Fiat 500C TwinAir vs 500C Abarth review - Auto Express
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2011
- Full review: www.autoexpress.co.uk/videos/f...
We pitch Fiat's new two-cylinder TwinAir against the pinnacle of the 500 range. The Abarth is faster in a straight line, but is it more fun to drive?
Size matters. And for Fiat, it's a case of the smaller the better with its new TwinAir 900cc two-cylinder engine. On the outside, there's little to distinguish the two-cylinder Fiat from any other 500, but as soon as you turn the ignition key, it's clear that there's a very different powerplant under the bonnet. 
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I'd buy the twin-air not for economy but for the way it drives & the noise. My mate at work gets 45 mpg with his
your explanation gives me one more reason , to buy a fiat 500 twinair, thanks
Fiat 500 twinair is such a fun car in an age of boring characterless vehicles .
I have a twinair...it's fantastic. The interior looks cool too. Go for black or graphite.
I have the Abarth, tuned to 160/170 HP. It's probably more economical as you barely have to work the engine in such a small car, you can overtake in 5th and down changes aren't required for going up hills either. The gearing is longer too so the revs would probably be lower. Please remember that economy gets better once the cars are run in. Mine averages anywhere between 33 and 40 MPG now, i should imagine the Tin air would probably do 45 to 55 once run in.
I've always been a massive fan of the Abarth but I'd say the twinair would be a better purchase if you're using it as an everyday driver. The Abarth's are made too stiff and rigid, which is great if you're taking it on a track but how often would that be?
The twinair has a manageable amount of power and is also a lot of fun to drive despite having a lot less power. It has a nice mellow sound to it too and has 'chuckable' driving characteristics whilst also having a light and comfortable steering wheel which I feel is the perfect handling mix.
For an everyday car you'd have to make a lot more compromises with the Abarth than the twinair.
The 0.9 Twin air turbo engine in my Fiat Panda 4x4 will easily achieve 58mpg when driven with a very light throttle and make the right gear changes accordingly. The Panda is heavier than the 500 and my 4x4 is running all season tyres which aren't quite as mpg friendly as the 500 tyres, plus my Panda is running all the extra 4x4 drive train.
I did this on a long run with plenty of 50mph 6th gear gentle cruising!
So the 500 should be able to easily achieve similar results, it definitely won't hit the claimed 69mpg but if driven hard will only get mid 30s mpg.
My combined figures are mid 40s mpg which isn't bad really, if you consider it only costs £30 a year for road tax and my insurance is £310 per year fully comp, it represents good value running costs.
The thing with the Twin air engine, it likes to be driven hard and that gorgeous sound it makes when you start hitting 3k revs and above is quite addictive, it feels like a performance motorbike engine that likes to be revved, there isn't much grunt below 2k revs but if you keep it between 2k and 3k and keep it in the right gear, it should be very good on fuel. I don't bother with the eco mode, not sure it would make much difference?
Fuel economy figures have more to do with where and how you drive your car.
I have a 500 abarth, and with a mixture of motorway and B roads, my average is 42. I don't drive it like a granny either.
I drive a 66plate 145hp 595 Abarth, and its possible to get around 53mpg with careful driving, but 46mpg is about right.
Its a rare sight on Uk roads, and loads of fun to drive, and fairly affordable to run.
Ich bin beide gefahren, den Abarth als Competizione und den TA 105. Habe mir dann auch den Fiat 500 mit"half an engine", also de Zweizylinder mit 105 PS zugelegt und es bislang nicht eine Sekunde bereut. Der Abarth ist ein faszinierender Sportler, aber der Zweizylinder hat einfach mehr Charakter und ist deutlich günstiger im Unterhalt.
@JaSt321 The semi-auto box you see in the convertible in the vid is only available in the convertible in the UK. But they are going to start selling the convertible with the manual gearbox in a few months in the UK, they are also putting the semi-auto box in the tin top as an option too. All depends where you live though, this is for the UK market only!
so they drive sporty cars and economical cars (which people won't drive sporty) the same way. I don't know anyone who revs the hell out of an economy car and wonders why it is using more fuel.
On a more positive note, the review suggests the outcome I would have imagined. I would also go for the twinair. The abarth styling is too OTT for me, and I do love the 'little' two-cylinder motor.
i agree..myself I like the twin air ten times more than the Abarth
O to 60 in 8 seconds?
Did he set off in 5th@1200rpm?
big fan of the multiair engine!
Same here. I have the multiple air Fiat 500 .
Do you have two engines?@@7Fields16llc
The sport mode deffo makes the car go faster. I know because I own one.
Can you get the abarth with a 5 gear manual, instead of flappy paddles?
They are thrashing these two models very very harshly.
Current average on my 1.4 Lounge is anything between 44 to 48mpg (UK).
The Semi Auto box featured on the Abarth is an optional extra, just go with regular manual for a better drive if you do want one. But I will agree a bit with the mention of suspension, Regular 1.4's have a harsher semi sports setup on them and my god does it bounce, 1.2 and twinair are very relaxed in comparison!
still I think this is a couple of cool cars.
how do yall get your economy numbers in G.B.?
I wish Fiat sold the twin-air here in the states.
@djuraster Topgear said 35mpg in the real world and these guys said 34mpg in the real world (at the end of the video). The 70mpg is just the official figure.
i think this video is out of focus...regular 500 and abarth are completely different purpouse cars. it's like to compare audi A3 1.6TDI and audi RS3!
I think also that if you like 500 and you prefer sporty feelings or prefer fuel economy you already know what to buy!
