Opinion – Time machines: Fiat Pulse passes performance test with ethanol and gasoline

The Fiat Pulse 1.0 turbo flex (130 hp) passed the Folha-Mauá test. Consumption and performance measurements – made with ethanol and gasoline – showed that the new engine from the Stellantis group outperforms the old 1.8 (139 hp) in all aspects, which equips the automatic Argo Trekking.

The car evaluated came in the Impetus version, with the body painted in amalfi blue (underside) and strato gray (ceiling). The combination adds R$ 2,064 to the price, which starts at R$ 123.8 thousand.

The price includes six airbags, autonomous braking system (which acts if the driver does not react in the face of an imminent collision), 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, digital air conditioning, LED headlights, multimedia center with GPS navigation and automatic transmission of the CVT type, which simulates seven gears.

The test began with the removal of the Pulse, carried out at a Fiat dealership in the São Paulo neighborhood of Butantã (western zone). The car was supplied with ethanol and was taken to the Mauá Institute of Technology, in São Caetano do Sul (Greater São Paulo).

Three-cylinder engines tend to have vibrations at low rpm, but Fiat managed to get around this characteristic. The urban jeep proved to be agile and silent in the midst of heavy traffic.

The good impression left at the car’s presentation, in October, was confirmed. The automaker took great care in finishing the cabin, which distances its new SUV from the Argo compact.

On the outside, however, there are many similarities between these cars. The windows, for example, are the same. It is a typical feature of models that share the same platform, like the competitors Honda WR-V (which uses the Fit base) and Volkswagen Nivus (“brother” of the Polo).

The biggest differences are in the mechanics. The combination of 1.0 turbo engine and CVT gear, which simulates seven gears, made the Pulse go from zero to 100 km/h in 9.5 seconds when fueled with ethanol. The Argo 1.8 Trekking Automatic, which weighs two kilos less, completed the same test in 11.6 seconds.

The 1.0 turbo also has an advantage in consumption. While the new compact SUV ran 11.5 km on a liter of gasoline in the city and reached 18.6 km/l on the road, the Argo 1.8 adventurer recorded averages of 9.4 km/l and 17.2 km respectively. /l.

In addition to being more efficient, the new engine meets the seventh phase of the Proconve (Vehicular Emission Control Program), which takes effect this Saturday (1st). Soon, it will be under the hood of other models of the Fiat, Citroën, Jeep and Peugeot lines, which are the brands of the Stellantis group present in Brazil.

Check the Fiat Pulse numbers measured in the Folha-Mauá test:

Fiat Pulse Impetus 1.0 turbo flex

Price (based on São Paulo): BRL 123.8 thousand

Engine: Three cylinders, flex, turbo, 999 cm³

Power: 130 hp (E) and 125 hp (G) at 5,750 rpm

Torque: 20.4 kgfm (E/G) at 1,700 rpm

Transmission: Automatic CVT, simulates seven gears

Tires: 205/50 R17

Weight: 1,237 kg

Trunk: 370 liters

Acceleration (0 to 100 km/h): 9.5s (E) and 10.8s (G)

Resumption (80 km/h to 120 km/h): s 7.1 (E) and 7.9s (G)

Braking (80 km/ha 0): 36.2 m

Urban consumption 8.6 km / l (E): e 11.5 km / l (G)

Road consumption 15.5 km/l (E): and 18.6 km/l (G)

Find out how tests are done

To measure the performance of cars, the IMT (Mauá Institute of Technology) uses the V-Box, a device that uses a GPS signal.

Acceleration, recovery and braking tests are carried out on the ZF company track, in Limeira (São Paulo countryside).

The stage that checks fuel consumption in the city is 27 km long. To simulate a road journey with an average speed of 90 km/h, IMT engineers drive 31 km. Both routes are located in São Caetano do Sul, where the institute is based.

If the car is flex, two measurements are taken: one with gasoline, the other with ethanol.