Fiat 124 Spider Abarth Review: How Much Fun is the Fiata?
Fiat 124 Spider Abarth is really a question about decibels and dollar bills.
The Fiat 124 Spider Abarth is an inexpensive, compact, rear-wheel drive, drop top sports car that features a four-cylinder engine. Did I mention that it’s also quite light weight? If the formula sounds familiar, it should. That’s because the 124 Spider shares it’s underpinnings with the current Mazda Miata, a fabulous sports car in it’s own right. Both cars start at around the $25,000 mark, but the going gets really good when the asking price gets closer to thirty grand. This Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, the sportiest Fiat 124 variant, starts at $29,540, including the rather expensive $1,245 destination charge. So similar are these two cars that people have taken to calling them the Miata and the Fiata. So, how do you distinguish between a Miata and a Fiata?
Aesthetically, the Fiat is separated from the Mazda by bespoke bumpers, wheels, trim, a different hood, and different front fenders. The crash structure-related bits; including the doors, windshield frame, and quarter panels, are the same. Though, the Fiata’s visual tweaks make it look notably longer than the Miata. Piggybacking off that, the interiors are, effectively the same, as well. Fiat may as well cross out the Mazda badge on the steering wheel with a sharpie. That said, the extra size, along with some mechanical differences, means that the Fiat is packing an extra 100 pounds over the feather light Mazda.
The real distinction is under the hood. Where the Mazda makes use of a naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter engine, the 124 Spider Abarth utilizes a variant of Fiat’s 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged engine. That turbocharged mill gives the Abarth-tuned Fiata a 9 horsepower and 36 lb-ft of torque advantage over the Mazda, making for a total 164 horsepower, and 184 lb-ft of torque, respectively. Both cars can by paired with a 6-speed manual, or a 6-speed automatic transmission.
On paper they are pretty close. So, how does the Fiata distinguish itself in the real world?
The Biggest Difference is the Obvious One
At low speeds, other than a slight grumble from the tail pipes, the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth feels just like a Miata. Shocking, I know. However, once you pick up the pace, the differences start to poke out.
The Fiat’s engine makes the biggest distinction between the two cars. The 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine is very familiar. It is the same basic engine as used in the lovable Fiat 500 Abarth.
In the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, the engine delivers all of it’s power in one big wallop, much like the 500 Abarth. Peak torque hits hard at 3,200 RPM, and peak power arrives at 5,500 RPM. There is nothing happening on either end of the spectrum beyond that range. If the engine is below 3,000 revs, acceleration of any sort is simply not happening. Likewise, swing the tachometer north of 6,000 RPM, and the engine wheezes and begs for mercy.
During my time with the 500 Abarth, I ultimately found the engine to be endearing. It’s the last of the 1980s style turbo engines, with enormous lag and then a tsunami of power that the driver has to chase after. Drivers should revel in operating the fantastic 6-speed manual transmission while chasing that short-lived surge of power. Unfortunately, it’s not as charming in the 124 Spider for one very disheartening reason: The sound.
While the Fiat 500 Abarth grumbles and growls, and the exhaust pops and bangs, the 124 Spider Abarth just grumbles. Where is the fruity Italian soundtrack? The lack of decibels coming from this Fiat’s tailpipes is deeply disappointing. Fiat needs to either offer a sport exhaust option, or just chop the muffler off at the factory.
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