The E.torQ (?) motore is not bad but it's also fairly basic and shows its age, in terms of refinement and driveability. It's a long stroke engine ... (77× 85.8 mm) so it's suited to wafting around but it's not particularly sporty and can get vocal when you give it a workout.
Having said that.. it must be indestructible. They've made 1.5 million of them.. and the same engine that is a 1.6, is tough enough to also take a 1.8 overbore (80.5× 85.8 mm) for some other models Fiat makes. I can't imagine it's too fussy for maintenance or too delicate overall, either.
If you're doing a lot of small trips then I guess that's town work, so having an engine with "torque" in its name would be quite handy. It'll also put up with oil contamination and condensation better than something a bit more sophisticated (although as above, the MA doesn't seem to be particularly fragile in itself).
MA is perhaps sexier and more modern in design... but it's also more expensive (as far as I can see) and you might not need that... so the E.torQ might just be okay for you.
Ralf S.