I drove a 131 Reg Panda Today.

It was the 1.2 petrol 69 hp version and between 100-120 kph and few 60-80 kmh stints I averaged 5.2L/100km that included some Dublin stop and go not city centre. From Carlow Town to Fiat/Alfa on the Naas road across from McDonalds drive tru and back, so 5.2L/100km isn't bad.

Impressed and that wasn't even the Multiair engine, I wouldn't go near the 2 cylinder engines but boy was I impressed with the engine for it's quietness and smoothness.

it was peppy enough in town but lacked on the motorway but it was well capable of holding speed on motorway inclines.

Ride quality was pretty good and absorbed bumps well but the steering was weird kept feeling like it was windy, I found myself having to correct it a lot, maybe I wasn't used to it.

Inside wasn't bad but cheap hard plastics were everywhere, it's a cheap run around car so what ye expect ? But it wasn't unpleasant apart from no a/c at 31 degrees C on the motorway home and into Carlow again was 30 C.

It was also quiet inside, and the engine practically inaudible at idle, it didn't have that stop start.

Fiat have been making decent engines for a long time now but i was very impressed with that little 1.2, I'd really love a spin in the 1.4 turbo 170 PS that's in the Alfa Giulietta.

I had to go up to to collect an Alfa 159 my mate had left in for timing belt, the first Alfa he's had that didn't fling the belt off, it was actually time for to be replaced.

The 1.8 in the 159 isn't a Fiat/Alfa engine but one from GM and it wasn't nearly as smooth as the one in the Panda.

The thing that annoys me is that I could probably have got the economy down to 4.9-5.0 maybe lower if they had installed a bloody 6th gear, I didn't understand why they leave it out ?

But over all it was a decent car, I would love a spin in a Punto Evo with a decent engine.

It's a shame anyone would even consider a rattle box diesel in such a car the petrol is so good. They are catching up to diesel.

MuppetCheck

Had the same engine in a 500 holiday rental and while I thought it was a bit weak I too couldn't get over the fuel economy. Absolute miser once you didn't thrash it. Unfortunately on the Autostrada slip roads you had to and it was completely lacklustre when you did. But if you're happy with it and do a lot of city miles it's a very good engine choice.

CiniO

Was it 2nd or 3rd generation Panda?

Leonard Hofstadter

Deleted User wrote: »

It's a shame anyone would even consider a rattle box diesel in such a car the petrol is so good. They are catching up to diesel.

The engine in that car is a very unsophisticated eight valve engine, whose origins can be traced back to the Fiat Uno from the 80s! But yes, petrol is better than diesel, it's cleaner (no particulate matter to cause us cancer), more fun, smoother and these days, much more reliable (usually).

godtabh

I've a 2010 panda. Its the 1.1l engine. It gets driven maybe 40km a day just on the kid drop off/work commute. I get about 450-500km per 37l (7.4l/km) in constant stop/start Dublin commuter traffic.

It gets used on the M50 for about 1k. It struggles merging on to the M50 Its its one major draw back

galwaytt

I had one for two days this week snd I was impressed too. Lovely smooth engine. Gear change was a peach too. If the steering was very light I bet you had the "girlie" button pressed

Did a lot of miles over two days averaging 47.7mpg and a lot of that flogging it on UK motorways. Uncannily smooth at 85mph and as you say, in traffic I had to blip the throttle and watch the rev counter to check it was actually running. Eerily silent at tickover.

Plastic bulkhead style dash a bit awful but seats good, brakes sharp too.

I had a span new 1.4 Corsa last week and the Fiat drove much nicer far more refined.

Oh, did I mention "my" Panda had a/c ? :pac: heh heh. Fabulous, ice-cold air.

captainspeed

captainspeed wrote: »

The engine in that car is a very unsophisticated eight valve engine, whose origins can be traced back to the Fiat Uno from the 80s! But yes, petrol is better than diesel, it's cleaner (no particulate matter to cause us cancer), more fun, smoother and these days, much more reliable (usually).

