Technical E-Torq query

[TrevC]

My wife is considering upsizing from her 1.2 500C, and a 500X is a contender. I ran a 1.4 Multiair for a couple of years, so we are familiar with the car, but many of the cheaper ones for sale have the 1.6 E-Torq engine, which I don't know much about.

I know it has less power than the 1.4, but it probably goes better than her 1.2. Economy won't be as good as her present car, but her annual mileage is low, so not a major concern.

Does the 1.6 have any weak points? I assume it's belt cam with 5-year intervals.
Is it fussy on oil like the Multiair?

Any feedback from knowledgeable owners appreciated.

 

[Nello]

My wife runs a 1.6 MJ but we had a newer (post 2018/LED lights) e-Torq 500X last year as a hire car in Lake Garda. The car was fine. I also have the MA engine my in Lancia Delta 3 so know that engine - The eTorq is less refined and has to work harder. I don't believe its fussy on oil and is probably less problematic. Its a more basic engine so if basic around town driving is what its going to be used for it'll be fine although with that in mind most of the models available with the eTorq fitted are basic spec cars.....

 

[TrevC]

Thanks Nello. The one in this link is typical of the kind of thing we've been looking at, Pop Star trim seems to be pretty good, and she is trying to get away from bland, grey interiors.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-de...t=distance&model=500X&postcode=rg456pe&page=1

Unfortunately she is a bit undecided at present, and is even considering a 500L.
Having recently paid for the routine cambelt change on her little 500, I'd rather she kept it for a while longer or chose something with a chain cam like a Vitara or Captur.

 

[JTD_Liam]

The 1.6 e-Torq is a Chrysler-Jeep engine that Fiat gained access to when they bought the American brands. I think it's the same engine used in the first generation BMW Mini from 2001, so is tried and tested. I imagine providing it's got oil in it, it won't care a great deal what oil it is.

It's not going to be like the fussy MultiAir for oil, but it won't have the pace either. Coming from a 1.2 500 engine it'll feel fine though I imagine. If you found a 15 or 65 plate, then you might find the cambelt has already been changed this year, being 5 years old. Otherwise i'd have thought £350 would sort out the belt and waterpump if you went for a newer car or one that hasn't had the belt done yet.

I dare say you wouldn't have to pay a premium for a diesel 500x in the current climate and would gain a bit more pace in the process. They don't seem to suffer widespread DPF problems either, but i'm wary of the low mileage use you describe not being ideal for a diesel. They're a bit noisy round town too, even by diesel standards.

 

[TrevC]

Yeah, I thought it best to steer clear of a diesel - she does a lot of short runs.
I had one of the early BMW Minis (R53) some years ago and those have timing chains, so I don't think the E-Torq is the same engine, unless they re-designed the camshaft drive mechanism.
We paid about £350 for the belt, tensioner and waterpump change on her 500C a couple of months ago, and I was hoping to avoid a similar bill in the near future!
As you say, compared to the 69bhp 1.2 in the 500C, 110bhp and more torque in the (albeit heavier) 500X ought to feel good by comparison.

 

[Nello]

Trev to be fair that one does appear to have a few upgrades including Nav though the 5" system is not the quickest/smoothest. Its a bit pricey though for a 2016 Pop Star IMO. £350 is not too bad for a cam-belt. I use a brilliant Italian independent in Birmingham for ours - think we paid a bit less for our belt recently. I'm no oil-burner lover purely due to the noise but we bought ours for a great price when they were not that old. We do the occasional Motorway run in it as well so wasn't too concerned about any DPF issues. Done over 30k in it now with no problems - averages between 40-52 mpg and its only £20 a year to tax so don't discount the 1.6 MJ completely! Performance is quite surprising as well in Sport mode. Always down to taste but my wife wasn't a fan of the Postman Pat-ish 500L although I believe they do not have many issues. Mrs Nello had a Fiat Sedici before which she loved so wanted to stay with the elevated driving/SUV position.

 

[850kd]

I have a 1.6 etorq. pop (not popstar) 66 plate. now done 44k only issue from new was an ac condensor replacedand a broken sunvisor clip under warranty. I have always used the recommended selenia oil under warranty , now using shell of equivalent spec. i average 40.1 mpg in mixture of town local and motorway driving . the only complaint i really have is the 9k service intervals.

 

[TrevC]

Thanks for the replies folks. She has done the deed now and decided on a Renault Captur which we collected on Saturday. She never really liked driving the 500X I had (not sure why, I loved it) and was lured to a newer and more expensive car than we had been considering.

It's very similar in size to the 500X, with slightly more flexible boot/seating space, but less attractive interior design (in my eyes). Like the Fiat, it feels quite solid when you shut the doors etc. Hers is an 18 plate with only 8500 miles. It has a 1.2l chain cam turbo engine delivering 120 bhp, and feels quite punchy. We reset the trip meter for the drive back from the garage and got just over 50 mpg (warm engine, 25min drive mostly A-roads, little traffic) so looks encouraging.

First time in nearly a decade with no Fiat on the fleet, but I'll keep dipping into the forum.

 

[s130]

Well I would not worry too much (shame on you but only joking) about leaving or deviating from the Fiat fold.

I think that these days (not that I've done any detailed analysis) that short of "Prestige Makes and Supercars" then the "Joe Public" practical family car choice is becoming a real challenge because all manufacturers are these days providing generally good quality and reliable vehicles built on many industry common stand OEM parts from the same OEM manufacturers.

 

[TrevC]

Agreed, we certainly didn't have any reliability issues with our Fiats. We are spoilt these days compared with when I started driving in the 1970s, cars are 10 times more complicated but 10 times more reliable it seems. Trickier to fix if they do go wrong though!