They are working hard on the TA all the time so I guess improving tweaks will keep being introduced.
General How happy are you really with your TA 85 engine.
- Thread starter The Pretender
- Start date
Currently reading:
General How happy are you really with your TA 85 engine.
Great debate. Thanks. I love the TA, its brill & sounds great. I'm not going to do any remapping until its fully loosened up as I take on board what people say about how much better the engine gets after a few 000 miles. This has got to be the best car I've owned - & I've had a few! 
Oh and I agree that the ta in the panda is streets ahead of the same engine in a 500 I test drove.....
OP
OP
Did a test drive with a TA 85 Panda yesterday with ± 35000 Km on the clock.
It is the worst engine i have ever driven.
It's not impressive in low revs and very very noisy in high revs.
And then there is that irritating shift light at ± 2K.
If you then shift it sounds like the engine will stall.
The rest of the new Panda i liked.
It is the worst engine i have ever driven.
It's not impressive in low revs and very very noisy in high revs.
And then there is that irritating shift light at ± 2K.
If you then shift it sounds like the engine will stall.
The rest of the new Panda i liked.
Did a test drive with a TA 85 Panda yesterday with ± 35000 Km on the clock.
It is the worst engine i have ever driven.
It's not impressive in low revs and very very noisy in high revs.
And then there is that irritating shift light at ± 2K.
If you then shift it sounds like the engine will stall.
The rest of the new Panda i liked.
Well, at least you know now. As I said before, there's a very small minority who just don't like the motor. You have to learn to drive it in a different way to a 4cyl car, but if your 1st impressions are so bad I'd not buy one if I were you.
babbo_umbro
Established member
Did a test drive with a TA 85 Panda yesterday with ± 35000 Km on the clock.
It is the worst engine i have ever driven.
It's not impressive in low revs and very very noisy in high revs.
And then there is that irritating shift light at ± 2K.
If you then shift it sounds like the engine will stall.
The rest of the new Panda i liked.
I agree about that damned light - if you changed up when it indicates the whole thing would die of boredom. Otherwise it sounds as though you were unlucky - I find it a bit lumpy but willing enough at low revs and actually quite smooth and quiet at the top end - but you can only describe as you find.
OP
OP
The only moment it was reasonable quit was during constant speed cruising.
Otherwise it sound terrible IMHO.
Otherwise it sound terrible IMHO.
Moultoneer
Member
Well I love it for its diesel-like noise and (good) vibrations at lower revs
(being an ex-dieselhead this suits me fine
)I also like the motorcycle-style howl at higher revs, but I then remember
how this is ruinous to the fuel economy, so I reserve that for overtaking
Chris
OP
OP
so I reserve that for overtaking
Chris
Overtaking.
I would not even try that during my testdrive.
I had two moment i want to overtake, but decided agains it.
The engine was not giving me the confidence for it.
My feeling was that it would not be quick enough to do so.
I could not estimate how much time it need.
But another important question: I reckon the default eco button setting is sport.
Or will it always stay in ECO if set to it.
Maybe i test drove it in ECO all the time.
The change arrows/light appears at different times depending on how your driving, the harder your pushing the later it comes on. I don't notice my shift light anymore so it doesn't bother me (never did if I'm honest). You need to drive it like you stole it (in non eco mode) to get the best performance out of it and I'm surprised you were worried about overtaking because the TA is a punchy little power plant if driven enthusiastically
As has been said above maybe the TA is not for you, but one day you'll be driving in your 1.2 and a TA will fly by and you'll think "WTF has that got under the bonnet?" The more I drive my TA the better I like it
As has been said above maybe the TA is not for you, but one day you'll be driving in your 1.2 and a TA will fly by and you'll think "WTF has that got under the bonnet?" The more I drive my TA the better I like it
OP
OP
but one day you'll be driving in your 1.2 and a TA will fly by and you'll think "WTF has that got under the bonnet?" The more I drive my TA the better I like it
Could only happen with a tuned 85 hp or the future 105 hp.
My tuned 1.2 is as fast as a standard TA 85.
