General 1.2 active loan car review

[Shauncorwyn]

This week I have had a loan car while mine has had major heart surgery ( I will post more on that in another thread).

The car I have been loaned is a 1.2 active 58 reg with 10k on it. My car is a 1.9 sporting.

I thought I would give my thoughts on the car. I have to stress that I am not trying to compare but there undoubtedly be some comparisons.


Performance

If you want to over take you have to give 3 week notice and a have a straight road as long as an Heathrow runway.
However I did find that the car kept up with the flow of traffic without any fuss with exception of when you meet an incline, which if your in the wrong gear you will be embarrassed.
I did find that the more I changed my driving style (holding revs longer) the better it did perform.
I found the car very good at cruising at the non standard motorway speed ( make your own assumptions here).

Economy

I have a daily commute of around 80 miles with a mix of urban but the bulk is motorway.
The car averaged around 45 mpg.
This may sound good but when you compare to the diesel that averages 55mpg on the same run it is disappointing.
The big issue I had with the economy was if you take the speed over 60 mph and beyond the economy drops to low 30’s very quickly.

Comfort

I found the car sprung slightly softer than my sporting but not a huge difference.
The car was very comfortable however I think the seats in the sporting are more supportive. This may be that I am just used to them as they looked very similar in design.
Noise levels were very acceptable and the engine was smooth enough – not at all buzzy like some of the 3 cylinders that are everywhere these days.

Handling

I found the car handled very well although I never pushed it to any limits.
There is quite a bit of body roll but that happens on the sporting too.
The car felt very nimble and surprised me how well it handled.
The front end turns in much better than the sporting that tends to plough straight on due to the heavy weight engine up front.

A big plus was the turning circle that is much better than the sporting.

I did miss some of my gadgets such as Bluetooth.

Conclusion

Well I have to say that all you youngsters who have the 1.2 active and dream of a sporting already have a decent car.

We are a two car family and I would certainly be happy to have one of these as a town runaround.

 

[nickkk]

Good review, I find them painfully slow! My sister has one it's it's scares the sh!t out of her when she drives mine! Hills are a embarrasmemt

 

[amar17]

i drive a 1.2 active (looking for a new one now though) ive had it for nearly 2 years, so its my first car.

Tbh your review is spot on. I find that the car is pretty decent when it is on the go, just really crap when it comes to roundabouts and accelerating back up to a decent pace.

like you said, its a great car for a teen.

 

[punto_matt]

they are just slow thats all.

 

[dave]

petrol being only 10mpg more than a diesel is good, a few years back an the difference would be a lot worse

 

[B.L.A.C.K Grande]

I must agree the review was spot on. Ive got a 1.2 Active aswell and is also my first car. I can't even keep up with my mates 2001 1.2 clio .

 

[fenton_jd]

0-50 is perfectly fine. Anything after is SLOW.

Maxed mine out at 96mph many times.... ahh memories.

 

[johnlad27]

have i got a quick 1.2 of the bunch, i fitted an air filter and abarth exhaust and i can keep up with a 1.3 diesel gp. I could do this before these were fitted though. I agree they is body roll and like all small engined cars, hills do become a challenge, but mine powers through them, even in 5th gear. My only issue is the gearbox, why couldnt fiat fit a 6 speed instead of a 5, i tend to do abit more motorway miles now, can be travelling at 70mph im sat at 3500revs, which doesnt sound alot but surely it cant be doing the engine alot of good, being sat at the same place for so long?. Good review anyway

 

[Shauncorwyn]

have i got a quick 1.2 of the bunch, i fitted an air filter and abarth exhaust and i can keep up with a 1.3 diesel gp. I could do this before these were fitted though. I agree they is body roll and like all small engined cars, hills do become a challenge, but mine powers through them, even in 5th gear. My only issue is the gearbox, why couldnt fiat fit a 6 speed instead of a 5, i tend to do abit more motorway miles now, can be travelling at 70mph im sat at 3500revs, which doesnt sound alot but surely it cant be doing the engine alot of good, being sat at the same place for so long?. Good review anyway

Yeah i agree with the gearbox - i was allways looking for another gear, however if there was a 6th i think you would be changing down to fith anytime you met an incline and we do have plenty of them i wales even on the M4 motorway.

 

[colin79666]

Good review.

I'm on my second GP now, my first was a 1.2 and I now have a 1.4. The 1.4 is similar to the 1.2 but is a bit more refined - as in the economy can be a bit better at 70mph and unlike the 1.2 you don't always have to drop down a gear or 2 for hills.

 

[punto_matt]

have i got a quick 1.2 of the bunch, i fitted an air filter and abarth exhaust and i can keep up with a 1.3 diesel gp. I could do this before these were fitted though. I agree they is body roll and like all small engined cars, hills do become a challenge, but mine powers through them, even in 5th gear. My only issue is the gearbox, why couldnt fiat fit a 6 speed instead of a 5, i tend to do abit more motorway miles now, can be travelling at 70mph im sat at 3500revs, which doesnt sound alot but surely it cant be doing the engine alot of good, being sat at the same place for so long?. Good review anyway

No, just 1.3s are sh*t slow too. Why would sitting at 3500 not be good for the engine? And what would putting a 6 speed box in achieve? It would just mean you would be sitting at a lower rpm?

 

[JimbbobW1977]

i have to agree with the review to. I found the 1.48v one i drove recently also had quite a bouncy ride compared to mine. Their would be little point in putting 6th gear on the 1.2 as it would barely maintain the speed at 70 as it would not be in the torque zone. Where as the 1.9 m-jet is about in its torque zone in 6th at 70, and pulls quite well in 6th.

 

[johnlad27]

No, just 1.3s are sh*t slow too. Why would sitting at 3500 not be good for the engine? And what would putting a 6 speed box in achieve? It would just mean you would be sitting at a lower rpm?

having the engine sat at a constant revs would knacker it soon enough, if having it sat a lower revs would achieve better results, ie prolong life of engine more then yeah would be a bonus.

 

[Andy Monty]

Quiet often engines are better protected by the oil at higher Rpm's google HYDROSTATIC lubrication ;-)

 

[B.L.A.C.K Grande]

0-50 is perfectly fine. Anything after is SLOW.

Maxed mine out at 96mph many times.... ahh memories

Got mine to 100mph with a full car but ive got a gsr & exhaust.

 

[punto_matt]

having the engine sat at a constant revs would knacker it soon enough, if having it sat a lower revs would achieve better results, ie prolong life of engine more then yeah would be a bonus.

Okay then if you say so.

 

[johnlad27]

Dont get fcuking smart, just because you have no life sat at a pc all day, thinking you know it all. You're f*cking out of order pal.

 

[punto_matt]

Calm down, don't want to go making yourself look thicker now do we lol