General Twinair opinions please???

[nigelr32]

Hi all, me again,

I have become a fan of the 500 almost overnight, and have become a little passionate about the Twinair. I have read good and bad about the 500 fitted with the Twinair, such as poor fuel economy, but some testers even stating they'd have the Twinair over the Abarth!!

So, I would like to ask, what do you guys think of it? I plan to get a Matt Black 500 with Red Leather trim, but can't decide on the engine options??

All opinions will be greatly appreciated, but please no wars between members. Everyone's opinion counts here!!

Regards

Nige

 

[The Twins]

We have a TA and a 1.2 - hence 'The Twins' lol.
I would go for TA any day.
My wife's 500 is the 1.2 and we got that first, she would go for TA now.
The economy is a funny one... If you drive the TA like a Saint you can get better mpg than the 1.2, but if you rag it around the mpg will be worse than 1.2.
The 1.2 is not as sensitive about how you drive.
The TA feels a lot punchier than 1.2 and has such a characterful sound. The 1.2 is a but more refined and quieter
I hope this helps : )

 

[simon willgress]

I love my twinair. I have had none of the oil usage problems or poor MPG that some people suffer and have just clicked over 11k.
The dealer has had to replace a coil pack which seem to be a common fault but covered by the warranty and once rectified the problem doesn't seem to return.

If your going to drive it like an Abarth then you will get Abarth economy.

Drive it in Eco below 60mph an it will achieve close to what fiat claim. Current best is 74mpg for a 100mile round trip.
(I might be a special case for the mpg)

Don't be upset if you get rubbish mpg out of the box as it does take time for the engine to bed in and you as a driver to adjust to the engine character.

I love the bend of back lane blat and everyday drive, the noise it makes is just a bonus.

Get a twinair and in the spec you suggest you will love it

 

[The Twins]

I agree with Simon (although my best ever mpg on a long trip is 63mpg)

 

[jrkitching]

Drive both, buy the one which best suits your driving style.

The likely real-world difference in mpg is probably not worth worrying about unless you're on a tight budget, and if you were on a tight budget, you probably wouldn't buy a 500 at all.

 

[scout]

:yeahthat: I have a twin air and would not trade it for a 1.2, today I managed 59.8 MPG on a 48 mile round trip. but the sun was out the roof was down and I was in a chilled mood but with two adult males on board. My average since I got the car is in my sig below. Try them both and pick the one that suits you best. Just remember that you won't get great economy if its not in ECO mode .

 

[nigelr32]

Guys, you are amazing!! I am so grateful for all your replies. Thankyou all so much.

I have driven both cars, and was very impressed with the fun factor of the TA, and a little disappointed with the 1.2 as it felt a little "normal" having driven the TA first. On the downside, the TA will cost me £185 to insure, whereas the 1.2 will only be £135. Yes, I am 50 Years old with mega NCB and no named drivers.

Looking at this thread, I think I'll be buying a TA tomorrow!!

Thanks again

Nige

 

[stephenh]

i have had my twin air for over a year now and have done just short of 1200miles, fuel econemy not even near what they say averaging 42mph after first service, before this it was 45/46mph. most i had was 50 on a long motorway journey. the fuel econemy is the only let down but free road tax is not a complaint as old car was £200 a year.

i have driven like miss daises gran and like a mad man and it never differs much from above even in eco mode.

no major problems with car or any issues with oil,one door handle changed and coil packs changed at service.

love the drive and sound of car, even on a long journey is comfortable sitting at 70 - 75, has a sweet spot between 28 - 31,000 revs. car feels light on the road and handles well, partners mx5 feels like a bus to drive in comparison.

i have a friend with a 1.2 but after having a drive i would have the twinair any day:worship:
twin air much quicker pulling away getting up to speed though the 1.2 will drive in a higher gear at lower speeds than twin air.


hope this helps but for me twin air wins hands down

 

[loveshandbags]

Hi all, me again,

I have become a fan of the 500 almost overnight, and have become a little passionate about the Twinair. I have read good and bad about the 500 fitted with the Twinair, such as poor fuel economy, but some testers even stating they'd have the Twinair over the Abarth!!

