Fiat 500: I'll take the diesel!

MultiJet II, Fiat's new innovation in diesel engine technology (you can read a description here) is making its debut in the Fiat 500 and 500C (the cabriolet version of the normal 500). MultiJet II is one of the technologies that Fiat is sharing with Chrysler and it could change how Americans perceive diesel engines and prefer what type of engine equips their car.

Below is a comparison of the specifications on all the available engines in the Fiat 500 range. First up is the new MultiJet II 1.3L :

New 1.3L 16V MultiJet II Turbo diesel

95hp @ 4000 rpm
148 lbs ft @ 1500 rpm

0-100 kph: 10.7 seconds
Top Speed: 180 kph (113 mph)

Fuel consumption (combined urban/Hway): 3.9 l/100km (60 mpg)

Compare the output of the new MultiJet II engine to the output of the previous diesel engine:

1.3L 16V Turbo diesel

75HP @ 4000 rpm
107 lbs ft @ 1500 rpm

0-100 kph: 12.5 seconds
Top Speed: 165 kph (103 mph)

Fuel consumption (combined urban/Hway): 4.2 l/100km (56 mpg)

Now compare the new MultiJet II engine to the gasoline engine version of the 500:

1.4L 16V gasoline engine


105 HP @ 6000 rpm
97 lbs ft @ 4250 rpm

0-100 kph: 10.5 seconds
Top Speed: 182 kph (113 mph)

Fuel consumption (combined urban/Hway): 6.3 l/100km (37 mpg)



Below are the engine specs for the Fiat 500 Abarth:

1.4 16V Turbo in the 500 Abarth

135 HP @ 5500 rpm
153 lbs ft @ 3000 rpm

0-100 kph: 7.9 seconds
Top Speed: 205 kph (128 mph)

Fuel consumption (combined urban/Hway): 6.5 l/100km (36 mpg)

1.4 16V Turbo with esseesse (SS) performance upgrade kit

160hp @ 5750 rpm
153 lbs ft @ 3000 rpm (170 lbs ft in sports boost mode)

0-100 kph: 7.4 seconds
Top Speed: 211 kph (132 mph)

Fuel consumption (combined urban/Hway): 6.5 l/100km (36 mpg)

What we see is the MultiJet II engine has outstanding performance with a large amount of torque, substantially more than the 1.4L gas engine (51 lbs ft more!). This maximum torque figure is reached at very low revs (1500 rpm or just over idle), and translates to always having lots of passing power available all the time. Driving a high torque car is a treat because you never have to "wind" the engine up, just use slight toe pressure and away you go!

It is the opposite way most small gasoline engines drive, where the peak torque output is high in the rpm range and you're always revving the engine, downshifting and generally working pretty hard to keep up or pass traffic. It's also one of the reasons why Americans traditionally aren't "into" small four cylinder engines.



With the advent of MultiJet II, all that's out the window. This technology has the potential to make as big a difference in the US as it did when Fiat introduced its predecessor, the Common Rail diesel, in 1997. Common Rail changed how diesel engines performed, making them very much "un-diesel like". At once, diesels were smoother, less noisy, less stinky, and more powerful.

Fiat sold this technology off and all major car makers now use it. The result is, in Europe, the market responded by going from a 15% diesel car mix to a 50% mix.

Here in America, we haven't been exposed to this new technology in a large degree because diesel engines are normally available here in only the more expensive car ranges. Now that's going to change.

With MultiJet II, now smaller, less expensive diesels can achieve fantastic performance and drivability gains and still retain the high fuel efficiency, low cost maintenance characteristics that diesels are known for.



Even with Common Rail and MutiJet I, diesels were still down somewhat on horsepower compared with a gasoline engine. Engine displacement was still needed to produce the power the market expected. MultiJet II gives the Fiat engineers the ability to fine tune the engine, maximizing efficiency and power while increasing comfort and refinement with also the potential of reducing displacement.

The proof is in the comparison of the previous diesel engine specs. Compared with the original 1.3L diesel (equipped with MultiJet I), MultiJet II boosts horsepower by 20hp and torque an incredible 41 lbs ft! That's a huge number for a 1.3L engine.

Or, using a theoretical example (using the same specific output of the above MultiJet II engine), you could potentially have a 1.0L diesel engine making 75 hp with a substantial 116 lbs ft of torque! And remember, a physically smaller engine has many advantages over a larger engine, with the same power, in terms of packaging, fuel economy and performance.

All this boils down to a few important points.

