Best Automatic Fiat‽

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Best Automatic Fiat‽

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So I’m wondering what’s the best automatic Fiat? I have to drive automatic due to having arthritis in my left ankle (despite being only 20) and I’m going to be driving again soon.

At the moment, me and the wife (who’s getting a 100hp Panda for herself) think I should get an Abarth 595 with flappy paddle, but I’ve heard they aren’t so good to be honest (the gearbox that is) and they’re quite pricey, so to recap...

Fiat or Abarth Ofcourse
Any year
Any price realistically
Insurance group 30u preferably due to my age
If Car is old, as reliable as possible [emoji28]

Let’s see if there’s anything creative or different out there!

Tusen takk!
 
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I have a grande Punto with Dualogic box and have had others too. The Dualogic box is great while it works but it is quite liable to expensive faults. I also have a Twingo with a twin clutch auto box . That's excellent for quick changes but can't be overridden when in 'auto'. I'm looking forward to the day when a twin clutch auto Panda is made with paddle override. I'll be the first to order one.
 
I have a grande Punto with Dualogic box and have had others too. The Dualogic box is great while it works but it is quite liable to expensive faults. I also have a Twingo with a twin clutch auto box . That's excellent for quick changes but can't be overridden when in 'auto'. I'm looking forward to the day when a twin clutch auto Panda is made with paddle override. I'll be the first to order one.



My perfect car would be akin to a 100hp Auto panda as you described there, this thread is made with the decision to not butcher a 100hp and force it to be an auto [emoji28] but yeah I’ve been looking at Grande Puntos a lot, my first car was a facelift Punto 04 plate
 
What sort of budget are you looking at? There is going to be a huge difference in price between an Abarth with a MTA box or an grande punto with a duologic that’s not been made since about 2010 so cars are old and relatively cheap.

On the other hand there are likely to be better Auto gear boxes from other manufacturers (Japanese are experts in auto boxes) also where 100hp is a relatively high power output for a fiat, but you can buy plenty of 100+ hp jap cars with auto gearboxes.
 
What sort of budget are you looking at? There is going to be a huge difference in price between an Abarth with a MTA box or an grande punto with a duologic that’s not been made since about 2010 so cars are old and relatively cheap.



On the other hand there are likely to be better Auto gear boxes from other manufacturers (Japanese are experts in auto boxes) also where 100hp is a relatively high power output for a fiat, but you can buy plenty of 100+ hp jap cars with auto gearboxes.



Aye I agree, however at the moment I’m browsing, and asking what’s the best fiat automatic, as in either the best car that’s automatic by fiat or the beast automatic gearbox that fiat has made, I like Jap cars too, but without tying to sound like a bellend I wouldn’t ask in a Fiat forum if I wanted a Jap [emoji28] not trying be a dick though, realise nå how bad that sounds
 
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Leftfield suggestion - Alfa 156 Selespeed?

Older car, but has the advantage of being well understood by the community, if you prefer to do things yourself.

Could get a nice one for your budget and still have lots of change.


Tipo Due platform based (with lots of modifications), Pratola Serra engine block with Alfa head (or a lovely V6), so it's part of the large Tipo family, Selespeed box is the grandfather of the Dualogic, can be troublesome, but there are people out there who know them inside out.
 
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Aye I agree, however at the moment I’m browsing, and asking what’s the best fiat automatic, as in either the best car that’s automatic by fiat or the beast automatic gearbox that fiat has made, I like Jap cars too, but without tying to sound like a bellend I wouldn’t ask in a Fiat forum if I wanted a Jap [emoji28] not trying be a dick though, realise nå how bad that sounds

If you’re just browsing with no real intention to buy anything then it becomes a case of top trumps, (this car has more power than that car) however if you’re looking to buy something then budget it going to be the major factor, if you’re only looking to spend a couple of grand then the Abarth is irrelevant, but the reliability of the gearbox is going to be much more important” if you can afford an Abarth 500 £10kish then the reliabilty is still important as you’ll be buying an older car with several years of abuse on the clock.

If you have £10k you could probably buy a nearly new fiat 500 with a warranty and then the reliability is not going to be so important as the car will have covered minimal miles and had minimal use.

So the ‘best’ automatic fiat is going to be the newest, with the most recent updates to improve reliability and least amount of use. If you want a fast car then the best to you may well be an Abarth, but an older Abarth may not be the best?

It’s very much a “how long is a piece of string” type arguement.

In this case assuming you’re not going to be buying a brand new car, I’d say the suggestion above is best and look at an Alfa if it’s something from the fiat stable you’re set on.

Other than that, I’d look else where for an auto box, as fiat don’t have a great track record in that department. Which is a shame because their manual gearboxes are pretty good.
 
Leftfield suggestion - Alfa 156 Selespeed?

Older car, but has the advantage of being well understood by the community, if you prefer to do things yourself.

Could get a nice one for your budget and still have lots of change.


Tipo Due platform based (with lots of modifications), Pratola Serra engine block with Alfa head (or a lovely V6), so it's part of the large Tipo family, Selespeed box is the grandfather of the Dualogic, can be troublesome, but there are people out there who know them inside out.



Ya know I was actually looking at them, purely because my day loves them as he had one and can help me when it inevitably goes wrong [emoji28]
 
If you’re just browsing with no real intention to buy anything then it becomes a case of top trumps, (this car has more power than that car) however if you’re looking to buy something then budget it going to be the major factor, if you’re only looking to spend a couple of grand then the Abarth is irrelevant, but the reliability of the gearbox is going to be much more important” if you can afford an Abarth 500 £10kish then the reliabilty is still important as you’ll be buying an older car with several years of abuse on the clock.



