Re: M.P.G from a chinco?
Well, I've owned both. I used to have a Cinquecento Sporting and now have a Seicento Sporting and I love them both.
The Cinque is a great little car and the Sporting, even now, still retains it's character. The Sei is just an evolution of the Cinque. It shares many similarities, just more rounded and refined.
Yes, the engine is the same 1108cc F.I.R.E 8v unit which develops 55bhp. Doesn't sound much but it doesn't have a lot of weight to carry
This engine was originally used in the Punto Mk1 55's. The suspension and gearbox are also the same as those used in that Punto.
The main differences between the Cinque and Sei Sportings are that the Sei has power steering, the Cinque doesn't. In a car of that size it's not important, and in my opinion, actually makes the Cinque more fun to drive. Also, the Sei has a much nicer dashboard, borrowing a lot of it's switchgear from the Punto Mk1. This dash actually featured in the later Cinque's. The seats and interior are slightly brighter in the Sei, but minimal and functional all the same. They both feature leather trimmed gear knob and steering wheel and alloys as standard.
As far as actually driving them, I still prefer the Cinque. It is a pure driving car. Raw, simple and so much fun. The Sei has been refined, but can still pull a grin from your chops
Watch out for tyres. They are only made by Pirelli. P700-z's to be precise. If they have Goodyear shoes on, they will almost certainly be originals, fitted at the factory in Poland. For some bizarre reason, Goodyear no longer make them. I have heard otherwise, on occasion, but no tyre dealer I have spoken to has ever seen anything other than Pirelli P700-z's. Of course these are good tyres, but not entirely cheap.
Other than that, they require basic standard maintenance. The F.I.R.E lump has fewer moving parts, therefore less to go wrong. As long as you find a well looked after example, you'll be laughing, especially as you throw it round twisty back roads
And as for MPG, well, expect 48 to 50mpg on average. Oh, and don't worry about the fuel guage. If you have anything less than half a tank and then go round a corner, the needle will drop and the light will come on. This reverts to normal, once the corner has been negotiated !! LOL It's a quirk of both cars and nothing to worry about.
I can't recommend them enough. They are great fun to drive, they will go wherever you point them and stick to the road like glue
Hope that helps
Also, check out
http://www.carsfromitaly.com/fiat . Click on Models and you will get a detailed analysis of all FIAT's
Rob
