They are working hard on the TA all the time so I guess improving tweaks will keep being introduced.
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.
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.
The only moment it was reasonable quit was during constant speed cruising.
Otherwise it sound terrible IMHO.
so I reserve that for overtaking
Chris
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
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
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.
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 peopleJust coming up to 1000 miles in my 4x4 so it's early days and still far from loosened up. My comparisons are mostly with the 1.4 in the 100HP but Mrs b_u has had a 1.2 for two and a half years so I know that well.
The engine certainly has character and in general I'm positive, though I find its response strangely inconsistent at times, there's bound to be some turbo lag but I also think the accelerator pedal is on/off rather than progressive. I have to say it can pick up its skirts and go. There's an entry onto the A30 going eastwards, just west of Okehampton; I come on there frequently as it's by my normal petrol station; accelerating pretty well flat out in the 100HP the 80 mph speed bleep went - near rev limiter in third - just as I arrived at a bridge a couple of hundred yards down the road; the 4x4 is doing 75 at the same point so, given the extra weight and (small) transmission losses, I reckon it might outperform the 100HP with the 100HP's more closely stacked gear ratios in the lighter car.
The gearing in sixth is exactly the same as the 100HP and the TA definitely sounds less busy - 80-85 is a perfectly comfortable cruising speed with a little acceleration in reserve if needed. It's very easy to arrive at the rev limiter in any of the four lower gears.
It can be very lumpy and low revs and I sometimes fear for the engine mountings but I just have to accept that it's a twin - and this characteristic is particularly reminiscent of the real Fiat 500.
I've got used to stop/start very quickly and am 95% happy with it - its drawback is when you're in traffic that inches forwards every 30 seconds.
So far it's not proving economical - average to date is about 34mpg. ECO is not an option, I tried it yesterday and will give it a longer go but it was very dull.
Do I prefer it to the 1.2? I like the 1.2, it's a great, honest little workhorse but the TA wins on all counts except consumption. It also completes my collection of engine types - low pressure turbo petrol engine was the missing link.
Do I prefer it to the 1.4? That's more difficult. I'll know much better after going to Italy in September, apart from the long journey there (and back) I'll be trying the 4x4 on some of Umbria's amazing white roads, which I couldn't attempt in the 100HP. At the moment I'd have to say that the TA is behind on every count except - surprise surprise - performance.
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
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