OP
OP
Nope! just driven in exactly the same way as the previous 500.
General TwinAir Thread (including MPG)
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General TwinAir Thread (including MPG)
Nope! just driven in exactly the same way as the previous 500.
This is not aimed at you Grimwau, but I do think perhaps as this is a 'new' type of engine you wouldn't be able to directly transfer your previous driving habits as the engine is so different. When we hopefully receive ours (test drive today!) I'm all up for learning the ways of the engine to really get the most from it, I think it's part of the fun. 
ahmett
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Yes, I think if you use the turbo the MPG goes flying down! However, with such a small engine, I think you have to use the turbo most of the time.
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I used to get 50mpg from my 04 Panda 1.2 without any real effort and 35mpg from my 100HP straight out of the box.
It will be very interesting to see what can be achieved from a run in TwinAir with normal driving - i.e. not desperately trying to achieve the very best figures.
It will be very interesting to see what can be achieved from a run in TwinAir with normal driving - i.e. not desperately trying to achieve the very best figures.
OP
OP
This is not aimed at you Grimwau, but I do think perhaps as this is a 'new' type of engine you wouldn't be able to directly transfer your previous driving habits as the engine is so different. When we hopefully receive ours (test drive today!) I'm all up for learning the ways of the engine to really get the most from it, I think it's part of the fun.
That's OK Mikey, I didn't think that it was.
As you say the different characteristics mean a different driving style. I have the arrows on the speedo telling me when to change gear and on the TomTom it also has an ecodrive display as well as the gearchange indications.
However, the car doesn't always feel comfortable using these suggestions (whereas the diesel would have be fine) so I have already altered my driving style to suit the characteristics of the new engine.
Also, I have taken place in many an economy run in various cars and I have always aquitted myself quite well, albeit never coming first, lol.
I suspect there are as many definitions of 'normal driving' as there are drivers. Perhaps the most useful comparisons will be from folks like grimwau who are changing from a different flavour of 500, and can compare between the two.
One individual's mpg figure in isolation isn't actually that helpful. I have a few 'regular journeys' which I drive frequently, and if I drive a car over them a few times in my usual style then I can comment on a meaningful comparative basis. I'd be curious to know just what I could get from a twinair on that basis, but I wouldn't read too much into what I got on a test route I wasn't familiar with.
I speculate that there will be an unusually wide range of fuelly figures for the twinair, as from what others have shared this far, mpg will be very dependent on driving style, depending on how much the turbo kicks in.
I'm expecting to beat most of them with my 1.2 lounge, but that is more a statement about my own driving style than about the true potential of the twinair.
I did read somewhere that the twin air can for want of a better word fool you into thinking the engine is labouring and encouraging you into a lower gear when its quite happy in a higher gear. As you have said though Grimwau, your no newbie to ecconomy driving. I just hope things improve for you soon!
p.s going on the test drive myself in a few hours.. weirdly excited and nervous at the same time.....hope we leave with a deal on a twinair!
p.s going on the test drive myself in a few hours.. weirdly excited and nervous at the same time.....hope we leave with a deal on a twinair!
OP
OP
I did read somewhere that the twin air can for want of a better word fool you into thinking the engine is labouring and encouraging you into a lower gear when its quite happy in a higher gear. As you have said though Grimwau, your no newbie to ecconomy driving. I just hope things improve for you soon!
p.s going on the test drive myself in a few hours.. weirdly excited and nervous at the same time.....hope we leave with a deal on a twinair!
The trouble is that when you think the engine is labouring it is hard to ignore changing down. I have also found under these conditions that if you have the instant MPG displayed if you do "labour" for want of a better description, it shows quite a hefty increase in the consumption figures.
Enjoy your drive and I'll be interested to hear your impressions.
Do you mean an increase in consumption as in a decrease in the mpg reading, or vice versa?
If you mean the fuel economy is better when the engine feels like it's labouring, then i think this engine could be a step too far for many drivers. I know I for one would not be happy driving round in 5th at 30mph, with the engine shuddering away.
I've got a few questions to get a better understanding of why this was so low. What kind of driving did you do? What kind of speeds did you do and did you do mostly long or short trips? I'm assuming that you brimed it on the previous fillup as well as this one?
When I drove it I found that fuel consumption was worse when it started to labour. There were a few occassions where the gear change indicator was offering bad advice too, it would sometimes tell you to change up and then tell you to change down after changing gear. I think that was mainly because it couldn't see what was ahead of me.
I found 4th gear at 30mph to be undriveable. It sounded like it was struggling and then when you reached a gentle slope or bend you had no chance. I can't imagine what 5th would be like.
Just got back from the test drive, Am absolutely knackered so bare with me if I make little sense (we were there for around 4 hours!!) Coming from a different make of car all together the big things that hit me about the 500 twinair were the overall build quality which reminded me of the new mini quite alot,rear leg room is a million times better than I expected, definately acceptable.
