Hello everyone and welcome! In this video
we are checking out the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth and we've got the manual transmission
so I have previously tested the 124
I did quite enjoy it, but it wasn't the Abarth, and it also had the automatic transmission.
So what are the changes for this particular model?
Well, there are some engine tuning differences and one of the cool things that they do is with the sport button you get peak torque
earlier on so now if you put it in sport mode with this little button behind the shifter you get your
184 lb-ft of torque at 2500 RPM rather than at 3200 RPM.
We also do have slightly more power 164 hp, rather than 160 for the base model.
And I quite enjoyed the 124 with the automatic
but you know it's not quite the same when you don't get to shift the gears yourself and the automatic gearbox
for the 124, you know, it didn't have paddle shifters. It does for the Abarth version. If you do get the automatic and
it does quite change the driving experience.
Now this is a pretty lightweight car. You know based on the MX-5 a little bit heavier than it
you know a hundred or so extra pounds, but what the difference is this is turbocharged
so, you've got 22 PSI! Which is crazy out of the 1.4L
versus, you know, the MX-5 of course has the 2.0L naturally aspirated with a higher compression ratio does decent torque
but you don't get the low-end torque that you get in this car
which
is a joy and on these nice curvy roads
it is absolutely a blast
so let's work through the different systems a little bit of a rainy day here
so not you know perfectly ideal for testing. You do get a lot of feedback
you know from the tires. You actually feel what's going on on the road.
I just got out of the Jaguar F-Pace, so it's a very stark contrast
of what I was just driving. You know of course it's an SUV, so it's big and floaty
but there was no feedback at all
and it's nice to be able to actually feel what's going on with the road in this know what's going on with the tires
you've got a nice direct steering system
with you know, it's not a real heavy weight to it
but it does have a good on center feel and it is very precise as far as turning in. I'm getting response out of it.
There you can definitely hear the turbo spooling up when you have it in high RPM in second.
There definitely is some turbo lag to it. You know they say peak torque is at 2500 RPM with the sport button engaged
In the Abarth and you know when you put your foot down, you do wait a little bit you feel that boost build up
It's got a good amount of torque to it though. You know and these cars typically don't. They're not really cars
that kinda plant you in your seat when you put your foot down
but this one actually has some pretty good run to it
and you know nice aggressive gearing so that you're getting into that peak torque and staying there
you really get planted in your seat. I mean, i'm at about 5,000 RPM at 40 mph
so pretty aggressive as far as the gearing is concerned. Which you know I like
I think that's the ideal way to do it especially for lightweight cars like this
that don't have huge engines and don't create a ton of torque you want to use that gearing to help give you
nice plant yourself feeling there is some progression to the throttle pedal
I mean there is turbo boost, but you know you also do have control with it
you know there's a large amount of travel to that throttle pedal and depending on where you are
there is a significant difference in how that feels
so you do have good control which you know not all modern
electronic throttle bodies give you so it does feel pretty good as far as the braking
we've definitely heard squeaking that might because it's a little wet or perhaps there's a rock or something in there.
You know it's interesting, it seems like there's kind of two phases to it.
There's an initial push where you get a light amount of braking and then you kind of dive into this second area
where it gets much more aggressive and then as you can hear the wheels locking up there.
You know one of the things I faulted the S2000, I was doing in comparison with that versus
this was the brakes and the braking feel and I think a lot of that had to do with the tires.
I wouldn't necessarily say from a braking standpoint
this feels superior to the MX-5
but you've got plenty of control there, and it doesn't feel bad.
Now as far as the shifting actually pretty smooth shifts
and it's direct. You know, it's got a nice kind of clicks into place as you place that gear.
I actually quite like it. This is based
I believe on the NC Miata's the old, previous manual transmission for it
versus the ND, the newest Miata has a different transmission. I don't have any problem with this
I mean, I think the biggest thing is if they kept the gearing aggressive, and I do like that.
I mean the great thing about these vehicles that you really don't get to experience in anything else period is just how lightweight
they are and as a result. There's this
responsiveness that you otherwise never feel and so you know they're they're truly a joy to drive
and it's something that you know basically no matter how much you spend,
you don't get to experience
because more expensive cars tend to have larger engines and they tend to weigh more and so with this you know you get this package
where the turbocharger you've got good low-end torque now you plant yourself back in the seat and all the while
you've got this super nimble super playful ride
that just truly enjoy to drive, so I do have a hard time
picking between this and the MX-5. There is something that's very fun of course about having a turbocharger and
getting significantly more torque to the wheels than you do in the MX-5
you do have a little bit more heft and you know you do feel that you do feel that weight difference
but it's a it's a fun vehicle.
So thank you guys for watching, and if you have any questions or comments of course feel free to leave those below.