General 1.8 16v Dynamic Honest reviews

[HellFire]

Due to changes in my finances & my insurance I can't go for the Abarth anymore, i'm looking at getting a 1.8 16v Dynamic, any views on this car, good/bad (please be honest). I drove a group 9 insurance Skoda Fabia vRS and was amazed by the power and pulling capabilities of the car, so whats the dyanmic like? does it have a good mid-range pull, good elasticity and a good weighted feel through the steering, or is it in need of a set of coilovers & good modification to make it feel like a small hot hatch.

 

[Stu DemonD]

I have heard that the 1.8 is a very good engine, according to some threads on here!

Personally, though, I have never driven one....

How about a 1.9JTD? With a remap?

 

[HellFire]

I have got a TDCi 130 Zetec S at the moment pushing 170 BHP after a remap so yes I have considered that idea! however I thought they were bringing in the Multijet engine into the Stilo lineup and 115 bhp seems a little low for me, even when chipped I will only be getting 140 bhp & the petrol makes a much nicer noise

 

[Stu DemonD]

True, but I heard that remap took JTD up to 170, or maybe I was mistaken!

I agree, the burble of the petrol 2.4 is nice - how come insurance was so high on Abarth? Did you get lots of quotes - I pay around £450 FC with Class 2 business.

 

[wolfracepunto]

The JTD can be remapped to 170bhp but something needs to be done to the exhaust I think..........

 

[HellFire]

Ok so the Stilo JTD 115 Can be remapped to 170 BHP? Who by first of all!!

Insurance is bad on any car at the moment mate, im paying for 1 too many crashes...

 

[wolfracepunto]

Look at the top right of this screen Angel Tuning

Well the Stilo JTD is only IG 5

 

[Stu DemonD]

Who by? Alfanige surely......

Ok, I understand now, crashes ain't good

 

[HellFire]

Had a renewal of £2500 under my dads name on my Zetec S TDCi, I am moving home next year anyway & getting married so I was thinking I need a Stilo, I know they are good cars, I am worried about the reliability aspect though especially a 170 BHP JTD, that's a 55 BHP increase over standard & since it's a dynamic it starts to get ESP & other systems which will no doubt go wrong...

But I can't take a step down too much...I still need some kind of speed. Wonder what the 0-62 time of the Stilo JTD once remapped to 170 BHP & how much torque is that???

 

[HellFire]

Also I just noticed that the 115 is on average 2 grand more for the same year/similar mileage, is it likely to keep it's value better too?

 

[Koa]

isn't the 1.8 stilo the same 130bhp engine used in the punto hgt ?
just the fact that the stilo is far heavier you don't feel the power so much.
I know if I wasn't gettin an Abarth I would get the 1.8 dynamic as I just don't like deisels..

 

[Neofolis]

I have an 02 plate 1.8 16V Dynamic 3 door. I have only owned it for 4 weeks or so. I would say I'm not really used to the handling yet. I have, in recent years, been used to much larger heavier cars and, in comparison, it feels a lot less stable on open roads, although more fun around town. It has a fair degree of pull, comparable to a Calibra 2.0 16V I used to own, but a bit pokier, due to the lighter chasis. It obviously won't have as much torque as the diesel, but you don't buy a Stilo to pull caravans and dropping gears is more fun anyway.

I generally get 38-40 mpg mixed mileage, although I have found that I drive very conservatively when I leave the trip computer displaying average consumption.

Aparently the steering rack on the 1.8 is the same as used on the Abarth, so I'd imagine there are similarities in the handling. As far as I am aware it is the only model to share the Abarth steering rack, but obviously the handling will not be quite up to Abarth standards. Having test driven Abarths, it is noticably slower, but I wouldn't say unacceptably slower, otherwise I wouldn't have settled for the 1.8. Fiat do seem to get more out of their engines than a lot of manufacturers and it is not just in gearing ratios.

Overall the 1.8 is an entertaining drive, but not excessively sporty, it's certainly no 147 GTA. The lack of stability I mentioned actually makes it more fun to drive, but it needs to be driven. It's not a cruising car, it will do motorways with no difficulty, but you will need to think driving rather than just sitting there and letting the miles pass. That said I bought my car in Glasgow and then preceeded to drive it back to Dorset in hideous wind and rain at night and I didn't feel totally exhausted at the end of it.

The only real way to know for yourself is to take one out. What I call lack of stabililty, you might call sporty suspension, so don't be put off by anything other than your own opinion, if you don't like the way they drive.

 

[apierdomi]

It is indeed a very good engine.
Go for it.
Smooth and powerfull all the way from 0rpm to 7000 rpm: lovely sound especially at 65000rpm when max power is released, and impressive acceleration for a 1.8.
Outperforms many 2.0 16V engines of the competition.

Try 1st and 2nd gear without ASR and Fiat kindly reminds you of the 133CV: lovely car overall.
Have fun in full safety with this car.

