Performance Review: Fiat 500 L TwinAir Turbo - [2012]

Figures & Specs Summary:

Fiat 500 Performance Review.

Introduction:

This edition of the Fiat 500 L TwinAir Turbo is the 6 speed / Manual version and was first brought out in 2012. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and the 2013 Caterham 7 620 R 2.0 L Supercharged.This particular Fiat 500 has a 875cc Turbo Petrol powerplant with 2 cylinders in a St formation.

Alternative Petrol St2's includes the 2013 BMW i3 0.6l Hybrid

The 500 shares its Petrol St2 engine configuration with the likes of the 2013 BMW i3 0.6l Hybrid and the If you're looking for other fast cars which share the 500's Front Wheel Drive, Hatchback combination then how about the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Golf R Performance 2.0 Turbo or the 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD 3.5 V6.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1260 kgs (2777 lbs) this makes the Fiat 500 L TwinAir Turbo in the same weight category as the 2023 McLaren 750S 4.0 V8 Twin Turbo or the give or take 50kg.

The Fiat 500 shares the same bhp with the 2017 Ford Fiesta 1.5 TDCi ST-Line 120 (118 bhp)

In terms of power the 875cc 8V St2 engine produces 103 bhp (76 kW) @ 5500 rpm similar to the 2017 Ford Fiesta 1.5 TDCi ST-Line 120 (118 bhp) or the 2013 Caterham 7 160/165 0.7L Turbo (79 bhp).

The Turbo St2 throws out 107 lb-ft (145.0 Nm) @ 2000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2012 Lexus CT 200h 1.8L (105 lb-ft) or the 2012 Mini Cooper Paceman (118 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If one combines the weight with power or torque performance for the Fiat 500 you can get a better idea of it's real world performance.

The has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Fiat 500.

The Fiat 500 has a Power to weight ratio of 81.7 bhp per ton and 84.9 lb-ft per ton. Bhp Per Ton figures of the 2012 500 competing with the or the 1962 BMW 3200 CS Coupe (106.6 bhp per ton).

Power to Weight(cont.):

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance, Torque. Use weight as well and you end up with - Torque per ton, with the Fiat 500 generating around 84.9 lb-ft per ton. If you're curious as to what other cars have as much torque to weight then look no further than the 2002 Toyota Corolla 1.8 VVTL-I T SPORT (109.9 lb-ft per ton) or the 2007 Lexus IS 250 AWD (109.9 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

With a 0-60mph time of 11.70 secs or a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) of 12.1 secs, this made the Fiat 500 L TwinAir Turbo as fast as the 1980 Ford Thunderbird 300 4.9L V8 8th Gen (11.90 secs) the 1978 Ford Mustang 2 Cobra 140 2.3 (12.00 secs) the 1977 Ford Thunderbird 400 6.6L V8 7th Gen (12.00 secs) the or the 1968 Ford Cortina MkII GT (12.00 secs). This Fiat 500 L TwinAir Turbo is also faster than the 1980 Ford Thunderbird 300 4.9L V8 8th Gen (11.90 secs) the 1978 Ford Mustang 2 Cobra 140 2.3 (12.00 secs) the 1977 Ford Thunderbird 400 6.6L V8 7th Gen (12.00 secs) the and the 1968 Ford Cortina MkII GT (12.00 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the 500 and the 2013 Porsche Macan 3.0 Diesel S Sport

When talking about the performance of the Fiat 500 on the drag strip it can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 18.53 secs @ 73.8 mph. Similar performance down the quarter mile can be found with the the 2013 Porsche Macan 3.0 Diesel S Sport (18.45 secs), the 2013 BMW i8 1.5 Turbo Hybrid (18.46 secs), and the 1988 Volkswagen-VW Corrado G60 (18.47 secs).

Top Speed:

Modern performance cars are often artificially restricted to 155mph. The 2012 version of the Fiat 500 L TwinAir Turbo has a maximum speed of 112mph.

Top Speed of the 2012 500 equals the 1994 Fiat Punto 1.4 GT (123 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what's faster than the 2012 Fiat 500 L TwinAir Turbo then how about the 1994 Fiat Punto 1.4 GT (123 mph), the 1986 Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 8v (123 mph), or the 1983 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 V8 Convertible (123 mph).

Related Links:

2012 500 Rivals List.

A Brief History of Fiat

Car Comparison