Today, let’s focus on Fiat’s petite two-cylinder marvel that comes with a lot of promises. In an India ruled by traffic and pollution, this engine can work wonders. Fiat is also known for its lowest average CO2 emissions across its range in Europe. So, time to get a few more details.

The current Fiat 500 uses the four-cylinder configuration. But its ancestors, at least the lower-end variants, used a two cylinder engine. And similar is the case with our Tata Nano which uses a 636 cc two pot. These days, we also see the hatchback makers shifting from four to three cylinders for their offerings in India. With the cylinder reduction, there seem to be more pluses and fewer minuses. So far, NVH levels seem to be the only major concern.

Fiat, however, has gone a step ahead and chopped off the third cylinder too to end up with a new mini engine. We know, you must be thinking about power and acceleration loss now. Never mind. The 900cc two-cylinder motor delivers 64, 84 and 104 bhp depending on the state of tune and that’s even better than VW’s 105-bhp 1.2 TSI and Nissan’s 97-bhp Supercharged 1.2.

Fiat’s entire small car range will possibly carry this twin air engine shortly. Up to 30 per cent less fuel consumption and 30 per cent less CO2 emissions is a promise. The tiny engine features Fiat’s famed multi air technology that uses electro-hydraulic valve actuators thereby doing away with a conventional throttle valve. So, there’s no pumping loss and efficiency is improved by another 10 per cent.

BMW cars too feature a similar technology called VANOS. Making it just perfect for the crowded Indian roads, the engine comes standard with a Start-Stop system. Lesser cylinders mean lower friction among engines. A ‘soft’ turbocharger ensures virtually no turbo lag and you get instant boost. The response is stronger and delivering 100 Nm at 1900 rpm. This engine competes with Fiat’s 1.4L petrol and produces 25 per cent more torque.

Half the number of cylinders means half the number of parts which implies that maintenance too is minimal. The Twinair’s long-life spark plugs and hydraulic tappets give it an added strip of reliability. The engine is 23 per cent shorter than a conventional 4-cylinder engine which also makes it a space saver. Fiat’s two-cylinder motor has a balancer shaft to abolish the first order vibration common in two-cylinder engines. The turbocharged Twinair is also 7 kg lighter than Fiat’s 1.2L non-turbo FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine) and 13 kg lighter than the 1.4 FIRE. The 1.2 and 1.4 are the same engines found in the Grande Punto.

Autocar says, the road test proved that the engine is relaxed and offers similar performance to the 1.4-litre 84-bhp version of Fiat 500. It can hit a maximum speed of 174 km/h and can accelerate to 100 kmph in just 11 seconds. The engine is believed to deliver 25 kmpl. In due course, Fiat will be making 400,000 of these engines a year at their Polish manufacturing plant.

For a country obsessed with mileage and cost, here’s the price! The Fiat 500 with Twin air currently costs £1400 (Rs 1,00,000) more than the 1.4L four-cylinder version. Pretty expensive, ah? However, two cylinders mean two lesser spark plugs, there’s lesser friction, lower maintenance costs, reduced weight and a greener environment. Fiat, however, will have to sufficiently localise and prove this engine in India to establish their superiority. We hope to see the Twinair in Fiat’s Rs. 2.5 Lakh car that will debut in 2012.