ROADTEST FIAT 500 TWINAIR:With its two-cylinder petrol engine, the Fiat 500 sounds like something that should power a ride-on lawnmower. But this mould-breaking city car will actually silence the bores who don't rate anything below two litres, writes MICHAEL MCALEER
SMALL IS beautiful, even in the motor industry these days. Big petrol engines have always been frowned upon by the tax authorities in many countries but when the motor industry became the pariah of climate change, notice was given that the age of the V8 was coming to an end.
Of late the focus on lowering emissions has pushed diesel powertrains into the spotlight, representing nearly 70 per cent of new car sales. While engine size may be slightly larger than equivalently powered petrol engines, the emissions are significantly lower. That situation, however, might be changing once more. It’s something Irish buyers need to note before they become converted diesel loyalists.
At the moment diesel is the lower emission option, but the senior powertrain engineers – who are developing the engines for the next decade or more – have already decided that diesel has largely had its day. Working on powertrains for 2015, for example, the focus is on smaller petrol engines that will hopefully bring emissions levels below 100g/km, even in larger family cars. The belief is that there is more room for improvement with petrol technology than with the diesel.
In the realm of powertrains and engine technology, Fiat doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. The Italians might not historically have had the greatest public respect for reliability and resale value, but they’ve been at the cutting edge of engine technology for decades.
This time they’re leading the way once more with a two-cylinder 84bhp petrol engine powering its award-winning 500 model. A two-cylinder petrol engine sounds like something that should power a ride-on lawnmower, not a fully-functional road-going car.
The very idea will herald guffaws from cliché-spouting pub bores whose petrolhead credentials rarely stretch beyond defining their masculinity through the size of the car on the driveway and the engine under its bonnet. Yet these are the same sort of people who said diesel was only fit for tractors. The reality is that the engineering in combustion engines of all fuel types is going through some seismic changes.
This engine is a pioneer. With the recession forcing people to reassess their household budgets and needs, the car outside comes into the spotlight. Never mind the high-minded concerns about climate change and lowering the household carbon footprint, privately the main concern for most people is cost. If you can live with a smaller car that saves money on tax and fuel then it’s a no-brainer.
So what might life be like in a Fiat 500 powered by a two-cylinder engine? Well, quite noisy for a start. It might pack a decent punch and deliver in terms of tax and fuel savings, but those two-cylinders have to work hard to keep this diminutive Fiat on the move. It’s not a high-pitched whine, but rather something akin to stomping on an angry cat when you hit above 4,000rpm in lower gears. There’s also a degree of engine vibration through the footpedals when you really put the engine to the test.
The 500 is an award-winning city car, a style icon, retaining much of the character of its original iteration from the 1950s. It’s retro-chic, a bit like a KitchenAid food processor. It might have been on our roads for several years now - with limited sales success - but it still catches the eye, particularly if like our test car its in striking baby blue with a white interior. It’s the sort of colour combination that tends to call into question your masculinity in the eyes of passing youths.
In reality it’s a Panda in disguise and the likelihood is that the more functional city car will get this two-cylinder engine in short order.
Pushing along in second and third is where most of the racket occurs. Yet even then you can have a normal conversation without raised voices. It’s nothing more than several other city cars sound like when pushed to the limit.
Taking account of the engine size, performance is remarkably impressive. Take the time to 100km/h from standstill: 11 seconds doesn’t seem like something to write home about, but it’s actually on a par with the latest Toyota Prius and a whopping five seconds quicker than the new VW Polo in 1.2-litre 60bhp guise. In fact, when you look around the city car or supermini category, a sprint time of 11 seconds is quite impressive. And it’s not just on paper. First gear does run out of puff before you’ve left the drive but there’s more pace in the next two and by the time you slip into fourth or fifth the engine note seems to settle down. It’s most impressive on a clear motorway run, where we climbed up to 120km/h with more in reserve. A claimed top speed of 173km/h seems like a realistic proposition. The problem is less with the engine than with the lightness of steering that wouldn’t inspire confidence at higher speeds.
That’s why this engine – and a host of other smaller petrol units to come from Fiat and the rest – will require another rethink of the accepted norms of motoring. It’s a time when the founding tenets of petrolhead beliefs are being turned on their head. Petrol is no longer far superior to diesel technology, electricity can power performance cars and now a two-cylinder petrol engine is competent enough to power you along at 120km/h without concern.
In terms of emissions, there’s little to compare it with, even in this tiny car class. Emissions of 95g/km is comparable with the best of any market, except perhaps a full-electric model.
If this is only the start of things to come – and indications are that a host of firms are set to launch similarly-sized low emission engines in the near future – then questions will arise as to the benefits of diesel and even some semi-electric models. This TwinAir delivers nearly 70mpg (4.1 l/100km). The only reason you might pay a regular visit to the filling station is that the fuel tank holds just 35 litres.
The race to lower emissions and the sudden resurgence in petrol power – only this time as the more fuel efficient option – may demand a rethink of the long-term structure of our motor tax. For a start, the failure to reward those who buy cleaner cars under 100g/km has actually harmed sales of cleaner cars.
The biggest gripe with the TwinAir two-cylinder engine in the 500 has nothing to do with its size, its power output or even the noise: it’s about price. Like it or not, people don’t believe in paying more for less, even if it does help save the world. The TwinAir starts at €14,295 for a Pop version. Move up to alloys and you are looking at €16,295 for the Sport. That’s significantly more than the 1.2-litre petrol version, which costs €14,645 for the same Sport version. Those prices make this 500, clean as it is, less appealing than it should be.
Engine noise aside, this is a really competent little engine. It heralds the arrival of a host of smaller engines that will challenge perceptions, which have already been under pressure from the arrival of viable electric cars.
The petrolhead pub bore, working off the principle that anything under 3-litres is for wimps, may be an endangered species. The idea that he might be overtaken by a two-cylinder supermini while trundling along in his thirsty V8 might just push him over the edge.
This is a good engine that will work well in other models, not least the new Panda due out next year. It could do with a more attractive price, for if there is one lesson from the swing towards diesel after the tax changes, it is that Irish buyers are driven by costs above all else.
Factfile
Engine875cc two-cylinder putting out 84bhp at 5,500rpm, with 145Nm of torque at 1,900rpm with a five-speed manual transmission
Maximum Speed173 km/h
0-100km/h11 secs
L/100km (mpg)Urban - 4.9; Extra-urban - 3.7; Combined - 4.1
Emissions95 g/km
Bootspace185 litres
Price€14,295 for entry-level Pop version; €16,295 for Lounge version test car