General Multi air or e torq
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General Multi air or e torq
TrevC
Established member
No experience of the e-Torq, but I had a 1.4 MA for a couple of years. Decent performance, low 30s mpg around town, up to 45 on a long run. Complex valve system means it's vital to use the correct oil, I always used Shell V-Power to keep the fuel system clean. Cambelt change every 5 years.
Mine's a Multiair and no problems so far, the E-torq is basically the old Chrysler/BMW engine they put in the Mini. It seemed pretty gutless compared to the multi when i drove one.
Nello
Established member
We had an E-torq as a rental when we were in Garda last summer. TBH around town etc it was fine and there were four of us in the car including luggage. The horror stories you hear of the MA engine relate to the earlier units which were in use before the 500X came out. I'm not aware of any actuator failures (at least I've not read of any) in the 500X which have later modified head units.
The E.torQ (?) motore is not bad but it's also fairly basic and shows its age, in terms of refinement and driveability. It's a long stroke engine ... (77× 85.8 mm) so it's suited to wafting around but it's not particularly sporty and can get vocal when you give it a workout.
Having said that.. it must be indestructible. They've made 1.5 million of them.. and the same engine that is a 1.6, is tough enough to also take a 1.8 overbore (80.5× 85.8 mm) for some other models Fiat makes. I can't imagine it's too fussy for maintenance or too delicate overall, either.
If you're doing a lot of small trips then I guess that's town work, so having an engine with "torque" in its name would be quite handy. It'll also put up with oil contamination and condensation better than something a bit more sophisticated (although as above, the MA doesn't seem to be particularly fragile in itself).
MA is perhaps sexier and more modern in design... but it's also more expensive (as far as I can see) and you might not need that... so the E.torQ might just be okay for you.
Ralf S.
Having said that.. it must be indestructible. They've made 1.5 million of them.. and the same engine that is a 1.6, is tough enough to also take a 1.8 overbore (80.5× 85.8 mm) for some other models Fiat makes. I can't imagine it's too fussy for maintenance or too delicate overall, either.
If you're doing a lot of small trips then I guess that's town work, so having an engine with "torque" in its name would be quite handy. It'll also put up with oil contamination and condensation better than something a bit more sophisticated (although as above, the MA doesn't seem to be particularly fragile in itself).
MA is perhaps sexier and more modern in design... but it's also more expensive (as far as I can see) and you might not need that... so the E.torQ might just be okay for you.
Ralf S.
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