Ahhh, Fiat Uno. My family grew up with this car for 15 years and thousands and thousands of kilometers! Crossing to France across the narrow mountain roads, to the Mediterranean beach. We always said it was a potato but nowadays I realize I wish I could have a car that could run so many kilometers.
1988 Fiat Uno 45 fire my first car. 998cc 4 speed. Great car. Very reliable had it of six years and did over 100,000 miles. Not much rust. Only thing I didn't like was horrendous understeer in the wet. Might have been something to do with the 20 quid or so Polish tyres I put on it! ;)
I have a Fiat Uno 60S in my backyard and now I am in love with old cars from like the '80s that are clean and nice and a little JDM'd but I didn't take care of the car and now I don't even know why I don't take it faster to the recycle station. Note to kids: take care of old cars that your parents, or grandparents don't use and don't play in them or around them damaging them, take care of them cause you will cry for them when you'll be older! And I freaking looooooooved the way it sounded and how (relatively) quick it was.
Loved my K 1.1 handled well great fun around town nippy in traffic easy to get through tight spaces, Had the little bugger up to 110 on the A2 to Dartford one time. Great in the snow of '96, very predictable handling.Shame I couldn't bring it with me to Aus.
"Lynn, I'll just speak over you" "I'm not driving a mini metro, I'm not driving a mini metro, I'm not driving a mini metro"........... "They've rebadged it ya fool"
@@GlaringDiamon They were no less safe than other 80s and 90s superminis. Watch the crash test of the Fiat Seicento, which was made until 2005. Also, if we were talking about Minis would you have mentioned safety, despite the fact they were a 20 year older design?
A few days ago I found a copy of 1993 UK market Fiat Uno brochure and I was staggered to see how modestly equipped the lower trim levels were. The rev counter has always been among the rare goods and even very tastefully equipped versions like Top Class were lacking it but SX and Suite had one. When in 1993 my grandfather bought Uno 45 (called "1000 CARB BASE" as sales receipt stated) apart from passenger side mirror and a rear screen wiper it had absolutely no optional equipment whatsoever ;).
The K series design was good to a point, having had 2 Rovers with the K series I enjoyed driving them, revvy engines, plenty of power, the MGF which was one I had overheated once losing coolant but still survived it only to throw a big end bearing some time later, good engine just wasn’t designed well enough. I prefer the A series.
little did they know back then the overheating issues that would be associated with the k series...but over all even after i had done the headgasket 3 times in 5 years on my 416si, it was a bloody fantastic motor when it was going!
Fiat Uno - the best basic transportation ever made. Love my 2003 brasilian made Uno. Exterior styling, in particular the back, was 15 years ahead of its time (just look at the 1994 VW Polo). Can carry amazing amounts of stuff and handles bad roads just as well as some entry level 4X4.
They handle brilliantly, the heritage from the Mini shows. For quality the Austin ones suffered from the trail end of Leylands draw out death. Some rusted into dust within months, some are still on the road today. The Rovers dont really suffer the same issues. As for reliability the engine is the least likley thing to go wrong in an Austin. The A-Series is unbelievably tough. The 8v K-Series in the Rovers dont suffer the head gasket issues of the large capacity 16v variants. They're unlikely to cause trouble.
Compared to the dark days of the '70's, the PG's were minor. Not aware of sny Metro from this era having water leaks through them or through the seals; an issue older Metro's & even some Rover cars had suffered from sometimes. (in both cases due to workforce trouble & BL cheaping out on materials; the latter being a vunerabilty of even Jaguar)
In the mid-80's I had an Uno 60 as a hire car one trip home to the UK and also drove my sisters A-Series 1.3 Metro. At that stage the Uno was a huge step ahead of the Metro. I'd have loved to drive these later Uno's and Metro's to see how they compare. The Fiat Uno 70 and Turbo were available in South Africa (where I lived at the time), the Turbo felt like a rocket, but it wasn't available which made the choice of a 2.0l Open Kadette GSi an easy one.
My mum had a black five-door diesel Uno until about 2002, now there are only 18 black and 18 diesel Unos left on UK roads in 2020 according to the DVLA.
Wasn't a hit with viewers though, as proved by its cancellation in 2002, and that at no point between 1970's & then did the BBC manage to export it. Like its precursor *Wheelbase* , and its psuedo successor 5th Gear; the viewing public wanted more than a televised auto' magazine.
I also had an Uno, from new. Utterly reliable and only let down by poor headlights ( I suppose that was the same for most cars of the day) and handling in the wet which was bloody awful. Noisy engine, but mine never let me down - not bad for a little car.
I have studied crashes in Brazil & most of the fatal crashes I have seen in Uno`s have had people not wearing seatbelts in them.. A lot of the crashes have also been on high speed roads & involved either crashing into trucks, or head on into other cars while overtaking, or going off the road & then hitting tree`s & posts. Not many cars will allow you to walk away from those crashes, especially when not wearing seat belts. The biggest problem on Brazilian roads is Brazilian mentalities!
