2018 Abarth 124 Spider Review
Abarth is a name you may not have heard of. It belongs to Karl Abarth, an Austrian engineer who, in 1955, built his fi rst car, the 750GT, and during the 1960s had much success with his Fiat 500-based 595 rally cars. In 1971 his company was bought by Fiat, which still owns it today. Karl Abarth died in 1979.
The Abarth 124, which in its styling pays homage to legendary designer Pininfarina’s 1966 Fiat 124 roadster, is the product of a model-sharing arrangement between Fiat and Mazda. It’s a Mazda MX-5 — made on the same production line in Hiroshima — with a longer, wider body and a 125kW 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine from Fiat, matched with six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions. It’s equipped with premium hardware too, including four-piston Brembo front-brake calipers, mono-tube Bilstein dampers, a preloaded mechanical limited slip differential and 17-inch alloy wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tires.
Priced at $41,990 for the manual or $43,990 for the automatic, the Abarth costs $7500 more than the 2.0-litre MX-5, but you get a more performance-focused roadster with an extra 7kW of power and, more importantly, 50Nm more torque, produced 2100rpm lower in the rev range than the Mazda’s naturally aspirated engine.
At 1060kg, the Abarth is 29kg heavier than the Mazda, but its punchier engine sees the manual reach 100km/h in a claimed 6.8 seconds, half a second quicker.
The Abarth is a fabulous little roadster. It’s got enough performance to be properly rapid on a tight, winding road, where the strong, flexible 1.4-litre turbo and smooth-shifting six-speed manual are a perfect combination.
It’s geared quite tall, so second and third, with 2500rpm plus on the tacho, will deal with most eventualities, and while there’s no extra zip at the top end it does rev cleanly to 6000rpm.
If you like a mean noise, go for the $1895 Monza exhaust option.
It’s a beautifully balanced, responsive car, like the Mazda, and has been set up as a roadster, not a track car, so the ride is reasonably compliant and there’s a bit of body roll when you point it into a corner. The steering is sharp and tactile. The Brembos need a bit of pedal pressure to bite, as usual with performance brakes, but when they do it’s progressive and powerful.
The cockpit is tight and there is no reach adjustment for the steering wheel, so you either fi t the Abarth or you don’t. I’m 183cm and I wasn’t too cramped because the foot-well is quite deep, so I had reasonable legroom.
The driver’s seat is comfortable and supportive, with an extendable cushion, but you would take the $1990 Recaro seats with leather/Alcantara upholstery every time.
If you get pulled over by the police, you can show them the speedo, which has no marked 100km/h increment or digital readout. Maybe they’ll let you off. Bose sound, touchscreen infotainment, navigation, Bluetooth and a camera are standard. Servicing costs $1300 over three years.
Roof up, there’s no buffeting and minimal wind noise; roof down, it’s also fairly calm in the cockpit. Storage in minimal — there’s not even a glovebox — but a reasonably sized compartment is behind the seats and the boot has enough space for a couple of medium-sized soft bags.
The Abarth 124 is an absolute joy to drive and worth every cent of its price tag. Recommended.
THINGS WE LIKE
✔ Light, tight, beautifully balanced handling
✔ Strong, flexible performance
✔ Flick and snick six-speed manual
✔ Powerful brakes
✔ Comfortable driver’s seat
✔ Great value
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
The driving position won’t fit everybody Speedo increments don’t correspond with Australian speed limits Angled passenger seat.
SPECIFICATIONS:
• Made in Japan
• 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol/ six-speed manual/rear-wheel drive
• 125kW of power at 5500rpm/250Nm of torque at 2500rpm
• 0–100km/h in 6.8 seconds (claimed)
• 5.2L/100km highway; 8.6L/100km city; 95 octane premium; CO2 emissions are 150g/km
• Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometers
• Standard: Four airbags, stability control, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather/cloth heated sports seats, leather steering wheel, Bose sound, Bluetooth, camera, navigation, seven-inch touchscreen
• Redbook future values: 3yr: 51%; 5yr: 38%
The Abarth 124, which in its styling pays homage to legendary designer Pininfarina’s 1966 Fiat 124 roadster, is the product of a model-sharing arrangement between Fiat and Mazda. It’s a Mazda MX-5 — made on the same production line in Hiroshima — with a longer, wider body and a 125kW 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine from Fiat, matched with six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions. It’s equipped with premium hardware too, including four-piston Brembo front-brake calipers, mono-tube Bilstein dampers, a preloaded mechanical limited slip differential and 17-inch alloy wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tires.
Priced at $41,990 for the manual or $43,990 for the automatic, the Abarth costs $7500 more than the 2.0-litre MX-5, but you get a more performance-focused roadster with an extra 7kW of power and, more importantly, 50Nm more torque, produced 2100rpm lower in the rev range than the Mazda’s naturally aspirated engine.
At 1060kg, the Abarth is 29kg heavier than the Mazda, but its punchier engine sees the manual reach 100km/h in a claimed 6.8 seconds, half a second quicker.
The Abarth is a fabulous little roadster. It’s got enough performance to be properly rapid on a tight, winding road, where the strong, flexible 1.4-litre turbo and smooth-shifting six-speed manual are a perfect combination.
It’s geared quite tall, so second and third, with 2500rpm plus on the tacho, will deal with most eventualities, and while there’s no extra zip at the top end it does rev cleanly to 6000rpm.
If you like a mean noise, go for the $1895 Monza exhaust option.
It’s a beautifully balanced, responsive car, like the Mazda, and has been set up as a roadster, not a track car, so the ride is reasonably compliant and there’s a bit of body roll when you point it into a corner. The steering is sharp and tactile. The Brembos need a bit of pedal pressure to bite, as usual with performance brakes, but when they do it’s progressive and powerful.
The cockpit is tight and there is no reach adjustment for the steering wheel, so you either fi t the Abarth or you don’t. I’m 183cm and I wasn’t too cramped because the foot-well is quite deep, so I had reasonable legroom.
The driver’s seat is comfortable and supportive, with an extendable cushion, but you would take the $1990 Recaro seats with leather/Alcantara upholstery every time.
If you get pulled over by the police, you can show them the speedo, which has no marked 100km/h increment or digital readout. Maybe they’ll let you off. Bose sound, touchscreen infotainment, navigation, Bluetooth and a camera are standard. Servicing costs $1300 over three years.
Roof up, there’s no buffeting and minimal wind noise; roof down, it’s also fairly calm in the cockpit. Storage in minimal — there’s not even a glovebox — but a reasonably sized compartment is behind the seats and the boot has enough space for a couple of medium-sized soft bags.
The Abarth 124 is an absolute joy to drive and worth every cent of its price tag. Recommended.
THINGS WE LIKE
✔ Light, tight, beautifully balanced handling
✔ Strong, flexible performance
✔ Flick and snick six-speed manual
✔ Powerful brakes
✔ Comfortable driver’s seat
✔ Great value
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
The driving position won’t fit everybody Speedo increments don’t correspond with Australian speed limits Angled passenger seat.
SPECIFICATIONS:
• Made in Japan
• 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol/ six-speed manual/rear-wheel drive
• 125kW of power at 5500rpm/250Nm of torque at 2500rpm
• 0–100km/h in 6.8 seconds (claimed)
• 5.2L/100km highway; 8.6L/100km city; 95 octane premium; CO2 emissions are 150g/km
• Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometers
• Standard: Four airbags, stability control, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather/cloth heated sports seats, leather steering wheel, Bose sound, Bluetooth, camera, navigation, seven-inch touchscreen
• Redbook future values: 3yr: 51%; 5yr: 38%
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