I reviewed a 124 Abarth

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
10/25/2018 at 10:29 • Filed to: None

I’m tired of the Miata. I never need to see another one in my life. They’re fun to drive, reliable as a Camry, cheap to buy, and that makes them the sensible, logical choice for a small sports car and I’m sick of them. The 124 Abarth allows me to enjoy all the MX-5's best qualities and do it in a much more interesting package.

I’ve always loved the 124 in its modern iteration but when I drove it compared to the MX-5 in December, 2016 I found it too soft and not special enough. The Abarth version, while pricey, fixes both those complaints. The stiffer suspension and sporty look increase the sense of drama and make it what the 124 should have been all along.

Gripes? I’ve got a few. The standard seats are too narrow at the shoulders for even the slimmest of drivers and they become very uncomfortable after a few hours. Luckily, the optional Recaros (not shown) are supremely comfortable and fix my only ergonomic complaint with the car.

My other gripe is the 1-2 shift. A shift you have to make very often in a car like this. 1st is a very low 4.4:1 ratio and 2nd is a drastically higher 2.3:1 ratio. This means even if you ride out 1st gear to 3,000 rpm, you shift into second well out of boost at a lugging 1,700 rpm. It’s very annoying and normal traffic will walk past you unless you rev 1st to 4,000 rpm so you can meet second at 2,000 rpm. A closer space between the two gears would be much better.

Otherwise, there’s very little else to complain about. It does what it says on the tin. It’s a light, small, direct, driver’s sports car. Now it just needs the exhaust from the Fiat 500 Abarth. I also wrote a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of this car on Driving.ca if you want more in depth info.

DISCUSSION (12)

vondon302 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/25/2018 at 10:49

I’ve been eyeing these. There’s a bunch of 2018 Abarths by me but no deals yet.

nermal > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/25/2018 at 10:56

How tall and wide are you? It seems as though these are best enjoyed by somebody that’s about 5'8" and 140 lbs.

I’d have to go on hunger strike for 3 months in addition to surgical limb shortening to even consider one. Shame.

WiscoProud > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/25/2018 at 10:57

I’ve always like the looks of these. Kinda wish they’d make a RF version. I’m a sucker for targas.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > nermal
10/25/2018 at 11:01

The height isn’t a issue, the width could be. These are skinny-folk cars.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > WiscoProud
10/25/2018 at 11:03

An RF version of the 124 would make me an instant convert. I think the 124 looks better than the Miata.

Milky > nermal
10/25/2018 at 11:13

I’m 6 foot and don’ t have a problem.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/25/2018 at 13:33

Very nice review. I still want the Miata. =)

MM54 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/26/2018 at 11:48

I (still) really want one of these.

Also you should drive my rx7. D on’t bother coming out of 1st (or 2nd) before 4k or higher (but you get there pretty quick).

MM54 > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
10/26/2018 at 11:49

100% agree

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > MM54
10/26/2018 at 12:12

Sounds like fun! Where are you based?

MM54 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/26/2018 at 12:46

It is a lot of fun. I’m in NE Ohio; the car is going into storage for the winter in like a week (car came from GA, it’s never seen snow) but come spring if you find yourself down this way, you’re welcome to take it for a spin!

By spring my Chevelle should be back on the road, too. Maybe. I hope.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > MM54
10/26/2018 at 13:20

That would be fun! I’ll let you know if I’m in the area.