The change arrows/light appears at different times depending on how your driving, the harder your pushing the later it comes on. I'm surprised you were worried about overtaking because the TA is a punchy little power plant if driven enthusiastically
The more I drive my TA the better I like it
Yes - that's certainly true,
pretty sure a LOT of it's character is "adaptive",
because if you have a day of driving it RELATIVELY hard , the responses are pretty quick,
if you have a day of dawdling , it just doesn't light up as you'd expect when needed,
4K on my Punto now,
still waiting for any REAL power woth ECO on,
Charlie - didcot
Last edited:
OP
OP
btw, i had contact with the Fiat dealer and they confirmed that i have been test driving it in ECO mode, because they looked into it and it was still in ECO mode the way i parked it.
Never have put any attention to that ECO button and how it was set.
Never have put any attention to that ECO button and how it was set.
btw, i had contact with the Fiat dealer and they confirmed that i have been test driving it in ECO mode, because they looked into it and it was still in ECO mode the way i parked it.
Never have put any attention to that ECO button and how it was set.
Go try it again and this time drive it like you stole it
(In non ECO mode ).
OP
OP
In October or so, the normal 500 TA 105 hp will be available they say.
So i will try that in non ECO mode.
So i will try that in non ECO mode.
I use start stop only when I know more than 1 minute that I'm going to be at the traffic lights ,and I do like the twinair ,I don't think I'm going in for any remapping and if doing so would you have to tell DVLA and your insurance people
the T/A sounds a bit clattery from idle, but is smooth and tractable once it gets going. I've had it stall once shortly after i started the car to get back from the station and before i'd pulled out of the parking bay. Almost as though it was being under-fueled. On re-start it was fine. Something to keep an eye on, perhaps?
My perception is that at circa.1100 miles it was as though the fuel economy (as displayed) suddenly improved. Also, the car is not telling me to change down at the dame point as the revs drop - it seems to hold on a bit longer. Not sure why this should the case. Still is very odd that a car can keep going in top gear at 1800rpm. A strange and characterful little motor, thats for sure
My perception is that at circa.1100 miles it was as though the fuel economy (as displayed) suddenly improved. Also, the car is not telling me to change down at the dame point as the revs drop - it seems to hold on a bit longer. Not sure why this should the case. Still is very odd that a car can keep going in top gear at 1800rpm. A strange and characterful little motor, thats for sure
Moultoneer
Member
the T/A sounds a bit clattery from idle, but is smooth and tractable once it gets going. I've had it stall once shortly after i started the car to get back from the station and before i'd pulled out of the parking bay. Almost as though it was being under-fueled. On re-start it was fine. Something to keep an eye on, perhaps?
My perception is that at circa.1100 miles it was as though the fuel economy (as displayed) suddenly improved. Also, the car is not telling me to change down at the dame point as the revs drop - it seems to hold on a bit longer. Not sure why this should the case. Still is very odd that a car can keep going in top gear at 1800rpm. A strange and characterful little motor, thats for sure
The only time I've stalled a TA was during the test drive, in a 4x4.
I had trouble getting used to the 6-speed gearbox
I was actually quite relieved to find the Trekking's 5-speed box actually
has really good ratios, with a surprisingly high top gear (25mph/1000rpm)
My driving style (ex-diesel) suits the engine well, and rewards me with
fuel consumption in the mid-fifties thus far (~2500 miles)
However, I've found absolutely no benefit from the 'ECO' mode
The stop-start is working well and unobtrusively.
Chris
Chris, as a potential Panda owner, I find your mpg reports very encouraging, particularly with all of the negative press surrounding Twin Air mpg. I wonder what sort of mpg you would get out of the 4x4 version? Perhaps Fiat should employ you as a Twin Air mpg ambassador!
Jason
Jason
Moultoneer
Member
If Fiat would like to lend me a well run-in 4x4 I'll be happy to see what I
could achieve, using my low-rev. driving style
However, there are a few 4x4 Twinair owners on this forum who are
already doing quite well, I believe the high 50s are possible with care!
Today I managed 65MPG on the undemanding 23 miles driving home after
filling up in Swindon, total mileage has just passed 2600 so still young
Chris