Yes it's just a 8v non multiair non turbo etc, it maybe a version of the old fire engine but I'm sure it's modified a lot over the generations.

The multiair is supposed to be a lot better.

galwaytt wrote: »

I had one for two days this week snd I was impressed too. Lovely smooth engine. Gear change was a peach too. If the steering was very light I bet you had the "girlie" button pressed

Yes the gear change was good, I nearly put the clutch to the floor compared to the old CRV and my head nearly hit off the steering wheel because the brakes are so new.

galwaytt wrote: »

Did a lot of miles over two days averaging 47.7mpg and a lot of that flogging it on UK motorways. Uncannily smooth at 85mph and as you say, in traffic I had to blip the throttle and watch the rev counter to check it was actually running. Eerily silent at tickover.

Yeah first I thought it had start stop but it doesn't.

Oh, did I mention "my" Panda had a/c ? :pac: heh heh. Fabulous, ice-cold air. [/QUOTE]

a/c is nice alright and I appreciated it on the way home in the Alfa.

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Had the same engine in a 500 holiday rental and while I thought it was a bit weak I too couldn't get over the fuel economy. Absolute miser once you didn't thrash it. Unfortunately on the Autostrada slip roads you had to and it was completely lacklustre when you did. But if you're happy with it and do a lot of city miles it's a very good engine choice.

Yeah you got to work it hard If you pulled out in the fast lane, that would be dodgy but it's well capable of keeping up all the same.

Personally I'd like at least twice the power but they don't offer any decent powered engines any more not even in the punto, I was looking on the Fiat.co.uk site and can't even find the 120 hp 1.4 Tjet engines ?

Probably in the Bravo I didn't check.

I will say the engine was far quieter than the MK II Prius, the MK III is much better though and has much more poke than the Fiat for less consumption though you can't compare the two as the price tag compared to the Prius and Fiat is huge.

colm_mcm

There's a lot to be said for 8 valve engines, the one from the 99 on punto is silky smooth and torquey enough. I'd imagine this is a revision of it.

166man

Why wouldn't you take the 2 cylinder engine!? It's amazing!

Renegade Mechanic

captainspeed wrote: »

The engine in that car is a very unsophisticated eight valve engine, whose origins can be traced back to the Fiat Uno from the 80s! But yes, petrol is better than diesel, it's cleaner (no particulate matter to cause us cancer), more fun, smoother and these days, much more reliable (usually).

The FIRE? That has to be one of the longest running engines in a car company.:eek:

colm_mcm

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

The FIRE? That has to be one of the longest running engines in a car company.:eek:

The 1108cc has been around in various guises for 30 years

Mycroft H

166man wrote: »

Why wouldn't you take the 2 cylinder engine!? It's amazing!

5th gear did a comparative of the those two engines not so long ago. The long and the short of it was that they preferred the 4cly as it was more economical (the 2cyl came nowhere near it's stated economy), less refined and cheaper.

166man

BX 19 wrote: »

5th gear did a comparative of the those two engines not so long ago. The long and the short of it was that they preferred the 4cly as it was more economical (the 2cyl came nowhere near it's stated economy), less refined and cheaper.

I heard it ain't economical but I did hear it was a bucket load of fun, hence wanting one! Besides it can't be that uneconomical!

Mycroft H

166man wrote: »

I heard it ain't economical but I did hear it was a bucket load of fun, hence wanting one! Besides it can't be that uneconomical!

It was no more economical than the 4cyl so hence they saw no point to it.

Renegade Mechanic

colm_mcm wrote: »

The 1108cc has been around in various guises for 30 years

I like that engine. Very easy and cheap to work with. Shows you how many new fiats ive been near! I thought theyd been phased out. Delighted to see them still soldiering on. Anyone that can take an engine that had to pass hardly any emissions tests and bring it to Euro V gets serious credit from me!

Mycroft H

colm_mcm wrote: »

The 1108cc has been around in various guises for 30 years

Haha didn't realise that was the same engine! My aunt had one of the old pandas with the great 1.1 FIRE. Great engine, zips along.

