2017 Fiat 124 Spider: First Look
Competes with: Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mini Cooper Convertible, Audi TT Convertible
Looks like: A Miata with an awkward body kit
Drivetrains: 160-horsepower, turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine; six-speed manual or automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive
Hits dealers: Summer 2016
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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has teamed up with Japanese automaker Mazda to add a little spice to the Fiat brand’s lineup around the world, collaborating on a new two-seat roadster based on the MX-5 Miata. The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider wears completely new sheet metal and uses a Fiat-specific powertrain as well as a name taken from a series of Pininfarina-designed sports cars from the 1960s. But can a re-bodied Miata with a heart transplant really draw in more sports car customers to Fiat dealers in the U.S.?
Exterior
The 124 Spider’s proportions are familiar, as they’re almost identical to the Miata, yet the car is visually different, with not a single shared panel of sheet metal. The front and rear ends are higher than the Miata’s, with much larger headlights and squared-off taillights meant to recall the styling of the original 124 Spider. A hexagonal grille up front is also meant to recall the heritage vehicle, as are the dual “power dome” bulges in the hood.
Interior
Inside, the 124 Spider suffers from the burden of platform sharing with a cabin almost identical to the Miata’s. Shapes and vents are the same, but Fiat has tried to spice things up by using more leatherette panels on the dash top and slightly different door panels.
The multimedia system is Fiat Connect 7.0, but the controller and screen both look Mazda-sourced. The seat materials are unique to the 124 Spider, with an Italian pattern reminiscent of classic Ferrari seats, but the seats themselves look like Miata, right down to the in-headrest speakers.
Under the Hood
That bulbous hood covers a unique powertrain that you won’t find in a Miata – but that you will find in the outrageously loud and fun Fiat 500 Abarth. It’s a turbocharged MultiAir 1.4-liter four-cylinder pumping out a healthy 160 horsepower and 184 pounds-feet of torque. It’s mated to either a six-speed manual transmission in the lower Classica trim or a six-speed automatic in the more luxurious Lusso model. Like the Miata and countless sporty roadsters before it, power is sent to the rear wheels, not to the front.
The suspension tuning is slightly different than the Mazda, say Fiat engineers, and the transmission’s final drive ratio also differs to better cover the different output and characteristics of the turbocharged engine. A unique dual exhaust is standard, and combined with the snorty 1.4-liter engine, should provide some pure Italian aural sparkle that the Miata lacks.
Fiat’s goal was to create a roadster more luxurious and with a different feel than the Miata, and we’ll be able to see for ourselves if this has been accomplished when the new 124 Spider goes on sale in the summer of 2016.
