little engine - which goes up to £10,665 for the Pop version and £13,365 for the Blackjack - finished in matt black paint. Then £15,065 for the top-of-the-range Lounge Cabriolet.

So it's all down to what price you are willing to pay to be super-green and super-cool! But Fiat have comprehensively proved size does matter, just in a very different way to what you'd think.

 

[neh0]

babbo, I've only done 170 miles so far so not really much to say regarding MPG but FWIW I've averaged 36.8mpg on the trip computer over that distance, 110 miles of it at between 60 - 75mph and the rest round town. Fuel gauge is reading half full/empty so can't actually give exact figures as I need to brim it again to get those.

In mitigation though it has been in the workshop and had 10 miles road testing and I wouldn't imagine they drove it for economy.

OT. Just out of interest went to try a couple of Abarths today and I was very pleasantly surprised at how strongly they pulled at low revs without any boost showing on the gauge and turbo lag wasn't noticeable either. The wife said that the manual one was smoother to drive than the TwinAir round town and the auto version 500c suited her down to the ground.

If they made an Auto version of the hatchback I'm sure that we would have put an order in for one there and then.

Glad to hear you've got it back.

Interested to see your economy figure to date, i've just got 38mpg out of my abarth 500 which now has 400 miles on the clock. That included a fast motorway trip from Portsmouth to Poole.

They do do an abarth tintop auto, unfortunately it's the tributo Ferrari with price tag to match !

Cheers, Neil