General What Engine to go for?

[Neil Surrey Labs]

OK what's the best engine to go for for the Fiat 500?

I want to get the best mix of driveability, performance, mpg and vfm

 

[306maxi]

It all depends really. For VFM and driveability I would certainly say that the 1.2 is the best. £1200 cheaper than any of the other engines and pretty darn reliable (

 

[Venters]

I wonder how many people will suggest an engine they haven't bought.

 

[306maxi]

I wonder how many people will suggest an engine they haven't bought.

Of course But the fact that most 500's are 1.2's and most people are happy with them means the engine can't be that bad

 

[Venters]

Of course But the fact that most 500's are 1.2's and most people are happy with them means the engine can't be that bad

It's also the cheapest. As is white for colour.

 

[RobinPJ]

OK what's the best engine to go for for the Fiat 500?

I want to get the best mix of driveability, performance, mpg and vfm

The problem is that we don't know how you weigh those four factors. And if there was one answer then everyone would buy the same engine as presumably no one goes out to buy a car with less then the best blend of those factors (for them).

Teasing you slightly, I recall from one of your posts that you are a management consultant: car buying is not like management consultancy. You cannot just ask someone to tell you what you should do (especially without paying for the advice!) - you have to get out there and test them for yourself.

 

[306maxi]

It's also the cheapest. As is white for colour.

It is, but it's also probably the cheapest to run as it doesn't require oil changes separate to services like the MJ sometimes does and it runs on petrol which is cheaper than diseasel

The 1.4 is a fun engine but it quite a bit less economical and is of course more expensive to buy and tax.

 

[306maxi]

You cannot just ask someone to tell you what you should do (especially without paying for the advice!) - you have to get out there and test them for yourself.

That's what I always say

For some reason I seem to have forgot the twinair which if I was buying now would be my pick.

 

[pearce_jj]

I would say 1.2 up to 15k pa, MJ thereafter.

 

[multispoke]

Interesting topic and the answer can change dependant on the country one live's in. In Ireland the 1.2 has a tax of €104 p.a. whilst the 1.4 is €302 or €156 if it is the stop & start. At the moment you can buy a '08 1.4 sport or lounge for the same price as a 1.2 because of the penalty on car tax. We had no 1.4 pop sold here. Value for money on the secondhand market it is hard to beat a 1.4 With petrol prices running shy of €7 a gallon the 1.2s economy and simplicity it would seem the best choice but I would probably recommend the twin air as a new car buy even though I haven't driven it. By all accounts it seems to give either economy or performance depending on the mood you would be in. But as mentioned on a previous thread I would worry a little as to how long the engine will last. Having had an RS turbo with its maintenance problems I moved to a 323i for an engine that would work solidly for the whole journey. I found that as the engine got hot the boost would retard. Unsure if the twin air would suffer the same fate.

 

[ahmett]

Despite owning the 1.4, I would say that the Twinair would be the best! In town it can be economical with the Eco function driving slow in start stop traffic and if you want to have some fun with less economy you can thrash it about being almost as fast as the 1.4! The 1.2 may be fine for ECO city driving, but it is not fast enough for the weekend drive = )

 

[multispoke]

I had a little chat with a guy from Nuova about a better induction kit (an ITG) for my 1.4 (I am always hankering for some little improvement). He had done 140K km in his 1.4 (great engine life despite 'kanning' it - his own admission) and on average got 40mpg (don't know how he did it) but has now moved to a twin air. He said that he leaves the 1.4 for dead and loves it and does not worry about the 38mpg. His wife gets 40mpg a bit better - I get the impression that you have to work hard to get good mpg. My own 1.4 is now approaching 40K miles and if I end up keeping it - it is good to know that this is still a lot of'performance' life left in it. I wonder what people will think of the twin air in 2.5 years time when the warranty is running out - will they panic and start off loading them ? I am having the shocks replaced under warranty today and I am very glad I'm not paying for it.

 

[Neil Surrey Labs]

Let's not forget insurance. My son is 18 and hasnt passed his test yet!

So it needs to be an easy driver and low insurance.

If it wasnt for him I would have gone for something a bit bigger/faster

 

[pearce_jj]

So then get the one with the lowest insurance quote.

Re twin air out of warantee - any turbo motor can cost big-time out of warantee; diesels are worse though. Honest John (Torygraph journo) reckons to budget £4k for repairs and replacements on TDi's with DPFs between years four and six. My own experience supports this...

 

[306maxi]

Let's not forget insurance. My son is 18 and hasnt passed his test yet!

So it needs to be an easy driver and low insurance.

If it wasnt for him I would have gone for something a bit bigger/faster

Well the 1.2 is the lowest insurance group of course..... I'd go on one of the price comparison sites and see what the difference is between the 1.2, 1.4, 1.3 mj and twinair.

 

[multispoke]

Honest john lists the twin air has having higher insurance classification than the 1.4 In Ireland insurance seems to be more cc based. When I looked for cover on an abart from the standard 1.4 it was the same ! Maybe the twin air will be very cheap compared with the 1.2 but that would be wishful thinking. I think group 6 on the 1-20 classification is a very low group for the quickish 1.4 and is a real plus point for the car compared with the group 13 of the abart. For an 18 year old in Ireland it would have to be a 1.0 micra or polo to get any kind of a quote.

 

[RobW]

don't just focus on mpg

work out the cost per mile including everything

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/cost-of-your-car-calculator

0.9 potentially the best compromise
1.2 good runabout, but not quick by any measure
1.3 a small car for higher mileages (which is a bit of a contradiction)
1.4 eager performer, great engine
1.4 T-Jet (Abarth) performance orientated

 

[mjsmke]

There really is no 'best' engine. It depend what you need/want.

The 1.2 is most popular due to the price/insurance/economy.

The 1.4 is the fastest, but insurance is more. especially if your a new driver or young.

The Twin Air is suppose to be the most economical, no road tax, more powerful than the 1.2.


They all have pro's and con's.

I personally like the 1.2 and 1.4 but prefer the 1.4.

 

[babbo_umbro]

...
1.3 a small car for higher mileages (which is a bit of a contradiction)....

Why? A car with an engine about this size is more than adequate for long runs/high mileages and if all cars were restricted to engines of this size many environmental problems would be solved.

 

[babbo_umbro]

I would say 1.2 up to 15k pa, MJ thereafter.

I'm sure this is right for the Panda, if you rule out the 1.4, which is a lot more fun.