BBC Watchdog. Fiat 500 that has no poke to climb a hill.

[Ootohere]

Well they told the sorry tale of these Euro 6 emission engines & no guts to climb hills.

 

It will be interesting to see what the All New 3rd Generation Skoda Fabia are like with a 1.0 litre 59ps engine in.

 

george

[Oli3000]

Well they told the sorry tale of these Euro 6 emission engines & no guts to climb hills.

It will be interesting to see what the All New 3rd Generation Skoda Fabia are like with a 1.0 litre 59ps engine in.

george

My instant reaction was, despite my dislike for Fiat, that people should learn to effing drive. Plus, it's a City Car and there aren't many cities in the west built on mountains, and even then the speed limit is only 30!

Very unfair article in my opinion.

[Ootohere]

West of what,  the world?

 

Have you ever been to seaside towns and had to drive away from them.

Or out of London?

 

That new housing estates had hills that the car was struggling to get away from.

Girlie cars are liable to be driven by girlie types, and sometimes a 'City Car' gets used in Towns & Villages.

No need to be ****ty cars.

Edited 6 November, 2014 by goneoffSKi

[Toxicvrs]

My instant reaction was, despite my dislike for Fiat, that people should learn to effing drive. Plus, it's a City Car and there aren't many cities in the west built on mountains, and even then the speed limit is only 30!

Very unfair article in my opinion.

Has he ever driven in Wales or Scotland

[fabiamk2SE]

My instant reaction was, despite my dislike for Fiat, that people should learn to effing drive. Plus, it's a City Car and there aren't many cities in the west built on mountains, and even then the speed limit is only 30!

Very unfair article in my opinion.

Whether its a city car or not is irrelevant.

If a car cant climb hills, its effectively unfit for purpose.

[Toxicvrs]

Whether its a city car or not is irrelevant.

If a car cant climb hills, its effectively unfit for purpose.

Damn you tell me now after I've been pushing the Clio up hills for all this time?

[loskie]

Has he ever driven in Wales or Scotland

Ermmm or italy where pandas are the car of choice in hilly Umbria and Tuscany

[fabiamk2SE]

Damn you tell me now after I've been pushing the Clio up hills for all this time?

Ahaha. I missed the main article on the 500 :(.

Was it really bad?

I mean. A panda 4x4 is about 20 seconds to 60 and I've never heard such a complaint about that?

[loskie]

My father born in 1938 has told me a story many many many many times of when he was a small boy going with his mum dad and 2 sisters to his Aunty May in Kendal from Rochdale. There was one hill they had to get out and walk up whilst Grandpa drove the car up where they got back in.

 

Not sure what kind of car it was but definitely not a new fiat 500!!

[fabiamk2SE]

My father born in 1938 has told me a story many many many many times of when he was a small boy going with his mum dad and 2 sisters to his Aunty May in Kendal from Rochdale. There was one hill they had to get out and walk up whilst Grandpa drove the car up where they got back in.

Not sure what kind of car it was but definitely not a new fiat 500!!

My grandparents have told me similar stories!

One car they had had a hole in the passenger footwell so my gran had to put her feet up when they went through a puddle! Haha.

[nbJubilee]

In Cumbria I had to reverse up some hills regularly my car was so worn out. I used to mix thick marine grease into the engine oil it smoked so much! The oil was old oil drained from oil changes. Those were the days. The car cost £20. Ford side valve engine.

[AndyC]

I learnt to drive in the original Fiat 500 (18hp IIRC).  You had to change down to climb the hills on Motorways.

 

Andy

[fabiamk2SE]

I learnt to drive in the original Fiat 500 (18hp IIRC). You had to change down to climb the hills on Motorways.

Andy

I followed one if the originals up a big hill last year.

It started smoking half way up and looked like it was pretty much boiling over by the time he pulled over at the top.

My htp fabia felt like a brute compared lol.

[devonutopia]

59ps will not be truly awful.  I imagine it will not be a heavy car so whilst performance may be mediocre I am sure it will pull OK in most situations.

[M12MKD]

My experience of the twin air is that it needs to be worked hard to keep going. Slight hill and remotely off the power band and it's like hitting a wall.

In comparison the 60bhp citigo is like a V8! (Ok I jest).