NuckingFacker

BX 19 wrote: »

Haha didn't realise that was the same engine! My aunt had one of the old pandas with the great 1.1 FIRE. Great engine, zips along.

Also, the Fully Integrated Robotic Engine has to be the easiest engine to do a timing belt change on, a coil pack change and a service. AFAK it is also a non-interference engine, so if the belt breaks, just time it up and pop on a new belt. The older version was anyway. I love that engine.

colm_mcm

Yep, a friend had a seicento with that engine. Was an absolute hoot.

Mycroft H

Yep they're non interference. Well they were when they were on the punto. Up there with the great engines in my book

CiniO

My first car was Cinquecento Sporting with that 1108cc engine.
I think it was one of the best fiat engines. It was so nice to drive, and I loved the short ratio gearbox in sporting version.

Also 1.2 16v in Bravo which I have now i brilliant.
Over 130k miles, and except changing oil regularly, spark plugs every 30k miles, timing belt twice and thermostat once there was absolutely nothing else done to the engine.
It works like new, doesn't burn a drop of oil, and if it's driven gently it can easily return below 6 l/100km (above 40 mpg)

NuckingFacker

CiniO wrote: »

My first car was Cinquecento Sporting with that 1108cc engine.
I think it was one of the best fiat engines. It was so nice to drive, and I loved the short ratio gearbox in sporting version.

Also 1.2 16v in Bravo which I have now i brilliant.
Over 130k miles, and except changing oil regularly, spark plugs every 30k miles, timing belt twice and thermostat once there was absolutely nothing else done to the engine.
It works like new, doesn't burn a drop of oil, and if it's driven gently it can easily return below 6 l/100km (above 40 mpg)

Good engine, but very different to the 8 valve. Timing belt requires skillz in the 16v. My dog changed the one on my old 8v once by accident and still got it spot on. And he was just looking for his ball at the time.

CiniO

NuckingFacker wrote: »

Good engine, but very different to the 8 valve. Timing belt requires skillz in the 16v. My dog changed the one on my old 8v once by accident and still got it spot on. And he was just looking for his ball at the time.

Heh funny you mention this, as last timing belt change I did myself on my driveway.

I'm very far from being car mechanic, and I'd rather say I'm beginning amateur mechanic.
But still, I managed to do it.

I didn't have service cam locking tools, but played it with bit of tippex marks, and it did the job.
Even though engine is DOHC, there's only one cam gear wheel on the belt, as second one is operated by first one.
I got a bit of scare at the beginning, as after assembling everything engine failed to start and I though this was it, and I can scarp my car now, but no.
I didn't start because I forgot to plug in crankshaft sensor. OOohh what I releif when I found out that.

Renegade Mechanic

NuckingFacker wrote: »

Also, the Fully Integrated Robotic Engine has to be the easiest engine to do a timing belt change on, a coil pack change and a service. AFAK it is also a non-interference engine, so if the belt breaks, just time it up and pop on a new belt. The older version was anyway. I love that engine.

Agreed. Great little engine. Once the head gasket issue (compression travelling between cylinder 2 and 3) was sorted they were perfect. I find anyone complaining about doing four or five gaskets afterwards just wasnt doing them right.

keithclancy

Drove a Panda rental that had 80km on the clock, must have been brand new.

Found myself thinking it would be a great little city car was a pleasure to drive.

On the Motorway it got up to 160 something indicated and stayed there without much problem.

Grand little thing, but I don't think it would be a car for high mileage motorway and would be suited more to low mileage city.

NuckingFacker

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

Agreed. Great little engine. Once the head gasket issue (compression travelling between cylinder 2 and 3) was sorted they were perfect. I find anyone complaining about doing four or five gaskets afterwards just wasnt doing them right.

The issue really is not bleeding the cooling system correctly after a coolant change - kills the haed gasket - so usually, the gasket goes, gets changed, goes again. The gasket's the symptom. Air trapped in the cooling system is the underlying cause. You need to use an elevated filling method to get it bled correctly, and also actually know where all the bleed points are located....