I always dislike the way car reviews/reviewers/journos etc say "not the economy FIAT would have you believe" or "half what FIAT's headline economy figures suggest". Fiat do not make these economy figures, they come from a standard EU testing measure... obviously car companies like to have higher figures, but.. eurgh. you get my point...
"it's not the economy a STANDARD EU TEST would have you believe." - is how it should read. It's the test that needs to be fixed, not car companies marketing.
Best joke of the day I've heard. Thanks
The twinair sounds pretty good for such a tiny engine
@SilvrBckGorilla I can't believe that somebody thought you were serious lol
Abarth with a 6 speed manual. There's your winner
Thats the twin air engine of the year 2011 :)
You have an M3?!?! NICE, auw yea its the diesel one right?
used m3 >>> new abarth
After test driving the abarth, I decided to keep my 3 series, and btw, the stock 500 suffers from cheap interior materials.
I'd have the twinair as no road tax and plenty of character. Sure the Diesel version is more economical but completely unfeasible as a town car because of the particulate filter: add the price premium of Diesel fuel now and the twinair is a no brainer. Nobody takes a blind bit of notice of EU economy figures and the figures in magazines are not to be trusted either as the journos rag the hell out of the cars. I'm seriously considering a twinair.
but they push the Twinair somewhat hard for its eco size
Haha, I think again the point comes up that the m3 is in a completely different class than the Abarth. First of all, all the used m3 I've seen cost more than 22k, the base abarth price. Second, the m3 has much higher running costs because it's a high performance car. So it's definitely harder on the wallet AND getting a new fiat will last longer for much less money than a used m3. Also the fiat is a little easier in a city setting. And the "cheapness" of the interior is not the greatest concern.
@SilvrBckGorilla i somehow doubt taht. but that is ma own personal view.
I like them both, especially the abarth. What does twin air mean. It should have been explained. It's not 2 turbos I hope( don't really like turbos but would accept one on the Abarth since I like it so much but would rather have none. Please get back to me. Thanks
PLANET X hi, sorry nobody has replied to your comment. It is a turbocharged (single I believe) two cylinder variable valve timing engine. The cylinders move as one which is unusual making it quite characterful! Many people claim poor economy though.
I have the Alfa MiTo twin air 105, 2 cylinders with a turbo, a great little engine, but as has been reported not great on fuel. I tend to drive it enthusiastically and the Mpg is normally in the 30s though once accelerating in second in the dynamic setting it was showing 8 mpg! One thing I would recommend is to use Super unleaded, better economy and performance. I have come to accept you drive an Alfa just for the pleasure of driving an Alfa it's great fun!
Yes pal
I’m a serial owner of fiat 500 twin air you must have ragged it 41 is average which having fun 😆
0.9L ? My mums twin air is a 1.2 I thought that's all they do?
The 1.2 is a four cylinder ergo not a Twin air.
@@68404 cheers. Had to know after 12 years of wondering.
lots of people having problems with their 500's. buy a mazda 2 or honda fit..or a suzuki..
the manual is standard...
The fiat 500 will be around forever any way you look at it
geiles auto
top gear said 35mpg for Twinair, these guys say 70mpg ...
I tried to buy a Mini but they over price them. I will never pay $5000 more for that car, sorry but it's not worth it.
Also, comparing an M3 to an Abarth?????? Mental.
and why the hate towards the 500? Does it hurt to see people happy in those cars???
@enemay Hmmmm, American, right?
I bet it is if you don't hoon around in it all day.
@khunopie uau! what a big find you've made there, an M3 is fastest than a simple and cheap fiat with less than 100hp. Wow I've never realized that. I'm shocked...
@SilvrBckGorilla Hold up, let me get you a cookie.
Death Trap
I drive a BMW M3 which is better than both of these
Terrible review. I'm 50 & my Abarth does have a firm ride, agreed, but hardly bone crunching. You either 'get' the Abarth for being an old school hot hatch, or you don't. Great he appreciated the basic 500, but a professional reviewer should be able to understand the differences.
i whound whont the Abarth with the hard top and dont care about the flapey grae box thing
Crazy, drive it with a Man trans. Abarth will kill it.
i prefer the twin air ten times more than the Abarth
the "quad bike sound" is due to the new 2 cylinder engine.... but sincerely, and of course i'm Italian, i'll never buy a Fiat car......
So what if he's gay, does it matter?
You drive a BMW because of your short vision span, you do not see other cars than BMW's, I drove anything from Fiat 500 up to V12 Vantage, I realised that people who compare cars from completely other classes and prices are dumber than a box of rocks.
The TwinAir sounds crap in real life though
no in real life it sounds awesome
you forgot to mention the twin air uses as much oil as fuel, and that the twin air is a steaming pile of dog poo.
What makes you say the twin air is soo bad ? Theres many for sale on ebay with 130k plus miles and still going strong
idk whats wrong with what he said. he just made a simple opinionated statement. In a quite literal translation he was just stating a very simple statement that most of us would agree with when we exclude price. Now i wouldnt I think Fiats are fucking awesome. but stop jumping all over him it makes you like your defending yourself and if hes comparing an uncomparable car then there is no need to defend these vehicles. but in a realistic translation hes being douchebag...lol
aahahaha you bellend hahaha
i drive an armored touareg which is a lot better than your m3 and actually have a shelby at my disposal if people who think they are badass like you want to play around and get their ass kicked. this has nothing to do with these kind of cars..... dont post comments like this bro
fake review and gay reviewer. by gay i mean happy chappy ofc.
car is gay driver is gay too
neither is true, but your gay