I might be upset by the answer, but, if anybody knows where my beautiful Fiat Uno 60s 5 door registration C36 GKO is, a reply here would be welcome. Loved the car, used to enjoy rushing from Sevenoaks to Tonbridge in Kent on the country roads.It was a 1986 model and my first new car.
According to the DVLA the Metro car hasn't been taxed since February 2003. I imagine it got scrapped 20 years ago. No details held regarding the MOT neither. I used to own one and I found them to be great little cars. Problem was they were so easy to steal and mine did get stolen.
@Krycek2008 - It's a 'no frills car' then. And that's a good thing. Less gizmos to distract you and at the same time less things to break. I doubt however all you have said is true. A/C is and always was optional and power locks and windows were standard starting from 'S' trim upwards. Moreover, ABS was optional on top-of-the-range models and driver's airbag was fitted in late South Africa models.
Hardly. He stated the car exactly as she was; as nothing outdtanding but a decent runaround for the time. Certainly better than the plastiky rubbish Renault was producing in the same category. Quentin Wilson however was probably on the take from half of Rover's rivals though, as he seldom badmouthed anything else XD.
The Metro was so heavily reworked, it should have received a new body. The front was all-new and the passenger compartment modified for the new running gear. In fact, there was a rebody touted but management thought it would be cheaper to rework than rebody. However, with the level of modification needed, that possibility wasn’t the case. Good car, though. I love Unos. Maybe a bit biased as I still have one. A perfect tonic to today’s cars.
The only wrong thing I can see with the Rover Metro is the tight legroom in the back when it could have been better, Rover used the bigger seats out of the 200 which gobbled up the rear legroom to uncomfortably unacceptable standards, also when it got crash tested by EURONCap it scored 1 star and caused awful life threatening injuries, not even an airbag on the drivers side could make this better.
Apart from a SAAB or a Volvo, I dont think there is much from that period of time that isn't going to leave you pretty screwed in the event of a crash.
@@nkt1 The Mini was a 1950's design, yet scored better. So did the Rover P6, though Rover had been ahead of rivals in the 1960's on safety, even though it wasn't a government mandated requirement at the time. Austin in the '70's were also were a bit ahead of most on safety, as they had Seatbelts & Seatbelt Warning Lights as standard on several cars, a decade before the former was even compulsary to have, let alone use.
@@stuco81 I'd largely disagree. It does depend though on the type of crash; as even a modern car is unlikely to offer any real protection against an impact with a Tree, brick structure, HGV or a Train. All of which do happen, and are ever a gruesome sight. (and of course features to aid escape in the advent of crashing into water or an in-car fire remain non-compulsary)
The S was the mid range trim level, it would have been the same spec as the one in this video. If your Dad had splashed out a few hundred quid more he could have got a 70SX which had electric windows, remote central locking, a rev counter, a tilt & slide roof, climate control, velour trim, front fog lights & arch & sill extensions like the Uno Turbo. I have 2 Uno 60S`s & prefer the 1.1 FIRE engine to the non-FIRE 1.4, but we never got the 1.1 engine with SX trim (unlike the rest of Europe!).
"no facelift model" Well ignoring the rear sub-frame, rear valance, doors, boot surround, rear quarters and that high level filler cap did appear on some Mk2's... dashboard,interior, roof all being Austin Metro. Front subframe changed to take the less successful K series. Start taking these apart and you still see Austin Rover parts on them. The biggest giveaway is the Austin Rover Logo usually found on the rear boot catch. Admittedly they handle incredibly differently, mainly due to the front subframe differences and the different suspension setup. Also they don't mention that the poverty model was a 4-Speed- just like its predecessor.
The corperate rebranding from Austin-Rover to Rover Group was only a couple of years old at the time though, and the company name on the parts only really matters where IP is concerned.
@@lladur50 True cars are lot cheaper now but you have to factor in depreciation and running costs. We buy too many new cars now so the used market is over saturated which makes cars over 7 years old effectively worthless. Also petrol and insurance prices have spiraled since 1990 so overall the cost of motoring is not cheaper, even though the car its self might be.
"Dacia better than Rover" *Sorry I don't speak wrong.* Seriously though: Dacia's are overpriced rustboxes, made in a 2nd world country* from other companies old designs. The Lada of the present day, if you will. *Having known quite a few romanians, the stories they'd tell made the worst period in strikitus era Britain sound better XD.
@Krycek2008 - I won't argue with you about the brazilian model 'cause you obviously know it better than me. Most of what I wrote yesterday was about european models which are quite a bit different. Production in Italy ceased in 1995 and was passed to Poland, the country I come from. The options list was practically gone, but AFAIR power windows and locks were standard on 1.4 i.e.S model. As for brazilian post-facelift Mille (2005-) I'm pretty sure A/C was available as an option. Cheers.
@Krycek2008 - Well I must admit that is true. It was designed to meet the 80's safety standards and compared to other 80s superminis (Ford Fiesta, VW Polo, Peugeot 205 etc.) it does that rather adequately (see crash test reports of that era). It can't however stand a chance against modern cars with their frontal crumple zone tough and rigid enough to plough thru 80s cars. I wonder why did they chose not to sell Punto (176). It was a leap ahead in terms of active and passive passenger protection.
