Which Triumph Acclaim to buy: 1.3 MT vs 1.3 AT
If you are choosing a Triumph Acclaim, you are not choosing between generations, engines, or body styles. The catalogue lists 1 generation (1981-01-01 to 1984-12-31), one body (Sedan), and two versions that share the same engine and the same kerb weight: 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT. The buying decision is the gearbox. Everything else in the numbers is identical.
Which Triumph Acclaim to buy: 1.3 MT vs 1.3 AT
If you are choosing a Triumph Acclaim, you are not choosing between generations, engines, or body styles. The catalogue lists 1 generation (1981-01-01 to 1984-12-31), one body (Sedan), and two versions that share the same engine and the same kerb weight: 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT. The buying decision is the gearbox. Everything else in the numbers is identical.
That is the short answer. The rest of this page is the arithmetic behind it: power per litre, kilograms per horsepower, which figures are measured on which version, and what the extra ratios in 1.3 MT actually change versus the three-speed 1.3 AT.
Triumph Acclaim versions compared (which one to buy)
| Version | Years | Body | Engine | hp | Nm | Gearbox | Drive | 0–100 | Top speed | Kerb weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3 MT | 1981-01-01–1984-12-31 | Sedan | 1335, Gasoline | 71 | 100 | Manual, 5 | FWD | 12.5 | 155 | 809 |
| 1.3 AT | 1981-01-01–1984-12-31 | Sedan | 1335, Gasoline | 71 | 100 | Automatic, 3 | FWD | not measured | not measured | 809 |
There is no third Triumph Acclaim in this dataset. There is no restyling listed as a separate generation. There is no all-wheel-drive option, no extra displacement, and no power gap between the two names. If two cars on a listing both say Acclaim, the only catalogue identity that splits them is 1.3 MT versus 1.3 AT.
What is the same on every Triumph Acclaim
Buyers looking for “the stronger engine” or “the later generation” will not find either in these figures.
Both 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT use a 1335 Gasoline engine, 4 cylinders, Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No, layout Front, transverse, fuel system Carburetor, compression 8.4, bore × stroke 72 × 82, fuel 92. Peak output is 71 hp (52 kW) at 5500 rpm and 100 Nm at 3500 rpm on both versions.
Drive is FWD on both. The fuel tank is 46 on both. Kerb weight is 809 on both. Front suspension is Independent, spring; rear suspension is Independent, spring. Front brakes are Disc; rear brakes are Drum. Those labels do not change with the gearbox.
So the Triumph Acclaim is not a two-engine family. It is one engine and two transmissions. Power per litre is the same: 71 / 1.335 ≈ 53.2 hp per litre. Kilograms per horsepower is the same: 809 / 71 ≈ 11.4 kg per hp. Torque per litre is the same: 100 / 1.335 ≈ 74.9 Nm per litre. None of those ratios can pick a winner, because the numerator and the denominator do not move.
What actually differs: Manual 5 vs Automatic 3
1.3 MT is Manual with 5 gears. 1.3 AT is Automatic with 3 gears. That is the entire specification split.
Five ratios versus three is not a small difference in how the same 71 hp and 100 Nm are used. The engine’s useful band is the same: torque is quoted at 3500 rpm, power at 5500 rpm. With 5 gears, 1.3 MT can keep the 1335 closer to those peaks more often. With 3 gears, 1.3 AT must cover the same road-speed range with fewer steps, so each step is coarser.
The catalogue does not list urban, extra-urban, or combined consumption for either version: mpg is not measured for 1.3 MT and not measured for 1.3 AT. CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. You cannot buy on fuel economy from these numbers, because the numbers are not there. Anyone selling “the economical Acclaim” is not quoting this dataset.
Acceleration and top speed are measured on one version only. 1.3 MT: 0–100 12.5, maximum speed 155. 1.3 AT: 0–100 not measured, maximum speed not measured. You cannot treat 12.5 and 155 as Acclaim-wide facts. They belong to 1.3 MT. Inferring that 1.3 AT is slower is arithmetic people often want; the data does not give a second 0–100 to subtract from 12.5. The honest comparison is: the manual has a published sprint and a published top speed; the automatic does not.
