If I say ‘affordable two seater sports car’ then the MX-5 will undoubtedly come to mind
– but why is that?
Well, because it’s the bestselling two seater sports car - of all time.
Let’s let that soak in for a second.
Now, regardless of that, Fiat fancies its chances of tackling this segment with this,
the new Fiat 124 Spider… sound familiar, well the 124 Spider name actually dates back
to 1966and Fiat has decided that now is time for a revival.
But it doesn’t just share a name with the Spider, it’s also littered with loads of
design traits evocative of the original with this wide, gaping grille, rounded headlight
design, slash line running the length of the body and, a featured added in 1968, these
two indents running the length of the bonnet.
But let’s go back to Mazda’s roadster for a second, because the 124 Spider and the
MX-5 have quite a bit in common.
As they share lot of components and are actually both built at Mazda's Hiroshima plant in Japan.
Although a 124 Spider is set-up to feel different with some unique additions of its own, which
we will come back to.
So, what about under the bonnet?
Well the 124 Spider uses a 138bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol whereas the equivalent
MX-5 competitor uses a 129bhp 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol.
The Fiat has 240Nm of torque and a top speed of 134mph, the Mazda has 150Nm of torque and
a top speed of 127mph.
Maybe these lists will be a bit clearer… it’s okay you can pause it… done?
Great, let’s go then.
So there's been a lot of tweaking with the 124 Spider to make it feel unique drive.
So what's familiar and what's different?
Well the big difference you will notice immediately is the turbo.
Now although it does have a turbo and doesn't necessarily need much revving out to get the
bulk of the power, it’s still happy to rev to its heart's content - yes, a lot like the
mx-5, but that trait is definitely a good one.
What this turbo offers is something the mx-5 doesn't Though, and that's a giant bubble
of thrust when you drop a gear or two.
And this 1.4 definitely has a bit of menace to it, I mean Fiat has already proven that
utilising it in its Giulietta, Mito and Abarth 500 models.
You do get a sense that the 124 Spider is set up a tad more for comfort though when
it comes to its gearbox and steering.
And you can totally see the appeal of that when on Italian roads like these.
It will be interesting to see how it tackles the winding, demanding roads of somewhere
like Wales back Home.
Fiat insists that the 124 Spider is built to feel different than the mx-5 and you can
definitely feel that difference with its bespoke springs, gear ratios and steering and we can't
wait to put it to the test on Uk roads.
But until we get it into the office for a full review, make sure you check out our other
videos and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.