Fiat unveils new 900cc TwinAir two-cylinder engine

Fiats of old used to feature noisy two-cylinders with a fetish for overheating, yet the Italians are at it again, this week releasing details of their new TwinAir two-cylinder 900cc engines. You can see how it works in our video below.

The new engines, the first in a series of two-cylinders by the Italians, are designed to trump all other downsizing efforts. Headline figures from the 83bhp twin are 23% more power than the regular 1.2 four-pot and the same as a 1.4 16v - yet with 30% less consumption. Emissions stand at 92g/km with a semi-auto and 95g/km for the manual version of this new engine.

Although no supercar, Fiat's most basic twin, which uses Fiat's MultiAir valve technology, will hit 62mph in 11 seconds and top out at nearly 110mph. The cars will also feature an 'eco' mode, limiting torque from 107 to 74lb ft and prompting the semi-auto to shift up earlier. Start-stop is also fitted as standard.

We will have to wait until we drive the cars in 2011 to see if Fiat has been able to get rid of the ear-bashing commonly associated with two-cylinders, but they claim to beat NVH targets of their four-cylinder engines. 

Owing to their small size, Fiat has also hinted at potential hybrid applications, as well as having more powerful variants in the pipeline. An Abarth Double, anyone?

By Mark Passer