If you have £10k you could probably buy a nearly new fiat 500 with a warranty and then the reliability is not going to be so important as the car will have covered minimal miles and had minimal use.



So the ‘best’ automatic fiat is going to be the newest, with the most recent updates to improve reliability and least amount of use. If you want a fast car then the best to you may well be an Abarth, but an older Abarth may not be the best?



It’s very much a “how long is a piece of string” type arguement.



In this case assuming you’re not going to be buying a brand new car, I’d say the suggestion above is best and look at an Alfa if it’s something from the fiat stable you’re set on.



Other than that, I’d look else where for an auto box, as fiat don’t have a great track record in that department. Which is a shame because their manual gearboxes are pretty good.



Perfect reply, indeed that’s exactly the dilemma yeah, it is indeed a toss up between new fiat or used abarth or maybe an Alfa but the reliability does scare me on those [emoji28]

Also as you said because of going Auto that adds more worry onto the thin layer of ice thats the reliability card
 
The Alfa TCT gearbox is the best twin clutch gearbox on the market. It's fitted to the MiTo and the Giulietta. In the Fiat range you'll also find it in the 500x and 500L and new Tipo.



Avoid any 'automated' manuals with a single clutch. A good explanation here...



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-clutch_transmission#Fiat_Powertrain_Technologies



Ah yes I forgot about the MiTO! They’re great little cars, and yeah? I wouldn’t know to be honest, so try and get something with twin clutch?
 
Yes. Single clutches lead to hesitant progress. And the Alfa TCT was modified about 3 years ago to introduce a 'creep' function to mimic traditional auto gearboxes which makes parking so much easier.

Non creep and single clutch gearboxes have to use the throttle far too much when parking and just jerk into the spaces.
 
Yes. Single clutches lead to hesitant progress. And the Alfa TCT was modified about 3 years ago to introduce a 'creep' function to mimic traditional auto gearboxes which makes parking so much easier.



Non creep and single clutch gearboxes have to use the throttle far too much when parking and just jerk into the spaces.



Interesting stuff, Thank you! I’ve never been in an Auto that doesn’t “creep” and I’d imagine being in one that didn’t would be awful to park [emoji28]
 
Hi I have a 500X 2.0 Auto 4x4 which until recently I would have recommended. The gearbox is 9 speed ZF box I think and is pretty smooth. Mine is 9 months old but has a really annoying clunk from the drivetrain that Fiat are now saying is normal despite having replaced lots of parts and had about 7 attempts to fix so their record on honoring my warranty is not good. I have several other automatic cars and have had many over the years so my advice is buy a BMW Mini automatic. The mini has, in my opinion, the best auto box I have ever driven in a small car. If you can afford the insurance get a Cooper or Cooper S. Sorry to the Fiat fans but Fiat have annoyed me so much I would never recommend a Fiat to anyone again. I used to have a 14 plate Panda 4x4 which was brilliant but if Fiat won't honor a warranty then why deal with Fiat.
 
Hi I have a 500X 2.0 Auto 4x4 which until recently I would have recommended. The gearbox is 9 speed ZF box I think and is pretty smooth. Mine is 9 months old but has a really annoying clunk from the drivetrain that Fiat are now saying is normal despite having replaced lots of parts and had about 7 attempts to fix so their record on honoring my warranty is not good. I have several other automatic cars and have had many over the years so my advice is buy a BMW Mini automatic. The mini has, in my opinion, the best auto box I have ever driven in a small car. If you can afford the insurance get a Cooper or Cooper S. Sorry to the Fiat fans but Fiat have annoyed me so much I would never recommend a Fiat to anyone again. I used to have a 14 plate Panda 4x4 which was brilliant but if Fiat won't honor a warranty then why deal with Fiat.



Interesting comment there! And no it’s fine I really like Fiat group but I’m no way a fanboy, my favourite cars are Toyota group and VW group so I can’t comment on the affiliation to bmw/mini, I love them also [emoji28] sad to hear about them being abit douchy with that, it’s the kinda stuff that puts you off a manufacturer
 
The problems experienced above with the 9 speed auto and lack of customer service are inexcusible. However bear in mind that the Alfa TCT (or Fiat DCT/DDCT as it's called in Fiat's) is made by Fiat Group, not ZF like the 9 speed auto.

It has proven very free of issues given how many of them they've sold, especially in Alfa Romeo's - it's been on sale over 5 years in the MiTo & Giulietta whereas it's a relatively new addition to Fiat, arriving with the introduction of the 500x in 2015.

In a slight correction to something mentioned previously, it's available in the 500x (1.4 MultiAir Petrol & 1.6 Multijet diesel) & Tipo (1.6 Multijet diesel), but not in the 500L. The 500L still uses the older Dualogic box in the 1.3 Multijet diesel, as does the 500, Panda, Qubo & Doblo.
 
The problems experienced above with the 9 speed auto and lack of customer service are inexcusible. However bear in mind that the Alfa TCT (or Fiat DCT/DDCT as it's called in Fiat's) is made by Fiat Group, not ZF like the 9 speed auto.

It has proven very free of issues given how many of them they've sold, especially in Alfa Romeo's - it's been on sale over 5 years in the MiTo & Giulietta whereas it's a relatively new addition to Fiat, arriving with the introduction of the 500x in 2015.

In a slight correction to something mentioned previously, it's available in the 500x (1.4 MultiAir Petrol & 1.6 Multijet diesel) & Tipo (1.6 Multijet diesel), but not in the 500L. The 500L still uses the older Dualogic box in the 1.3 Multijet diesel, as does the 500, Panda, Qubo & Doblo.



Very good information there, wasn’t expecting much a reply on this thread considering most petrolheads dont like autos [emoji28]
 
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