Coming from a 65bhp 1.1 C2 the power felt absolutely immense, the salesman kept saying go on, put your foot down and it just felt much faster than 0-60 in 11 seconds. The stop/start was really impressive but did get left at the lights for a few seconds getting aquainted with it.
We ended up ordering BNW twinair lounge with red cloth/ivory ambience. We're complete mugs because he also managed to sell us guard x bodywork/interior protection, some insurance write-off protection and we got some alloy wheel protection for free! quite well protected overall if a little gullable but the idea of not waxing a car for 6 years is quite appealing!
Having to wait now over the weekend to see if we have been approved finance which will drive me mad, anyone know how easy it is to get approved? we have a fairly good credit rating I imagine.
p.s thanks to everyone from this forum for giving me alot of heads-up on what to expect from the car.
(we were there for around 4 hours!!) Coming from a different make of car all together the big things that hit me about the 500 twinair were the overall build quality which reminded me of the new mini quite alot,rear leg room is a million times better than I expected, definately acceptable. Coming from a 65bhp 1.1 C2 the power felt absolutely immense, the salesman kept saying go on, put your foot down and it just felt much faster than 0-60 in 11 seconds. The stop/start was really impressive but did get left at the lights for a few seconds getting aquainted with it.
We ended up ordering BNW twinair lounge with red cloth/ivory ambience. We're complete mugs because he also managed to sell us guard x bodywork/interior protection, some insurance write-off protection and we got some alloy wheel protection for free! quite well protected overall if a little gullable but the idea of not waxing a car for 6 years is quite appealing!
Having to wait now over the weekend to see if we have been approved finance which will drive me mad, anyone know how easy it is to get approved? we have a fairly good credit rating I imagine.
p.s thanks to everyone from this forum for giving me alot of heads-up on what to expect from the car.
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[Edit - this is in response to Mikey's post at #166]
Congratulations!
I don't want to put any dampener on things at all but the Supaguard is a pile of crap. I know you didn't pay for it, so no problem, but don't expect it to protect you car's paintwork for anything like that long. In fact, I'd ignore it. It is useless.
I had it done mainly for the interior. I have youngish kids and we could not have leather (for reasons I won't bore you with) so I wanted it mainly for the interior protection. The car is now 7 months old and the interior is really quite dirty. I'm disappointed with the lack of protection. In fact, I'm tempted to say that the interior treatment is as pants as the exterior. However, I will reserve judgement for 24 hours as I am going to give it a bit of attention tomorrow - I'll report back on how easy it is to get the marks off the seats.
Over and out.
PS I suspect the finance won't be a problem so long as you have a half decent job and no CCJ's.
Congratulations!
I don't want to put any dampener on things at all but the Supaguard is a pile of crap. I know you didn't pay for it, so no problem, but don't expect it to protect you car's paintwork for anything like that long. In fact, I'd ignore it. It is useless.
I had it done mainly for the interior. I have youngish kids and we could not have leather (for reasons I won't bore you with) so I wanted it mainly for the interior protection. The car is now 7 months old and the interior is really quite dirty. I'm disappointed with the lack of protection. In fact, I'm tempted to say that the interior treatment is as pants as the exterior. However, I will reserve judgement for 24 hours as I am going to give it a bit of attention tomorrow - I'll report back on how easy it is to get the marks off the seats.
Over and out.
PS I suspect the finance won't be a problem so long as you have a half decent job and no CCJ's.
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Last week in October.
Yes, so did I, looks like it takes at least an extra two weeks to ship a car to Scotland. I've just heard that it will be Monday next week, or maybe Tuesday, or if not Wednesday......
Either way, I hope I'll be able to take it on a run from Edinburgh to Carlisle and back on the following Saturday. Should get the measure of it then..
Thanks for the response robin! dissapointing to hear about the supaguard being pants, it must offer some kind of improvement I suppose but not suprising it falls short like most big promises. I love this forum, It's a real community and makes the prospect of being a 500 owner all the more reassuring. again thanks everyone.
again thanks everyone.
OP
OP
Yes! that is what I meant to convey.
It is in one of my earlier posts. Basically 2 x 55 miles trips on motorway at about 65 - 70mph without any stops on the second trip back from the dealers until I got home and about three stops by the side of the motorway to check for smoke coming from under the car. The rest has been my wife usung it to go to work and shopping. A good mixture of urban and extra urban.
Ouch! indeed.
It looks like he did, lol.
We're complete mugs because he also managed to sell us guard x bodywork/interior protection, some insurance write-off protection and we got some alloy wheel protection for free! quite well protected overall if a little gullable but the idea of not waxing a car for 6 years is quite appealing!
I noticed that the wee arrow was suggesting I change down when I thought the car was happy in the higher gear.
Cheers
D
Much like a 1.2.......
How is it? Are the revs too low? The A500 is fine in 5th at 30, even the APE i drove at the weekend was fine in 6th at 30.
