With the 124 Spider, Fiat grabs bits of its sports-car heritage from the 1960s and applies them lightly to a Mazda MX-5 Miata chassis. Drop in a turbo-4, tune the handling just so and–ecco!–the Spider’s reborn.
Built in Japan, massaged via remote from Italy, the 2019 Fiat 124 Spider does what the Miata does, with slight differences in the engine and styling department.
Sold in Classica, Lusso, and Abarth trims, the 2019 124 Spider earns a 5.2 on our scale. It handles with aplomb and looks like the bomb, but it’s cramped, it’s not quiet, it’s untested in crash safety, and its infotainment system belongs in a recycling bin, not a car we lovingly refer to as the “Fiata.” (Read more about how we rate cars.)
Review continues below
With almost no change for the new model year, the Fiat 124 still sends a thrill up the enthusiast pant leg. It telegraphs its intent from the nose on back. The honeycomb grille and pert rear end remind onlookers of classic Fiats and of the new Miata, which means the stylists did their job well. The cabin’s cozy but generally better appointed than the Miata, save for the infotainment interface and its eminently chuckable roller knob.
Fiat diverges from the Miata game plan under the hood. It sends home the Mazda 2.0-liter inline-4 and fits its own 1.4-liter turbo-4, good for 164 horsepower in Abarth versions, slightly less in Lussos and Classicas. The Mazda’s quicker (especially now, after an engine-room rework), but though the Fiat turbo-4 has some noticeable turbo lag it still punches the 124 through the air with glee, particularly at highway speeds. Take the 6-speed manual, but if you get the 6-speed automatic the Abarth model adds shift paddles—just saying. In any trim, the 124 Spider has the poise and driving verve the current Miata pulls off so well, with a comfortable ride that denies its stubby 90.9-inch wheelbase any chance for mischief. It’s light, at just 2,436 pounds, and it’s exceptionally light on its feet.
With no crash-test data, the 124 Spider is a safety unknown. It’s equipped with a decent features list, but automatic emergency braking’s nowhere to be found. We’d opt for the Lusso and its reasonable set of gear, which includes leather and a bigger infotainment screen, but enthusiasts will demand the Abarth’s tighter tuning and more raucous exhaust.
The 2019 Fiat 124 Classica costs around $26,000, while Abarths sticker at more than $30,000.
0 Kommentarer