First is this 1.3L MultiJet II diesel, being available in the Fiat 500 (which is a relatively lower priced car), offers a new generation of Americans the ability to access a new type of diesel engine with drivability characteristics never before experienced by them. Their experience of driving a highly fuel efficient, powerful, fun to drive car has the potential to make a large impact on what is expected out of a fuel efficient car.

The second point is that after driving a diesel car, many of these owners will look for another diesel car when they move on. Fiat/Chrysler will be in a unique position to upgrade these owners with other diesel offerings. Other car manufacturers will sure to follow with their own diesel offerings (with a licensed copy of MultiJet II, no doubt).



The third point is that all this technology is available today, and it's relatively simple, easily understood compared with electric-hybrid technology. With Fiat's (and now Chrysler's) diesel experience, everyone can start driving a fuel efficient car now and not have to wait or be the beta tester for electric-hybrid technology that still needs a lot of work before it can be used by everyone.

From the above points, we see that MultiJet II could make a big impact on what Americans drive in the future.

So what will it be? A 1.3L 16V MultiJet II turbo diesel or the gasoline 1.4L 16V engine? I know which one I want!

*Fuel economy figures are European and converted to US MPG

The MultiJet II diesel engine making its debut in the Fiat 500 and 500C.

The new 1.3 Multijet II (Euro5) engine, with Start&Stop fitted as standard, is making its first appearance on the Fiat 500 and 500C models. It has a maximum power output of 95 HP at 4000 rpm and delivers a torque of 200 Nm (20.4 kg / 148 lbs ft)at only 1500 rpm.

Available on all trim levels, with an on-the-road list price that starts at 13,900 Euros, the new power unit delivers excellent performance (a top speed of 180 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.7 seconds) with decidedly low consumption and CO2 emissions: 3.9 l/100km and 104 g/km (mixed cycle), respectively.

Developed and produced by FPT - Fiat Powertrain Technologies, the 1.3 Multijet II 95 HP engine belongs to the second generation of Multijet power units and has new common rail injectors which, courtesy of a balanced hydraulic servo valve, control the amount of diesel injected into the combustion chamber with a high degree of precision, making the injection sequence much faster and more flexible than previously (up to 8 injections in the same cycle). This allows better control of the diesel combustion with benefits for consumption, emissions, noise levels and drivability.



The new 95 HP engine on the Fiat 500 and 500C is equipped with a variable geometry turbocharger (!) that ensures optimum turbocharging throughout the entire operating range. Fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 8% in the urban cycle thanks also to the Start&Stop system that switches the engine off temporarily and then restarts it. With Euro 5 type-approval, the new 1.3 litre engine enhances its environmentally-friendly pedigree further through the particulate filter (DPF) integrated in the engine compartment which improves its efficiency even more, especially in the first few moments after cold starting.



The second generation Multijet power units represent the development of the common rail injection system which today, after the JTD (1997) and Multijet (2003) engines, allow Fiat Group Automobiles to steal a march in this field and be prepared for future regulations. The Multijet II engines use increasingly advanced "strategies" to improve combustion: for example, the use of injection rate shaping (two consecutive injections with no hydraulic interval) reduces noise, fuel consumption and, in view of Euro 6, harmful emissions (a potential 30% reduction of nitrogen oxides).



Lastly, together with the new 1.3 Multijet II 95 HP engine, the new rear torsion beam (semi-independent) suspension with an anti-roll bar is also making its debut on the Fiat 500 range. It is derived from the Abarth 500 model and has already made an appearance on the 500C. It gives better handling and a more comfortable ride.

Fiat 500C MultiJet II Specifications

Turin, 25th November 2009
Press release courtesy of Fiat Group Press

Fiat's MultiJet II engine technology...Hopefully coming to Chrysler.

Inside the cylinder head of a MultiJet II engine

Fiat is a leader in Diesel engine technology. Fiat invented the revolutionary Common Rail diesel technology for passenger cars. Now Fiat is introducing MultiJet II...diesel technology that promises to make an impact as large as Common Rail did in 1997.

In 1997, Fiat introduced the Common Rail (called JTD or UniJet Turbo Diesel by Fiat) . By upping the fuel pressure, changing injection design and adding a pilot or pre-injection of fuel, Common Rail changed diesel engines forever. This pre-injection of fuel allowed Fiat to tame the characteristics of diesel engines, which, up to then, where known for noisiness, smokiness, poor response and low horsepower output. All at once, out went these "uncivilized" manors and in came a new degree of smoothness, quietness and power. As a result, diesel sales of passenger cars in Europe went up from 15% to 50%.

