Thats a nice observation, the trouble is the 1.6 MJD has not proved itself as popular as the 1.3 MJD, the 1.3 MJD has a much more modern intake and fuel pump system in comparison with the 1.6 which uses conventional fuel pump and injection system used by Alfa Romeo,Fiat, etc, I dont know exactly how they are related but European people know a lot about this, the MJD was introduced in Fiat Panda and some other products in Europe but it couldn't ignite customers as did by TDi,TDCi,DCi or even Opel/Vauxhall 1.6 TCdi engines which are most popular in Europe the reason is POwer band is very narrow in 1.6 MJD and it tapers off at nearly 4000 rpm whereas the other engines will carry the power band till 5000 rpm specially the TDi
About gearbox relation the most efficient gearbox in terms of transmission loss is Hondas,then comes Volkswagen AG,Mercedes,BMW,Aston Martin,Jaguar then Peugeot,Renault,Citroen , Mazda,Subaru,MG,Mini then Ford,Fiat,Alfa Romeo, Toyota,Hyundai,etc come after, This is an information I got from a student doing MS in transmission technology or something whom I used to chat a year before via facebook when I got mad about mechanical's, what he says is that most engines of same displacement are able to make about same power the difference in sound,vibration, etc are due to bore stroke,bore length of piston and some blah blah, I cant remember well but the most important part where the Power generated is conveyed to the wheels are via the gear box,
He explains usually Gearbox can be tuned to short shift or long throw but no manufacturer can find a perfect balance between Power and efficiency if gearbox is not fast enough, so what manufacturers do is improve shift feel,quality,durability of gearbox and give some existing ratios to suit engines Power band
Transmission loss can be felt by hurrying the gearbox, just shift up as quickly as possible and if the engine shudders and rpm dosent rise in accordance with shifts it means the loss is high, shift fast and if the rpm meter is eager shift after shift that means the engine and gearbox are mated well and loss is minimum
In that sense actually Ford,Fiat has an average gearbox, If we see most Honda City reviews they will tell the engine is very eager and revvs well, its not just due to quality of engine its largely due to lack of transmission loss in the gearbox that enables clutch to engage the plate as soon as one gear is shifted, In that sense the Fiats and Ford gearbox wont give us the best as the specs would suggest, I hope thats the sole reason why 1.6 MJD & its 5 speed or 6 speed is not as popular as the other combinations
In one sense the Fords IB5 is no way a class topper but its just an average gearbox compared to Honda and VW
The proof can be seen with DSG equipped cars as well, the example the student gave me was based on a Volvo Polestar T5 vs Audi TT RS, he says both cars are AWD,both cars have almost same Power,both cars have AT gearbox but Audis DSG is lightning quick in transmitting Power to wheels compared to Volvos AT sequential shifter, so whenever a drag race is made the Audi makes Volvo eat its dust, but most magazines tell, its because of Audis Quattro system etc etc, but he says its due to the DSG that instantly provides torque to wheels , much faster than the Volvos sequential can think of
Same case happens with the VW Golf GTi as well, If we see drag race Videos of Golf which has got just 200-217 HP,it obliterates most other cars which have much more Power like Focus St 252 HP,Astra 280 hp,Megane 260 hp etc, the reason is that damn brilliant gearbox
Here is a video this guy linked me to,
1/4 Mile Drag Race: Focus ST, M135i, Golf GTI Edition, 35 Astra OPC and Mégane RS - YouTube
He says the GTi has the weakest engine in the group but it is almost as fast as the Megane,Astra both of which has more Power and mechanical slip differential to transfer power to ground better but the DSG is so brilliant that it can run almost as fast as them by transferring Power to wheels that quickly
On the contrary the ST with no LSD and with 252 Hp and 360 NM came last , the reason is transmission loss, after each gear change about .25-.35 seconds is lost whereas in a Golf just .10-.15 seconds is lost with DSG whereas in VWs manual will loose around .15-.25s
![[:)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Smile.gif "Smile [:)]")
. I am expecting good quality OEM tinted glasses, quality interiors & my Ford Touch with rear view camera as optional package. I am eagerly waiting to see what's in store for us from Ford. Probably we will be knowing it next month.
![[;)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Wink.gif "Wink [;)]")
. And TDCI is in a different league, it has a little fun factor to it & both these engines are highly reliable when compared to 1.6 TDI. Its not that 1.6 TDI is not reliable, but it has its own down sides. Actually my swift diesel clutch plates wore out @ 40,000 kms & it has sudden surge of power when compared to Fiat. Suzuki gearbox very well suited to Fiat Engine in the swift, but the same gearbox couldn't do wonders in Ertiga. Tata also didn't use their own gearbox in their Indica Vista, they used the original Fiat gearbox. What I understood via practical experience is, their engine tuning is different, it has a very linear performance unlike the swift. Original Fiat gearbox is very well suited to their engine & my Fiat punto clocked 65,000 kms & clutch plate haven't wore out. It still has the same performance like before. And Fiat cars are very heavy, so performance is little effected but they have great handling characteristics. It also effects the fuel efficiency. There is a reason why I like Ford Fiesta.. ![[thumbsup]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Thumbs%20Up.png "Thumbs Up [thumbsup]")
