Abarth 124 Spider 2016 review

Tim Robson road-tests and reviews the 2016 Abarth 124 Spider, and reports performance, fuel consumption and launch verdict in Australia.

So let's imagine it now - the Abarth 124 Spider is based on the Mazda MX-5. They are actually built in the same factory in Hiroshima, Japan.

And this is very good.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles correctly assumed that the cost of developing its own affordable convertible sports car would be huge, while Mazda was well aware that while sports cars add a nice halo to the brand, sales of the new version tend to fall off the cliff after steam. years.

So the two companies got together and made a deal; Mazda will supply the base body, chassis and interior, while FCA will add its own powertrain, front and rear bumpers and some new interior trim.

Thus, 124 Spider was reborn.

But while the two machines are physically and ideologically largely the same, there are actually enough differences between the two that allow the 124 to stand up for its merits.

One suspension work is enough to give the 124 a unique personality over the MX-5 right from the doorstep.

Design

Abarth is based on the fourth generation Mazda MX-5, which was released to great fanfare in 2015. Built at Mazda's main Hiroshima plant, the Abarth has a different nose clip, hood and rear end, resulting in it being 140mm longer. .

FCA says the car pays homage to the original 124s 1970 Spider and can even be chosen with a black hood and trunk lid to make it look like a 124 1979 Sport. Our advice? Don't worry about paying homage; it does him no favors.

The 124 still has the same cab-back silhouette as the MX-5, but the larger, steeper front end, protruding hood and large taillights give the car a more mature, almost masculine look. It is trimmed with charcoal gray 17-inch wheels that match the color of the trims and mirror caps.

practicality

The Abarth is strictly a two-seater car, and these two should at least have dinner first. The 124 is petite in every direction, giving the rider an advantage when it comes to legroom and width.

Most of all, there is not enough legroom for the passenger, especially if he is taller than 180 cm.

The Abarth's interior borrows heavily from the MX-5, with some trim elements replaced with softer elements, and the speedometer dial - somewhat inexplicably - replaced with an element that was apparently calibrated in miles per hour and then converted back to kilometers. per hour and as a result has no practical meaning.

The 124 inherited the MX-5 plastic modular movable cupholders, which is not a good thing. they may allow two bottles to fit in the cockpit, but they are too small and not secure enough to prevent regular-sized water bottles from rattling around or being easily knocked out by an elbow.

Careful packing is also the order of the day, with very few places to hide anything, and a lockable glove box moves between seats. Trunk capacity is just 140 liters - compared to the MX-5's 130-liter VDA - which is also a little annoying.

The roof structure of the 124 was carried over from the MX-5 and is a pleasure to use. The single latch lever allows the roof to be easily lowered and retracted with a single click to hold it in place, while installation is just as easy.

Price and features

The 124 will initially be sold under the Fiat Abarth Performance brand, with one model priced between $41,990 pre-travel with a manual transmission and $43,990 with an automatic transmission.

By comparison, the current top-of-the-line MX-5 2.0 GT costs $39,550 with a manual transmission, while the automatic transmission version costs $41,550.

That said, the Abarth trim package for the money is pretty impressive. The 124 is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine, tricky Bilstein dampers, four-piston Brembo brakes and a self-locking differential.

Inside, it has leather and microfiber seats that feature headrest speakers via a Bose stereo, rearview camera, Bluetooth, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, sport mode switch, and more.

The center leather seats are $490, while the leather and Alcantara Recaro seats are $1990 a pair.

The Visibility Pack allows the 124 owner to add more safety features such as cross-traffic detection and blind-spot monitoring, as well as LED headlights (LED taillights are standard).

Engine and transmissions

FCA equipped the 1.4 model with a turbocharged 124-liter four-cylinder MultiAir engine, as well as its own version of the Aisin six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

The 1.4-litre engine delivers 125kW at 5500rpm and 250Nm at 2500rpm and can be found under the bonnet of the Fiat 500-based Abarth 595.

The car's gearbox options are similar to those found in the MX-5, but have been beefed up to handle the extra power and torque (7kW and 50Nm to be exact, compared to the 2.0-litre MX-5), while how the car was tuned to work with the new limited slip differential.

The FCA claims the 124 sprints from 100 to 6.8 km/h in XNUMX seconds.

Fuel consumption

The 124 returns a claimed 6.5L/100km on the combined fuel cycle. Over 150 km of testing, we saw a return of 7.1 l / 100 km indicated on the dashboard.

Driving

The suspension work alone - heavier dampers, stiffer springs and redesigned anti-roll bars - is enough to give the 124 a unique personality over the MX-5 right out the door.

Additional toys such as a limited-slip differential and one-piece Brembo calipers (available on the Japanese market MX-5 called Sport) also give the 124 a performance advantage.

The engine doesn't sound or feel particularly fast, but the package feels about ten percent more powerful than a similarly equipped MX-5.

The 124 is about 70kg heavier than its donor, which explains some of the lack of drive.

On a long cross-country trip, the 124 is a willing companion that has a deeper and more fulfilling connection to the road than its snappier twin brother, with more powerful steering and stiffer suspension than its predecessor.

The simple, no-fuss mechanical rear diff is also a welcome addition, and gives the 124 a turn-in and out-of-turn crispness that suits the car.

safety

The 124 comes standard with dual airbags and a reading camera, as well as a Visibility Kit that adds LED headlights, rear cross-traffic alert, rear sensors and blind-spot alert.

Automated emergency braking is not offered, the sources say, because the front of the car is too small and low for existing systems to work effectively.

Property

Abarth offers a three-year 150,000 km warranty on 124 km.

A 124-year prepaid service plan can be purchased for the 1,300 Spider at the point of sale for $XNUMX.

The Abarth 124 Spider may well be related to the MX-5, but these machines have their own distinctive and strong points.

There is a feeling that Abarth hides its light under a bushel - the exhaust, for example, could be louder, and a little more power would not hurt him.

However, its suspension setup screams “performance first” and gives the 124 a firmer, more aggressive edge, and Abarth tells us that an optional exhaust kit called the Monza will make the 124 sound louder and huskier.

Is the Abarth right for you or will you go with the MX-5? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Click here for more pricing and specs for the 2016 Abarth 124 Spider.