The Fiat 124 Spider, just like the ND Miata, has a terrible options mix

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 11/18/2015 at 17:59 • Filed to: None

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All hail the mighty Fiata! The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , here to give us an ND Miata with a torquey little turbocharged engine and not too much extra weight. The only fly in the ointment is that Fiat, just like Mazda, has screwed up the options mix.

My !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is that Mazda views the sporty and luxury options as mutually exclusive. If you want an ND Miata with a limited-slip differential, sport suspension, and Brembo brakes, you can’t also have heated leather seats. If you want heated leather seats, well then, no LSD, Bilstein shocks or Brembo brakes for you! All the performance features are part of the Club trim, all the luxury features are part of the Grand Touring trim, and never the two shall mix.

Sure, the track rat types who want Bilsteins, Brembos and LSDs do not care about heated leather seats. BUT, I’m pretty sure there are enough people out there like me who want their little roadsters for screwing around out on back roads, and want the performance features in addition to the luxury features. If I could get an ND Miata Grand Touring that also had the performance options from the Club, I would probably be driving one right now. Mazda used to offer these options together, but has decided to stop with the ND.

I had hoped that Fiat would decide to offer the mythical unicorn options mix on the 124 Spider that Mazda refused to do. But so far, Fiat’s option mix for the 124 Spider doesn’t look any better for those of us who want a little roadster with both sport and luxury features.

The 124 Spider, according to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , comes in two trims: Classica and Lusso. The Classica is the base model, with cloth seats, manual transmission, 16” wheels, manual climate control, and no fog lights or other doodads. Interestingly, the specs include an electronic locking differential, but there’s no detailed information about this at all. The Lusso trim comes with heated leather seats, auto climate control, basically the same stuff as the Miata Grand Touring. But it has a standard automatic transmission and there’s no mention of the electronic locking differential.

Regardless of trim, Fiat says nothing about any kind of sport suspension, Brembo brakes, or what options will be able to be added to each trim. So there’s still hope that maaaaybe you can add a sport suspension and leather seats to the Classica. Who knows?

Or....we can always keep waiting for the inevitable Abarth version that hopefully will finally get it right. Come on Fiat, if you make a 124 Spider Abarth with more power than the regular 124 Spider, all the luxury options, a sport suspension, LSD, and big brakes, I will be beating down the doors to my local Fiat dealership imploring them to please take my money.

DOOOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTT!!!!!

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 18:07

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Textured Soy Protein > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 11/18/2015 at 18:10

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I will, by not buying a Miata or Fiata until I can get one configured how I like dag nabbit.

Blondude > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 18:19

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Oh yeah? Well your face has a terrible options mix!

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 18:35

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This means that you won’t be buying.

And unless you live in Canada, you don’t really need heated seats.

LongbowMkII > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 18:46

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Abarth? heated seats? I’d be much happier if Abarth shoves the 2.9 Alfa V6 in there but due to packaging constraints it requires a hood that blocks 30% of the windshield.

Milky > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 11/18/2015 at 19:01

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I live north of Canada, I need heated seats.

(Detroit)

Textured Soy Protein > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 11/18/2015 at 19:06

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I live in Wisconsin. Close enough.

There are few greater pleasures than throwing the top back on a 40 degree day with the heat on, windows up, and seat warmers activated. Preferably while wearing a silly hat.

Milky > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 19:11

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This is stupid. Not only the no LSD & heated seats, but boring as paint again! Blue is ONLY available on the prima and the only other flashy color is red.

Also I really don't care about fog lights, but I don't want base-ass looking headlights or an all black interior. The struggle is always real.

Textured Soy Protein > Milky 11/18/2015 at 19:20

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I’m pretty sure they’re the same Mazda paint codes. The color selector on Fiat’s site has Italian names for the colors and then in parenthesis they say the English name for the paint, that just happens to be the same name as a Mazda color. For example “Bianca Perlo” is Mazda Crystal White Pearl Mica, Azzurro Italia is Mazda Dynamic Blue Mica, etc. I’m sure the red is Mazda Soul Red, but the parenthesis on Fiat’s site just say “Red.”

Btw I saw your other post and agree that red and white are the best colors on the 124. I think because the headlight transition into the grille is kinda weird and undefined, especially on darker colors because part of the headlight housing is blacked out. On lighter colors where the body color provides more contrast with the headlight, and the headlight looks less weird.

ranwhenparked > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 19:28

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I hate when car companies do stuff like this. If you want leather seats in a Mustang, but don’t want to listen to MP3s of engine noise while you drive, it costs you an extra $3700 in the GT, and they aren’t available at all in a V6.

TheHondaBro > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 11/18/2015 at 19:41

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I use my heated seats all the time, and I don’t live in Canada. Heated seats can also be good for your back.

Tohru > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 20:30

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There’s a Fiat dealership in Madison?

Textured Soy Protein > Tohru 11/18/2015 at 20:31

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Yup, Don Miller built one next to their Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram store on the west side.

Textured Soy Protein > ranwhenparked 11/18/2015 at 20:34

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I totally agree with you on the Mustang .

Tohru > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 20:39

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Ah, I don’t get to the west side often.

ranwhenparked > Textured Soy Protein 11/18/2015 at 20:47

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I’m looking at trading mine in in the next 5 months or so, and just can’t see doing another Mustang. I just don’t like that the GT Premium is so far north of $30k and that there’s no premium package available on the V6.

I just told the salesman I bought the last one from the same thing today, and he went into a thing about how they have a vendor they can work with if I wanted to do a custom interior, but Fiat Chrysler will build a Challenger optioned the way I want from the factory and at a decent price.

Amoore100 > TheHondaBro 11/18/2015 at 21:26

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Thank Saab for that. Ironically, my Volvo doesn’t have them. Still, I really should just stop being a wimp because it never dips below 40F here and the heater starts only about 20 seconds after start up...

Milky > Textured Soy Protein 11/19/2015 at 09:13

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Ugh, that would make sense using Mazda paint, since they’ll be the one making it.

But back to your other point, if Fiat gave this the options/trims I (and others apparently) wanted it would have made choosing between the 2 cars a no brainer.

Brandon > Textured Soy Protein 04/14/2017 at 10:14

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It looks like all your dreams came true with the Abarth version. :) I bought one fully loaded. Luxury package, Brembo brakes, Recaro seats. I have also done a lot of other upgrades to it. I live in Wisconsin too, so let me know if you want to see my car!