 

[PureTNT]

I just traded in my 1.8 this morning and I´m sure gonna miss it . The 1.8 engine is a slightly modified version on the Punto HGT one. No matter what the other reviewer said, the car feels rock solid at speeds up to 200 kph and still isn´t a handful at 220 kph. The brakes are excellent, I breaked from 200 to about 100 three times, before fade set in. If you wanna see it perform look up a thread, titled 1.8 Dynamic acceleration figures or something along those lines. I started the thread and posted a video of an expressway run. You stated you drove an RS. I raced against a Leon 20VT (same 180 HP engine) from 100 kph to about 160 kph and it slowly pulled away, nothing really dramatic though. I took delivery of a new 140 HP Multijet today, but I´d definately keep the 1.8 if gas prices weren´t too steep for me...

 

[apierdomi]

I have tried the MJ 140CV, great engine indeed.
If you still prefer the 16V petrol engine go for it: it is more expensive to run but it is a different driving style and I still largely prefer the petrol engine in terms of performance, vibrations, sound, gear ratio, etc. :slayer:

There are not many 1.8 around but it is only a matter of costs: I am pretty sure that if costs were the same for Mj and 1.8 many people would prefer the 16V petrol engine anyway, even if I have to admit that Fiat makes excellent diesel, the petrol is still superior in my opinion but this would be another thread.

 

[PureTNT]

I have tried the MJ 140CV, great engine indeed.
If you still prefer the 16V petrol engine go for it: it is more expensive to run but it is a different driving style and I still largely prefer the petrol engine in terms of performance, vibrations, sound, gear ratio, etc. :slayer:

There are not many 1.8 around but it is only a matter of costs: I am pretty sure that if costs were the same for Mj and 1.8 many people would prefer the 16V petrol engine anyway, even if I have to admit that Fiat makes excellent diesel, the petrol is still superior in my opinion but this would be another thread.

Exactly. Nothing beats the sound of the 1.8 screaming as you pass a column of astounded drivers at even more astounding speeds

 

[James M]

I never realised...

The 1.8 was a supercar LOL! PureTNT, you certainly seem wrapped up in yours!

I am surprised though you rate it over the MJTD, that is a peach of an engine, very smooth and quiet, free revving for a diesel too, altogether more petrol like than my JTD. Also, it should surely be quicker than the 1.8? More bhp and torque! It has to be!

 

[daftcars.com]

I bought my 1.8 5 door brand new a year past july.
You get a lot of car for your money, but depreciation is horrendous. Great if you are looking for a used one. (I'm open to offers).
Performance - well, it's all down to opinion, what are you used to and what are you comparing it to? 133 bhp is around 2.o litre focus power, but in a heavier car. The focus handles much better, even the last one I drove, which was the 90bhp Tdcl. Having said that, I've done 20,000 very comfortable miles, been to France twice with 2 kids and the boot chocka.
I agree the brakes are quality. You'll have to drive ityourself to decide if the performance and handling are what you are after, but for me economy comes it to it, and it's a great balance. I wouldn't trade less economy for more performance. I get 36 mpg travelling to work, a 20 mile journey on fast A roads, and I usually hoof it a bit but never take it into the red.
Build quality: awful, but you'll live with it.
Dealers: a joke.
If there was a way of knowing for sure that you haven't got the suspension problems that cause tyre wear (and an inability to get anywhere in the snow), then you'd probably be happy with a Stilo 1.8. Sadly, there is no way of knowing until your tyres wear, and you've got very little chance of getting the problem fixed by Fiat.
My judgement may be clouded by the tyre/suspension problem, but due to dealer incompetance, and the fact that I was offered nothing towards new tyres, I'll never buy another Fiat.

 

[PureTNT]

Most certainly James . I also have a video of a loaner Multijet 3Dr on a highway, but most people would call me reckless, so I will not post that one. I had a chance to drive the Multijet for a week during the summer. Great engine, really quiet, even at top speed. Very torquey, but I have to confess, I really liked the challenge the 1.8 offers in the corners, having to shift properly, etc. As far as the comparison to the Ford Focus goes, my friend has a 1.8 liter 115 HP version. When we went on a curvy mountain road and really hammered it, I left him behind every time. The Stilo may be softer than the Focus, but you just have to adapt your driving to it. When it seems that the car is giving in, just keep pushing it, you´ll be surprised how much more it can take. As for the 1.8 vs. the Multijet comparison, the cars perform very similarly, although most people will probably be faster in the Multijet, simply due to its torque. Furthermore, I had the 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear syncros replaced under warranty on the 1.8, which won´t happen on the Multijet.

 

[Neofolis]

Another thing to consider is servicing costs. I know that not all dealers stick to the Fiat price menu approach, but the combined standard price for 2 year and 3 year service is more expensive on the 1.8 than any other model, although, to be honest, there isn't really that much in it, especially when you consider insurance and economy savings over the Abarth.