So, I would like to ask, what do you guys think of it? I plan to get a Matt Black 500 with Red Leather trim, but can't decide on the engine options??

All opinions will be greatly appreciated, but please no wars between members. Everyone's opinion counts here!!

Regards

Nige

I wouldn't confuse the engine choice since you've opting for the TA but are you sure about the Matt black choice of colour ? Would you consider going for the Metallic black and possibly wrapping the bonnet in a satin or Matt black ? The red leather is nice and with the new ribbed design it looks like it will be worth specifying. Are you going to go for the Abarthy look with the 500S ?

 

[The Twins]

I agree with loveshandbags - Matt black will be very hard to look after. You cannot 'rub' Matt paint vigorously as it will 'polish'. Imagine trying to remove fly squash or bird poo!
Crossover Black looks great on the 500 - especially the new S model.

 

[caz360]

Having owned a 1.2 for 5 years and still own a an abarth, the twin air is amazing fun!
It is hard to get the economy out of it, but it depends what you want.

For me personally I think it is worth the extra. Just before I signed for mine I tested a new 1.2 and it felt very flat.

I am sure your choice will look great!:slayer:

 

[jrkitching]

The 1.2 is a proper eco car and drives accordingly. If you're like most folks here & want to feel a bit of response when you press the loud pedal then I suspect it will disappoint & you'll likely spend most of your ownership wishing you'd bought the other one.

OTOH, I'm typing this having just driven my 1.2 down to the New Forest & with some help from a following wind & nice warm dry weather, I'm looking at 78.8mpg on the trip computer.

It all depends what floats your boat. There isn't one best choice for everyone.

 

[brigguscoop]

We have both the 1.2 and the TwinAir and they are very different cars to drive. If you want outright performance then TA is your choice, it really suits the 500's character and if we only had one 500 then it would be my choice. It's punchy engine is addictive and surprises a lot of other drivers. But don't dismiss the 1.2 if you travel mostly only one up with no passengers because the engine improves vastly as the miles pile on, there's nothing in it average mpg wise, it's cheaper and the 4cyl engine is sweeter, smoother and typically Italian it that it likes to be revved. The TA suits a lazier driving style whereas the 1.2 has to be 'driven'.

We've had no major problems with either car and we're dreading having to sell one for something larger as the family grows because we can't think of anything we'd rather have. We love'em both.

 

[Tidus72]

I own a 1.2 and find there is plenty of "poke" in it, I mean how fast do you want to go

I do alot of stop start town driving and when I test drove a Twin Air I found it very tiresome in Stop Start traffic, having to rev quite hard just to pull away which is a nightmare when your in a line of cars, as you say the 1.2 is a much more relaxed and less frantic engine hence why I chose the 1.2

The 1.2 has plenty of get up and go especially in a car the size and weight of a 500

 

[OrangeSport]

I've not driven the TA, so can't offer an actual comparison, but I did have a 1.2 Sport for 4 years.

The 1.2 is a well proven, refined and characterful engine which really suits the 500 in my opinion. It is fun, although not fast, and economical. It handled every situation I threw at it, including long motor stints (500 miles in a day).

The only limiting factor I came across is that you need to plan motorway overtakes if you are fully loaded.

 

[nigelr32]

And the advice keeps rolling in......

I have owned a 1242 Panda, and actually used it for doing auto solo's. It performed very well, and stood up well against the other cars in it's sub 1400cc class. I was also very impressed with it's cruising performance, happily sitting at 80mph for any distance.

The performance of the 1.4 100HP was, in my opinion, disappointing compared to it's smaller brother.

The TA is just so different though, it sounds like a sick 4 cylinder engine to my ear, like a cross between a Subaru and a quad bike. Economy is not a concern at all, I just want a fun car.

With regard to the colour, it's not actually "Matt" black as Fiat describe it, it's more like a Teflon coating. I have looked at a couple of used cars and was surprised to see they were not stone chipped, scratched or marked in any way. Maybe it is Teflon??

Please keep your advice coming...

