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General Thinking of returning to the Multi-fold....

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General Thinking of returning to the Multi-fold....

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minisandfiats

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Having had a Multipla a few years ago which I sold when the rear suspension went, I’m thinking of getting another one.

Previous one was 1.9JTD, but am looking at a 1.6 16v (2003)- is the petrol engine any good? Don’t really do enough miles now to warrant diesel? Or does petrol lack “poke”? I believe they handle slightly better due to less weight up front.

Also the one I’ve seen has the rare fridge option in the front, which I’d probably want to swap for a seat- is this a simple job or does it involve disconnecting aircon pipes?

Thanks in advance for all replies.
 
The engine block was designed by Aurelio Lampredi who designed some of the Ferari V12s of the 60's. The block was designed for the SOHC Fiat 128 in 1969, used in the X1/9 it then saw development through 8v injection era - (Tipo) and i think the Multipla and Stilo 16V were the last application of the engine.


I havent fixed my multiplas yet but i'm sure the engine will be nice. The petrol versions seem to be getting hard to find. I suppose because of the diesel tax incentives. I had to buy a broken one! ;)
Now the diesels are getting older i dont fancy maintaining one personallym petrols have less to go wrong.



I understand the fridge is electic (like a camping cool box) nothing to do with the aircon.
 
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I'd love to try one. The Multipla handles pretty well anyway but with a lighter engine it might help with understeer.
As purf says older diesels are a bit of a liability, once you've done oil, filters, plugs, leads and thermostat, there isn't much to go wrong. No big ticket items like injectors, turbos, fuel pumps, dmfs, dpfs! Makes a lot of sense if you only do a few thousand miles per year.
 
Hmmm thanks for replies! Yes have noticed the petrol ones have got thin on the ground. Tax is more though haha!
 
Looking at the stats on HowManyLeft, there are only 865 petrol Multiplas left in the UK and Northern Ireland, and 276 of those are on a SORN. So yes - they are getting pretty rare.

I've never driven a petrol one, but the road tests of the time all say that they handle better than the diesel (less understeer).
 
Lets be honest...
The Bug is a lot of car and the 1.6 ain't a lot of motor...
I found mine to be under powered and not that economical.
Between Wolves and Munich (a once a month jaunt, round trip just about 1800 miles) the petrol averaged 28/32mpg, the diesel 42/46mpg.
I got the diesel because of the economy factor alone. It paid dividends.
Locally, the petrol was well up to the job, where speed is not an issue.
George
 
Has anyone seen a gas one. CNG ?
I am near a station that can do gas.
Did they ever sell in UK. They were in Italy and Germany. Normally looses power versus petrol and you need more cc.

Gas is cleaner than diesel or petrol and can be made from waste ... Biomethane.
 
Never sold in the UK, unfortunately. There was also an electric version of the Multipla, for use as a taxi (but not in the UK, either). The wide range of power plants for the Multipla were envisaged from its inception. It's the reason why the floor is level with the top of the sills (unlike most other cars), to create a lot of space under the floor pan.

It's (designer's) vision was way ahead of it's time. But the dumb, uneducated proletariat didn't realise that. Their loss!
 
The original one. Strictly speaking, it was a hybrid, but could run solely on electric if required. It had a charging socket in the NS rear wing (opposite the conventional fuel flap). I'd be interested to know more about the transmission used on these cars. If the picture here is anything like accurate, I don't see how they could have got a conventional gearbox in there with all of the other stuff!
 

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Oletimer said:
Lets be honest...
The Bug is a lot of car and the 1.6 ain't a lot of motor...
I found mine to be under powered and not that economical.
Between Wolves and Munich (a once a month jaunt, round trip just about 1800 miles) the petrol averaged 28/32mpg, the diesel 42/46mpg.
I got the diesel because of the economy factor alone. It paid dividends.
Locally, the petrol was well up to the job, where speed is not an issue.
George
Click to expand...
Agree 100% with all of the above. Diesel is far superior on the motorway both on economy and performance, especially so when laden down.
Having said that, the petrol is definitively more fun on a twisty road if you are alone in an otherwise empty car and the petrol tank is nearing empty. And keeping the revs up.

What route did you use? Eurotunnel - E40 - A4 - A9 or something more exciting?
 
Because of the regularity of the trip I tended to vary my journey:

My favourite route was:
(NOTE = I hate the tunnel, the trains stink and there's no chance of fresh air)

So, Ferry, A16, A25, A4 LUXEMBOURG, A3, A8 MUNICH.

Fuel in Lux is cheapest in EU, so this route is a no brainer, plus, using some of the old B roads it's a very scenic route
 
Oletimer said:
Because of the regularity of the trip I tended to vary my journey:

My favourite route was:
(NOTE = I hate the tunnel, the trains stink and there's no chance of fresh air)

So, Ferry, A16, A25, A4 LUXEMBOURG, A3, A8 MUNICH.

Fuel in Lux is cheapest in EU, so this route is a no brainer, plus, using some of the old B roads it's a very scenic route
Click to expand...

Ha. You are exactly right, didn't really know and hadn't thought about why I didn't like the tunnel - because it does save time - until you mentioned the smell and that's why. Have done that exact route for the same reason - cheap diesel. Last time I tried the Dunkirk ferry, then through Belgium; A18 A10 A4 Luxembourg A3 A8 Munich. A8 tends to get clogged up because of 3-2 lane transitions and many roadworks but is usually fine on a Sunday with no lorries.
 
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