The 1.3L Multijet Fiat 500 engine

In 2003, Fiat upgraded the Common Rail (JTD) to MultiJet technology. This advancement brought the number of pre-injections to a total of 5 and ushered in even more refinement and performance. Fiat combined MultiJet, turbocharging and a 1.3L diesel engine and came up with a jewel that went on to win the 2005 "International Engine of the Year Award". Previously, the expression "fun to drive" and "1.3L diesel" were never used in the same sentence. This is one of the optional engines available in the Fiat 500.

The Lancia Musa is one of the first cars with MultiJet II

Now, in 2009, Fiat does it again, with MultiJet II. This is the ultimate evolution of its Commom Rail technology. The highlight of this technology is pre-injections are now at up to 8 injections per cycle, bringing refinement to an all time high. The added pre-injections of fuel let the Fiat engineers precisely tune the engine for many variables... noise, vibration, harshness, fuel economy, power and emissions are all improved. Additionally, the MultiJet II injectors have been simplified, made more efficient, responsive and also easier to manufacture. MultiJet II plays up all the advantages of a diesel (fuel economy, relative simplicity and good torque) and lends itself especially well to small displacement engines.


The MultiJet II breakthrough is even more significant because of the time it is being introduced. Interest in fuel economy is at an all time high and, now with the ability to precisely meter the fuel in a way that previously was impossible, makes a small displacement diesel engine very attractive.

The Fiat MultiJet II Diesel Engine

When Fiat brings MultiJet to America, it promises to make Chrysler a leader in diesel technology. No one in the the US is currently utilizing small displacement diesel technology and this would help Chrysler stand out from the crowd. A high output, fun to drive turbo diesel car, with none of the negative characteristics of diesels of old, would be an attractive alternative to people looking at a hybrid-electric car. Diesel technology, even if it is advanced, is still a relatively simple, known technology and is more familiar to people resistant to unfamiliar, complicated hybrid-electric technology.


We'll see how MultiJet II fits into Chrysler's five year plan when they announce its details on November 4th.

Below is a more detailed explanation of Multijet II taken from the Punto Evo's press release, courtesy of Fiat:

The New Fiat Punto Evo

All Fiat Punto Evo diesel engines are equipped with the next-generation MultiJet II Common Rail injection system. This highly advanced solution can control high engine pressures (up to 1600bar) without being tied to engine speed or the quantity of fuel injected.

In the 1.3 MultiJet II Euro 5 versions, the system uses innovative common rail injectors that, thanks to a balanced hydraulic servo-valve, are able to more precisely control the quantity of diesel injected into the combustion chamber, with a faster and more flexible sequence of injections than was previously possible.

By reducing the amount of time between injections, these injectors optimize fuel introduction to the chamber and therefore make the diesel combustion process more gradual, with positive effects for consumption, emissions, NVH and handling. In fact, the new common rail injector on the Euro 5 engines cuts consumption and CO2 on the approved cycle by around 2%, while at the same time reducing harmful emissions.


The second-generation MultiJets are therefore the latest development in the Common Rail injection system which, after the JTD (1997) and MultiJet (2003) engines, gives the Fiat Group yet another first in this field.

The 1.3 MultiJet is available in Euro 4 (75 and 90 hp) and Euro 5 (75 and 95 hp) versions, the latter coming with a particulate filter and Start&Stop as standard. In addition, turbo is carried out either by a fixed geometry turbocharger (75 hp) or a variable geometry turbocharger (90 and 95 hp).

The Euro 5 versions have next-generation turbochargers that, combined with the new second-generation MultiJet II injection system, ensure the best possible turbo function at any engine operating level, with torque delivery at low revs up to 25 per cent higher than on Euro 4 versions.

The performance levels of the 95 hp second-generation 1.3 MultiJet (Euro 5) are well worth a mention: top speed of 178 km/h, 0-100 km/h in 11.7 seconds, consumption of 4.2 l/100 km and 110 g/km of CO2 emissions (in the combined cycle). When combined with the Dualogic gearbox, consumption falls to 4.1 l/100 km and emissions to 107 g/km.

Finally, the Punto Evo range retains the brilliant 120 hp 1.6 MultiJet Euro 5 with DPF from the previous model. With this engine, the car can reach a top speed of 193 km/h (Sport version) and go from 0-100 km/h in 9.6 seconds. Excellent performance also comes with reduced consumption and emissions: in the combined cycle, these figures are 4.5 l/100 km and 119 g/km of CO2 respectively.