 

[306maxi]

I haven't been hugely impressed with the 1.4 either, at least in the 500, I drove a 100hp and it seemed quite eager though still pesky, but the 500 seemed to be mapped differently and seemed to want more revs whereas the 1242 in the 500 is quite torquey and of course our Legacy turbo has oodles of low down grunt.

Jason's 1.4 did feel nicer than the two demo 500's I drove and the qyaife (thanks for that Nigel ) made it even nicer to drive

 

[arorat]

nigelr32 just had the TA for over 2 yrs and no issues at all except for the random urges to buy an Abarth, 208 GTi or the GT86 !!

Looks like you have decided on the TA, its good choice and the engine (eco switch) lets you decide how you want to drive it, in spirited mode or a dumbed down 1.2.

Matt Black !! good luck with that. I am sure there are better things to do in life than to wash your car every weekend unless you have nothing better to do

Worth looking at; HIDs, parking sensors, interscope, leather, 16 multispokes, rear spoiler, fogs and the R68 Option for dash. Oh and an armrest.

good luck with your final choice.

 

[loveshandbags]

And the advice keeps rolling in......

Please keep your advice coming...

Added the appropriate edits !

When I had the 1.4 in the 2 500s I was also (still am) driving a 1.6 Petrol Marea Weekender. I felt the 1.6 Petrol engine was better in some respects and felt that it was a right sized 'performance' 4 cylinder engine. The 1.4 in the 500 come into it's own around 90mph (common place on the tolled quiet motorways over here) and it seemed happiest at that speed sitting at the sweet spot. Returned around 37-38mpg. In the Lounge model the glass roof added another person's weight with the Sport tin top feeling quicker. Still struggled getting out of the corners on the back roads with the lack of low down grunt. The CAI & the Denso spark plugs and leaving out the spare wheel and the missus ! made it feel a little quicker.

Getting back to the TA verus 1.2 choice back to back from a test drive the TA is going to come on top. If you were looking to tinker with either of them there's no potential for improvement. There has been a discussion thread on the TA and the 105HP model and you can't get the 85bhp up to the higher output model.

The Abarth on the other hand has plenty of potential and if you hanker for more than the standard 135-145bhp output you can slap on a 2.5inch cat back straight thru exhaust, tinker with the ECU or a tuning box and the IHI turbo can be re-built without having to go down the route of a Garret & a manifold off a GPASS. Only issue then is the Achilles heal of the gearbox. From running a MiTo 155TB have noticed no difference in running costs compared with a 500 1.4 but down the road I will have bigger bills if I hang onto it. Performance is in a different league at 162bhp compared with the 99bhp 1.4 and still average 37mpg on the readout. On the 1.2 that I drove a demo pop seemly spritely and a '09 1.2 sport seemed sluggish hopping in from the 1.4. I haven't driven the 100HP Panda but by all accounts my 52 year old spine now (under strict doctor orders at the moment) wouldn't cope with the ride.

For me if you're in the ball park of a TA and not worried about petrol costs you'd be better off going the full monty and getting a A500.

On the Matte Black I did look at 2. In the sun light the colour had a brown hue of it. Thought that I might tire of the colour. One had a scrape down the side (told it would be impossible to match the repair work up with the original) and the other seemed to have a few marks. Didn't notice any chips like you get on the Metallic Black or the Red in particular. Would only consider a Blackjack model if I was getting a good deal. After the cost of repairing a Pearlescent white I would prefer to keep it simple now with BNW and spend the money on petrol and the go faster bits and a set of FSDs. ESP and ventilated discs comes standard with the A500 which can give peace of mind but love the Brembos on the current jammer.

If you are looking to partner a 500 with a more performance orientated car the 1.2 should be fine. But given your track record with modifying and if you're looking for the 'one' car I'd recommend the A500. I feel that the TA may end up feeling that you've being short changed - apologies to anyone out there who drives a TA.

 

[loveshandbags]

@nigelr32 just had the TA for over 2 yrs and no issues at all except for the random urges to buy an Abarth, 208 GTi or the GT86 !!

Looked at one about 2 weeks ago.
No back seats worth talking about.
No hatchback - just a boot !
Asking €32,500 on a cash sale for a 2012 model !
Road tax p.a. around £700 +
I can now see the attraction and take back what I said about the mid life crisis !