[Ootohere]

I see the lightest Fiat 500 1.2 l 69 bhp is given a Kerb Weight of 865 kg.

 i do not see a Max Gross.

 

a Citigo 1.0 l 59bhp  as 929kg

with a Max Gross of 1290 kg

&

The All New 3rd Generation Fabia 1.0 l 59 bhp as 980 kg

& a Gross Max of 1510kg

 

Maybe the passengers of the All New Fabia 2015 with 60ps Euro 6 Emission engines will also be getting out to walk up hills.

[grr666]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04p23mf

 

Article starts at about 22 minutes in and is a load of bollax.. 

 

But that's what happens when the eco wnkers are allowed to 

have a say in car design and engine outputs/emissions. 

That said, you've had to rev small italian cars like you are trying to 

break them ever since they started making cars.

 

Our 1.2 (69ps) is fine if you can keep it above 3000rpm. 

If you are going uphill all you have to do is be in the right gear

(aka basic driving skills).It's just that people seem to expect a car 

with a small frugal engine producing almost zero emissions to have

the guts of a diesel. Not sure what planet they are on tbh.

We toured Scotland in ours earlier this year and cracked out 1700

miles over a week.   I agree with Fiats standpoint on this issue.

99% down to driver inability IMO, too afraid to rev it into the higher numbers

for whatever reason.  Ours will cruise at 90 all day long. I think that's remarkable

performance for such a small car, you just need to know how to get the car to

deliver it, a basic understanding of how a car works is useful knowledge here.

Most likely thats missing in the cases of most of the complainants.

But these cars shift primarily because they are pretty colours and a funky shape.

They are not meant to be a drivers car, more of an accessory to match a handbag.  

Also, I'd guesstimate that most 500 owners are women.... Make of that what you will.  

[fabiamk2SE]

Agreed. Gear selection is critical with a small engine.

I've followed many in the fabia in the right gear and I've been held up by bigger cars.

I think people let the revs drop too much, then you're forever going down the box and slowing down, until eventually you end up in third or second and going slooowwww

[Oli3000]

West of what, the world?

Have you ever been to seaside towns and had to drive away from them.

Or out of London?

That new housing estates had hills that the car was struggling to get away from.

Girlie cars are liable to be driven by girlie types, and sometimes a 'City Car' gets used in Towns & Villages.

No need to be ****ty cars.

No. I live in a shoe box and never drive.

And Grrr confirms it. People need to learn to drive.

[Ootohere]

Maybe someone here has driven the New 1.2 Euro 6 emission ones launched in April and can comment on them.

[mdon]

59ps is more than what my first favorit had and it used go up honister pass with no issues whatsoever. I find it hard to believe it won't go up hills.

[fabiamk2SE]

59ps is more than what my first favorit had and it used go up honister pass with no issues whatsoever. I find it hard to believe it won't go up hills.

My cars only 70bhp and thats fine.

I wonder whether its where the power is delivered? The HTP is at max torque at 3000rpm so isnt too bad. Maybe the 500 is putting out max torque at much higher revs? That people dont access

[KenONeill]

Brilliantly put Gary.

 

It used to make me cringe when my sis expected to be able to use the same speeds in gears 4-up (2 men, 2 women) in her old Micra K10 as when she was learning in an AX11 and only 2 up with the instructor being a lady (mentioned for reasons of body mass only).

[Ootohere]

I think most of us will have had low powerout put vehicles and family and friends as well.

I know i have been using a 68 bhp Kia for 7 years.

Most of us will know about revvy engines and getting them to get a move on.

 

The point here might be Fiat and Euro 6 Emissions and how they have achieved them.

No doubt we will here soon enough if everyone is just bad drivers who wanted cars with no VED.

or if Fiat have to Update Software, and admit there are issues.

 

Euro 4 to Euro 5 caused enough issues with Dirty Diesels and petrol vehicles,

Euro 6 is the future,

it will be interesting.  Not.

Edited 7 November, 2014 by goneoffSKi

[Huskoda]

I think the issue here is how its mapped. They stuck it on a dyno and could see its output was heavily restricted. The old cars we had that were low powered had nothing to stop them giving it all they had so are not comparable.

 

They can't even really remap them for customers as they'd have to adjust the tax bracket.

 

Welcome to the future :(