Old Stanley had one of these, a Kensington model, or was it a Knightsbridge? Anyway, on a Sunday after church, he'd head to the pub and get smashed on vodka, then drive home 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Unfortunately the Uno 1.4 i.e.S here in the UK had neither power windows nor locks, my father had one in 1993 and I remember being disappointed as a kid that it didn't have even a rev counter :(
@@wp8022 I think they did at some point, I do remember it in the magazine pricelists at the time but I think later on it was replaced by the ieS. I don't think they were both available at the same time.
K- series - the head gasket chewer. Give me the FIAT every time - I had 3 Uno's - a 45, a 45 FIRE S and a 60S. None had the rattly dashboard alleged here and all had a good gear change.
The vehicle details for G940 BKV are: Date of Liability 01 02 2003 Date of First Registration 01 03 1990 Year of Manufacture 1990 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1118CC CO2 Emissions Not Available Fuel Type Petrol Export Marker Not Applicable Vehicle Status Unlicensed Vehicle Colour GREY
The vehicle details for G274 ABY are: Date of Liability 01 08 2003 Date of First Registration 14 02 1990 Year of Manufacture 1990 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1108CC CO2 Emissions Not Available Fuel Type Petrol Export Marker Not Applicable Vehicle Status Unlicensed Vehicle Colour BLUE
I know in practice there was only 2 or 3 years in age difference between those two cars but I must say looking at them it seems more like 10 years. In 1990 you could reasonably pass the Uno off as a modern car despite it being nearly 8 years old, whereas the Metro shape was clearly a relic of the 1970s. The really crazy part is that Rover continued to pedal it for a further 7 years after this point! I don't think that did the Rover image any favors in the long run. Meanwhile Fiat launched the radical new Punto just 3 years later...
The Uno wasn't much younger though; and had an even worse rep' in the UK when new. (gawky styling, dissolved in the rain, and of course the Fix It Again Tony curse) The Metro was never a great car, partially due to Austin having no money for major upgrades & Rover being repeatedly denied by its two owners, but it was a good one for most of her run. (though by the mid' '90's the axe was certainly overdue; with then owner BMW being entirely to blame, as Rover already had replacement models in mind & on-blueprint)
Did you see the cost of cars back then. £7800 for the 1.1 metro, jesus we got ripped off in the UK. No wonder i could have never afforded a new car in the early 90's
Compared to the preceding Austin era cars; it was a major improvement. Ironically the VW Golf was the other way round. The Audi original model had a much nicer interior, while VW downgraded it for their own iteration. (partially to keep costs down)
Design started in 1949 maybe. Didn't appear in a car until the early '50's. Powered the Mini & various other cars for decades without much issue. The problem on the metro was the Gearbox, which came from VW & was a pile of scrap.
True; though unlike the BL era they did have a reason for it; which was lack of money. (then parent Vickers not being all that chuffed with their purchase)
Nope. Rover Metro's didn't rust easily, unlike the early ones, and pretty much every Fiat ever. Quentin Wilson though; he'd make up any old BS to satiate his pet hatred.
He's driving round the island by MANOR VET'S at they top of my road. WOW that headcasket on the k series was a good one he must be five miles away from they main gate😂 and if you had an older version of the two door all the bits of the new one would FITTED BOLT FOR BOLT SO topical BRITISH HEADLIGHT REPLACEMENT UPGRADE WELL IT WORKED BECAUSE THE WELSH HAVE BUILT HOUSES ALL OVER FACTORY 😎!!!!
Rover Metro ........ 1+ cm panel gaps, bonet, tailgate, bumper-to-fenders, just everywhere. Worse than Dacia or Polonez from 80's. UNO was gazzillion times better car. Yeah, it has failures but you can fix 'em easily. With Metro, once it's starts to fall apart, no matter the amount of money you throw at it, it'll be still broken.
Hahaha... nope. Fiat snd those two communist dinosaurs were always worse. FIAT means "Fix It Again Tony" in the UK for good reason. Austin-Rover also never used cheap Soviet steel, so a Metro lacked the Fiat's dissolving in the rain feature. There's also far more Metros around in the UK than Fiat Uno's, no Polamez's & only present day Dacias. (the latter of which only the gullible buy)
@@jimtaylor294 Maybe because your mom couldn't afford a new car, used Metro was unavailable because it rusted away, she couldn't turn the driving wheel of LADA, so her only option was 10+ yo FIAT import from Italy, with no service, not even oil change. Cheapest wrecks sold by scammers to retards ..... your genetics perfectly match this scenartio.
The metro was a piece of shit when it came out, and even worse at the end when it was so antiquated and démodé that it looked silly and ultimately sad next to it's competition, only third world cars were worse than this hateful remnant.
Err nope. The Metro was quantifiably better than much of the scrap in its class... at least until the mid' '90's, where replacement was absurdly overdue. (blame Vickers & BMW for that) Only the Peugeot 106 & VW Polo really compare favourably for regional competition, and the latter german lump cost much more, had cruder & harder suspension, and had crap seats that left the user bent double on all but short trips.
