2017 Fiat 124 Spider
04-29-16, 12:45 PM
#1
2017 Fiat 124 Spider
2017 Fiat 124 Spider priced below most Miatas
Gallery: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2017-fiat-124-spider/
Gallery: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2017-fiat-124-spider/
The Fiat 124 Spider and Mazda MX-5 Miata might be siblings, but all that means is the rivalry between the two cars will be unusually intense. Pricing for the reborn 124 has been released and is added proof of that fact – aside from the very base trim, the turbocharged Italian is cheaper than its Zoom-Zoomy brother.
Fiat's base model, the 124 Spider Classica, starts at $25,990. The MX-5 Sport isn't much cheaper, at $25,735. Both cars get 16-inch alloy wheels, black cloth seats, LED taillights, but the Mazda will throw in LED headlights. It's also interesting to note that the two cars have differing destination charges – $995 for the Fiat and $820 for the Mazda.
Move up to the mid-range Fiat, and you'll start to see the "Italian" car eke out a pricing advantage. The Lusso, Italian for luxury, rings up at $28,490 compared to the MX-5 Grand Touring's $30,885. Yes, we're comparing the middle-tier 124 to the range-topping Mazda, because the mid-range, enthusiast-oriented Club is more analogous to the 124's Abarth model. The Lusso matches the MX-5 GT with 17-inch alloys, heated leather seats, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with navigation, and dual-zone automatic climate control. The Mazda does come with a bevy of safety features as standard – blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, and automatic high-beam control – which look to be optional on the Fiat, so take that into consideration if you're thinking about buying one of the two.
We enthusiasts are most interested in the matchup between the 124 Spider Abarth and the MX-5 Club. The scorpion-badged 124 starts at $29,190 and the Club at $29,420. You'll get more power – 10 additional ponies according to FCA – as well as all the performance goodies from the Club. There are Bilstein-tuned shocks, a mechanical limited-slip diff, and a front strut bar, plus a very imposing exhaust note. Recaro seats will be an optional extra, as will Brembo brakes (the MX-5 bundles them with BBS wheels).
Finally, there's the 124 Spider Prima Edizione Lusso. The limited-edition wears Azzurro Italia (translation: pretty blue) paint and rings in at $35,995, which gets you a bunch of swag on top of the normal Lusso stuff. Oh, and if you choose the automatic transmission, you'll be punished with a $1,350 charge, regardless of which Fiata you go for. That's less than the premium Mazda charges for an automatic on an MX-5 Club or GT, but more than the $1,480 extra it charges for a two-pedal Sport.
So, with pricing now in mind, what do you go for – 124 or MX-5?
Fiat's base model, the 124 Spider Classica, starts at $25,990. The MX-5 Sport isn't much cheaper, at $25,735. Both cars get 16-inch alloy wheels, black cloth seats, LED taillights, but the Mazda will throw in LED headlights. It's also interesting to note that the two cars have differing destination charges – $995 for the Fiat and $820 for the Mazda.
Move up to the mid-range Fiat, and you'll start to see the "Italian" car eke out a pricing advantage. The Lusso, Italian for luxury, rings up at $28,490 compared to the MX-5 Grand Touring's $30,885. Yes, we're comparing the middle-tier 124 to the range-topping Mazda, because the mid-range, enthusiast-oriented Club is more analogous to the 124's Abarth model. The Lusso matches the MX-5 GT with 17-inch alloys, heated leather seats, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with navigation, and dual-zone automatic climate control. The Mazda does come with a bevy of safety features as standard – blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, and automatic high-beam control – which look to be optional on the Fiat, so take that into consideration if you're thinking about buying one of the two.
We enthusiasts are most interested in the matchup between the 124 Spider Abarth and the MX-5 Club. The scorpion-badged 124 starts at $29,190 and the Club at $29,420. You'll get more power – 10 additional ponies according to FCA – as well as all the performance goodies from the Club. There are Bilstein-tuned shocks, a mechanical limited-slip diff, and a front strut bar, plus a very imposing exhaust note. Recaro seats will be an optional extra, as will Brembo brakes (the MX-5 bundles them with BBS wheels).
Finally, there's the 124 Spider Prima Edizione Lusso. The limited-edition wears Azzurro Italia (translation: pretty blue) paint and rings in at $35,995, which gets you a bunch of swag on top of the normal Lusso stuff. Oh, and if you choose the automatic transmission, you'll be punished with a $1,350 charge, regardless of which Fiata you go for. That's less than the premium Mazda charges for an automatic on an MX-5 Club or GT, but more than the $1,480 extra it charges for a two-pedal Sport.
So, with pricing now in mind, what do you go for – 124 or MX-5?
04-30-16, 06:37 PM
#7
Sorry for the rant, but I just had to vent about the press photos having an automatic featured.
Anyways, here's an interesting article about how this is pretty much a Mazda Miata with a different body and engine, chassis and interior are the same. Thankfully the car is made in the Hiroshima Mazda factory, on the same line as the Miata, so I'm thinking it might actually be well built.
http://jalopnik.com/the-2017-fiat-12...s-f-1743326517
Personally I love the "MOPAR" stamp on the hood liner/heat shield.
As to which I'd buy, personally its kind of a draw for me at this point. I've always loved the Miata, and I think the new one is a slightly better looking car than the Fiat(the Fiat is a great looker as well though). I do like the turbocharged engine under the hood of the Fiat, and as you all know 50-75 more horsepower is about $1000 worth of exhaust, intake, and computer tuning away. And since its the same engine as the Fiat 500 Abarth, I assume its going to have the same exhaust note, which is probably one of my favorite sounding 4 cylinders. Its loud, a bit obnoxious and awesome!!
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05-01-16, 04:42 PM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
You don't buy this car with an automatic transmission unless you have a war injury that doesn't let you push in a clutch lol. I've seen one legged men drive a manual, so no excuses to buy the automatic. Oh and don't ***** about commuting, bumper to bumper traffic, etc, go buy something else if that's what you're going to use this car for.
Sorry for the rant, but I just had to vent about the press photos having an automatic featured.
Sorry for the rant, but I just had to vent about the press photos having an automatic featured.
But others in his /her position may not be so fortunate....or be able to duplicate that person's actions in compensating for the loss. And, before you dismiss bumper-to-bumper commuting as a non-factor, you can't imagine how dense rush-hour traffic in the D.C./Baltimore or SoCal/Los Angeles regions can be unless you've seen it for yourself....and some other cities also rank very bad on that scale. Last, though I do NOT mean to for this to sound sexist (only stating a fact)...small convertibles like this are often popular with females, many of whom either don't know how to drive a traditional manual, or, for whatever reason, don't want to learn. So.....like it or not, automatic Spyders and Miatas are sold for a reason. 
Personally I love the "MOPAR" stamp on the hood liner/heat shield.
(back in the 1960s, particularly early in the decade, Chrysler products were extremely well-built and durable as tanks. But, as quality-control deteriorated later on, and their vehicles ended more repairs, the joke was that Mopar was short for "Mo-Parts".
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