General Considering 1.4L 16V Sport Semi-Auto

[RobW]

my Mother and Uncle both have Fiats with Dualogic boxes and love them, in fact Mum has just replaced her Grande Punto with another identical model

previously my Uncle had a Punto Selecta and had no probs with that either

 

[Astro500]

Hi,

Yes, the 1.4 does have an auto option.

trying to make it go up hills is fun, it suddenly wll just change down for no reason and then change back up again after a short while of wasting petrol making the engine scream.

All autos will do that given sufficient excuse. You have to go manual or limit the highest gear it can go into, depending on the box.

There is a technique to driving them. They're not as straight forward as they appear (and yes, they do tend to hammer the engines - that's just how it is).

I found some videos on YouTube of the 1.4 auto - seems good!

Had a look at a manual 500C today - rather impressed! Plastics in the cabin left a bit to be desired, but mechanically it seemed solid from what I saw.

Any additional feedback on the auto appreciated.

Best regards,
Astro500.

 

[poggy]

Im sorry, hill starts in a dualogic are a hilarious combination of slipping clutches and lack of movement, .

It must have been broken then as I bought one for my mother and have no problem going up hills, parking is also easy with less clutch slip than a manual. I would go as far as to say you are less likely to slip the clutch on a dual logic than driving manually as the computer does it all for you. If you watch the rev counter on the dual logic it doesn't over rev the engine from a standing start on a hill.

The reality of normal auto's is that they loose power from the engine to the wheels through the torque converter, as much as 10%. They are not quicker off the mark than a dual logic if you drive it properly and the gear changes on the dual logic are much quicker as you go up through the box than a auto.

It's not my opinion it is the engineering.

 

[Astro500]

So a Panda has the same box? Great!

Best regards,
Astro500.

 

[RobW]

So a Panda has the same box? Great!

Best regards,
Astro500.

yes, well the same in effect

 

[Astro500]

"In effect"? Sorry if I seem pedantic, but if they're not the same, there is little point.

Best regards,
Astro500.

 

[RobW]

"In effect"? Sorry if I seem pedantic, but if they're not the same, there is little point.

Best regards,
Astro500.

the way it operates the gearbox is the same but the actual gearbox is different as it is a different engine size

 

[Astro500]

OK! Thanks!

Best regards,
Astro500.

 

[Astro500]

What do people think of the climate control? Not sure if I simply missed it but it appeared it didn't have a manual fan control??

Best regards,
Astro500.

 

[RobW]

What do people think of the climate control? Not sure if I simply missed it but it appeared it didn't have a manual fan control??

Best regards,
Astro500.

yes it does - right hand side
but the point is to let it operate automatically

 

[Astro500]

Oops - I wasn't clear enough. Manual fan speed control. I found the controls for air flow.

Think I'll stick with the standard then.

Best regards,
Astro500.

 

[Astro500]

On the website the stock options for a bump strip are with badge, or with a space for a badge.

Where do you get the chequered flag badge from?

I still can't decide if I want bump strips at all...

Anyone know if you can get chrome bump strips?

Looking at the Azure paint.

Best regards,
Astro500.