RE: Fiat 124 Spider: Review

[stuckmojo]

Abarth version fettled to circa 200hp would be a peach.

Actively considering one.

Nice to see more new RWD cars coming on the market.

[dinkel]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/fiat/124-spide...

[leglessAlex]

I like the fact that there's another option if you want a small, cheap to buy and cheap to run sports car, but I purely from the pictures I'd have to take the Mazda. I haven't seen one in the flesh yet though, so it might be better than expected!

[underphil]

300bhp/ton said:

Ali_T said:

underphil said:

The engine as a whole is definitely not ultra modern, it's basically the old (2007?)1.4T-JET engine with a heavy iron block and no direct injection, with multiair added on (which is good once the initial issues were ironed out)

2007 is old now? Wow!

Those C7 Vettes must be completely outdated then. Their engines hale from 1997.... As do the V8'a in Jags and Land Rovers.

does the C7 vette still have an iron block then?

[LasseV]

Iron block in a sports car is only a good thing!! You can have a lot of power from this engine. And it is reliable.

[underphil]

LasseV said:

Iron block in a sports car is only a good thing!! You can have a lot of power from this engine. And it is reliable.

I guess Ferrari are missing a trick there

[daytona111r]

What a missed opportunity!!

They teally could have made a jewel, a thing of absolute beauty with gorgeous details (I'm thinking along the lines of the Fiat Coupe's dashboard strip), all backed with mx5 mechanicals . . . but they decided not to.

[LasseV]

underphil said:

I guess Ferrari are missing a trick there

Yeah, these two cars cost the same too...

When i heard that 1.4 MiTo suffers gearbox problems i did some research. I was little bit of surprised how much hp those guys take out from their engine, like 220+hp. Of course gearbox doesn't handle that much power.... Very strong small block.

[Frimley111R]

I am never convinced that rehashing another manufacturer's car and passing it off as your own is a good strategy. Its ok if its floor pan/chassis and engines (Panda/KA) but this type of 'double use' seems a bit too close when so much is identical visually (interior particularly).

[996TT02]

amgmcqueen said:

Looks terrible and it's a Fiat.

Not got a lot going for it really!

Interesting, your first negative is the entirely subjective matter of looks, but your second - the very opposite of reality.

Must be quite a lot going for it then if that's all that's wrong with it.

Don't like the new MX-5 front end, too slitty-eyed, too could-be-any-Japanese, but while previous images of the Spyder have not excited, for some reason, perhaps subtle styling changes, revised ride height - ? - this looks infinitely better than the Mazda version.

[elvismiggell]

996TT02 said:

too could-be-any-Japanese

Sorry for the snip, but this one caught my attention. I'm no expert on Jap cars at all, so I'm wondering what other Japanese cars it's reminding you of?

[USA64]

I would guess that Fiat had the USA in mind. We don't have B-roads and don't like peaky engines. Most people like automatics but that doesn't mean they don't want a small, responsive, pleasant to drive car. Sport means done for the sake of the doing, not competition. I think the Miata looks sat-upon. I prefer the Fiat.

[toppstuff]

I would choose this over the Mazda.

The multi air engine is a good enough reason alone. Its a peach and sounds good.

[smilo996]

Of course it is not a Cayman which is good but it looks damn good. The Rally 300 mock up they did looked pretty good too.

Looks much better than the MX5. Just hope it sells well.

[steviegunn]

elvismiggell said:

Sorry for the snip, but this one caught my attention. I'm no expert on Jap cars at all, so I'm wondering what other Japanese cars it's reminding you of?

240Z





FWIW I like the new 124 Spider and will consider one if they do a Targa / Hard Top ala MX-5 RF.

[elvismiggell]

steviegunn said:

elvismiggell said:

Sorry for the snip, but this one caught my attention. I'm no expert on Jap cars at all, so I'm wondering what other Japanese cars it's reminding you of?

240Z



FWIW I like the new 124 Spider and will consider one if they do a Targa / Hard Top ala MX-5 RF.

I thought he was talking about the MX5, and that's why he preferred the look of the 124?

[JONSCZ]

Just put this on the other 124 thread, but...
http://sniffpetrol.com/2016/06/09/fiat-explains-12...

[dinkel]

‘We think people will be surprised by how much this car does not feel like an MX5,’ Prodgectbosce concluded. ‘They will come to see that this car is a true Fiat in the way it does corners, the way it does performance, and the way it does not start.’

[dmitry]

Some interesting details revealed in the Grassroots Motorsports magazine article. The car is built at the Mazda factory in Japan, which hopefully addresses the classic Fiat values wittily outlined by SniffPetrol. Fiat is using modified Mk3 MX5 gearbox instead of the Mk4 MX5 one.

Full review here: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/first-d...

[silent ninja]

I think this looks better than the MX5 convertible. The retro look works. Keen to see it in person.

The new Mazda RF hard top looks slightly better and sportier, but I haven't seen any reviews how well that drives with the extra weight.