One Week Drive: Fiat 124 Abarth

"Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom" (will-alib)
08/03/2017 at 00:49 • Filed to: 124 Abarth, Fiat 124, willalibrandi

Fiat is back in the convertible game, and its 124 Spider Abarth seems like just the thing for folks wanting a heavy dose of nostalgia to go with their top-down motoring. This car, like any 2-seat roadster, stands out like a sore thumb in traffic even if it is dwarfed by the SUVs it shares the road with. It’s just a shape we’re not used to seeing often, aside from the Mazda Miata it shares so much DNA with. (roughly 75%)

The return of the 124 was based on a simple premise - take a platform like Mazda’s MX-5 ND and swap in a Fiat engine and bolt on retro-inspired bodywork. Show and go. Here, the go is provided by Fiat’s 1.4 liter Multiair good for 164hp and 184lb-ft. At just over 2,400lb curb weight it doesn’t take much to motivate the 124 but to get the car to move with any kind of gusto means getting deep into the rev range and keeping the turbo spooled. The low curb weight translates to an EPA rating of 26 city and 35 highway with 30mpg combined.

The 124's interior is cozy but comfortable and well arranged. The two-tone seating surfaces are a cool touch and the seats themselves are perfectly adequate for driving con brio . (Pro Tip: Go with the leather seats; the cloth seats are reportedly thinly disguised torture devices) One squawk though; even with the seat all the way back and the tilt wheel full up there’s going to be shin contact with the rim for drivers 6' and over. Sorry folks with 31"+ inseam. The manual top is easily raised and lowered with one hand, but climbing out of the vehicle with the top raised will amuse spectators to no end. There’s just no graceful way to do it.

The 124 Abarth is a nice melding of new and old; heated seats, automatic climate control, adaptive LED headlights, and GPS navigation system rolled into a classic sports car-styled wrapper. Comparisons to the Mazda are unavoidable - the Fiat is arguably the better cruising car with its torque arriving further down the rev range than the peakier normally aspirated Miata. The Abarth’s ride is firm with little body roll in normal maneuvers, but broken pavement transmits shock waves directly to your spine. Nobody expects a 2,500lb sports car to ride like a Bentley Mulsanne over bumps, so the 124 should be cut a fair amount of slack. Starting with a platform as good as the Mazda’s was a win-win for Fiat.

The Big Picture: Look, we’re never really satisfied with OEM power so suggesting a bump for better acceleration out of corners is hardly heresy. The seat-of-the-pants dyno suggests 200hp with 200lb-ft would be perfection in this car. (helloooo aftermarket!) With a base price of $28,195 ($33,185 as tested) the 124 Abarth is a solid and fun cruiser with the same compromises typical of any sports car. It’s easy to live with (egress issues for taller folks notwithstanding) and the added soundproofing keeps the road noise at speed bearable. The best way to describe the 124 is it’s just a fun car that you look forward to driving for any reason.

DISCUSSION (7)

61hp > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
08/03/2017 at 01:50

We were able to test drive a loaded Lusso this weekend

61hp > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
08/03/2017 at 02:13

Kinja!!!! Full comment below.

Thank you for the review. We were able to test drive a loaded Lusso this weekend and we’re quite impressed. Bonus, if you go with one other person a sales person can’t come with you!

We were both impressed with the composure over semi-rough roads/construction sites and the overall feel of the car. I thought the turbo lag was a bit much compared to my FiST, but not as laggy as my dad’s Sky Redline. Handling was what one would expect, nicely balanced and willing to play a bit, while being docile when cruising. After spending a few hundred miles in the Sky last summer, my GF was very impressed with the ease of roof operation and the lack of cowl shake.

The car we drove was an automatic, which we wanted to test as my GF is still not comfortable with a manual, and one of the reasons why we are looking at a 124. I would prefer a Miata, but I don’t want to own an auto Miata (strange to some/makes sense to others), plus I figure it would be easier to get to mentioned 200hp/tq. It shifted quite smoothly and responded to our different driving style in drive and the manual push-pull shift selection reacted quickly. If the car makes our next round of options I would like to test an Abarth as unlike Miata autos, Abarth is the only trim to get paddles.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
08/03/2017 at 06:20

how well does it hoon?

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > pip bip - choose Corrour
08/03/2017 at 07:49

You have to work pretty hard - TC off and wind the snot out of the engine but it can be done.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > 61hp
08/03/2017 at 07:51

There’s a factory tune good for 190hp, and several aftermarket tunes up to 230hp I read about. I’m not sure what the Miata’s tuning potential is seeing as it’s n/a.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
08/03/2017 at 08:33

I don’t know how the 124 compares to the 500 Abarth in terms of packaging (though instinct says it would be better), but the 500 Abarth has tunes that, with intake/intercooler upgrades get you to 225-250hp, and with turbo and exhaust past 300. Goes from fun to WHEEE to pants-shittingly terrifying. The 124 would likely be more composed, but 300+ hp in a sub-2500lb car is...a handful. Just less of a handful than in a sub-2500lb FWD car.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Aaron M - MasoFiST
08/03/2017 at 09:15

Okey doke! 225hp 200lb-ft it is.