Kerb weight does not help the automatic or the manual. Both sit at 809. Gross weight is not measured on 1.3 MT and not measured on 1.3 AT. Ground clearance is not measured on both. Wheel size is not measured on both. There is no “heavier automatic” in this table, and no tyre upgrade listed for either name.
Generations: there is nothing to trade between years
People searching “which generation Triumph Acclaim” will find 1 generation. Start 1981-01-01, stop 1984-12-31, body Sedan, 2 versions. There is no second-generation engine bump, no later restyle with a different hp figure, and no early/late split inside the two names: 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT share the same start and stop dates.
That means you are not choosing 1981 hardware versus 1984 hardware from this catalogue. You are choosing Manual 5 versus Automatic 3 on the same 71 hp 1335 Gasoline FWD Sedan. If a listing is dated 1982 or 1984, the generation key in these data is still the same one.
Engine specs that do not change the buying call
The engine block of numbers is worth reading once so it is not mistaken for a trim difference.
- Displacement 1335, Gasoline, Carburetor, boost No.
- 4 Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, Front, transverse.
- Compression 8.4, 72 × 82.
- Fuel 92.
- 71 hp / 52 kW at 5500; 100 Nm at 3500.
Because both versions match on every one of those lines, “which engine” is the wrong question for the Triumph Acclaim. The right question is whether you want 5 Manual ratios with a measured 12.5 to 100 and 155 top speed (1.3 MT), or 3 Automatic ratios with sprint and top speed not measured (1.3 AT).
Performance and mpg: measured vs not measured
1.3 MT is the only Triumph Acclaim here with a complete performance pair: 12.5 to 100 and 155 peak. Weight-to-power 11.4 kg/hp and 53.2 hp/L sit behind that sprint. Tank size 46 is the only fuel-related figure that is measured; consumption is not measured, so range is not measured.
1.3 AT keeps the same 71 hp, 100 Nm, 809 kg, and 46 tank. Its 0–100 is not measured. Its top speed is not measured. Its consumption is not measured. Buying 1.3 AT is buying shift convenience, not a second published performance sheet.
Do not fill the blanks with typical-car guesses. The blanks are part of the comparison: the manual is documented for speed; the automatic is documented for gearbox type only.
Dimensions and weight: no packaging split
Kerb weight 809 is the same, so neither version is the “light one.” Gross mass not measured. Ground clearance not measured. Wheels not measured. Tank 46 both ways. You cannot choose Triumph Acclaim on payload, ride height, or tyre size from this catalogue. Those fields are empty on 1.3 MT and empty on 1.3 AT.
Chassis labels also match: Independent, spring front and rear, Disc front, Drum rear, FWD. Suspension and brakes do not vote for a version.
Which Triumph Acclaim version to choose
Choose 1.3 MT if the decision is driven by published performance and by gear count. It is the Manual 5-speed FWD Sedan with 71 hp, 100 Nm, 1335 Gasoline, kerb 809, 0–100 12.5, top speed 155, tank 46. It is the only version where sprint and maximum speed are measured. Five gears versus three is the only ratio advantage in the table.
Choose 1.3 AT if the decision is driven by Automatic shifting and you accept that 0–100 and top speed are not measured. Engine, power, torque, layout, fuel 92, tank 46, kerb 809, brakes, and suspension are the same as 1.3 MT. You are not paying, in specification terms, for more horsepower or a later generation. You are choosing 3 automatic ratios instead of 5 manual ones.
There is no “more powerful Acclaim” in these data. 71 minus 71 is 0. Displacement difference is 0. Weight difference is 0. Generation difference is 0. The only non-zero specification gap is gears: 5 minus 3 equals 2 extra ratios on 1.3 MT, plus the only measured 12.5 / 155 pair.
If a seller describes two cars with the same Triumph Acclaim name, match them to 1.3 MT or 1.3 AT exactly. Do not rename them. Do not invent a petrol-six or a different layout: cylinders are 4, layout is Inline, position is Front, transverse, boost is No. Problems, reliability scores, and prices are not in this dataset and are not a basis for the choice here.
Bottom line: one generation, one Sedan, one 1335 71 hp Gasoline engine, two gearboxes. Buy 1.3 MT for the documented 12.5 / 155 and 5-speed Manual. Buy 1.3 AT only for Automatic 3, knowing performance and mpg stay not measured.