I searched the catalog and the archive and couldn't find anything, so here goes.
What is Veeky Forums's opinion on the 124? I know it's a Fiata but is it any impressive in real life? Does it actually sound as cool as the advertising says it does?
Also, what about its lackluster performance in a straight line? Veeky Forumstists love to make fun of the acceleration of the BRZ/FRS, but it seems the 124 is just as slow?
Redpill me on the Fiat 124 Abarth
Other urls found in this thread:
caranddriver.com
vireoauto.nl
autoscout24.de
twitter.com
Positiv:
>rwd
>light
>good handling
Negativ:
>1.4l turbo engine is lacking potential for tuning
>the price
>the price
>the price
Some stats from C&D
>0-60mph
6.7s
>0-100mph
18.8s
>Quarter mile
15.1s @ 92mph
Some specs:
>1.4L turbo engine by Fiat
>built on Mazda's assembly line in Hiroshima
>uses a Miata NC's transmission
>5 inches longer than its ND counterpart
Have you seen one in real life? YouTube videos and marketing material make it seem like it sounds aggressive and exotic, but I'm wondering how true that is.
And why is this badge on the trunk lid so huge?
I really thought about buying one and tune the engine because it has the same engine like the abarth 500 and there are a lot of performance parts for the 1.4l turbo here in Italy and Germany. With a weight of only 1006kg and rwd it seems perfect but even with new remap, intercooler, downpipe and racing cats you get like 220-230hp which is good but not enough for me to leave my BMW 330i behind.
Its an optional part.
Seen one and also a standard 124.
I don't really get how it could be considered an exotic unless you also consider a miata exotic
.4l turbo engine is lacking potential for tuning
negro...the 1.4t can easily get 200hp with just a ecu tune and can get 300hp with upgrades.
horrendous side profile
I like it. The only thing that's a bit weird is where that side mirror is, and the wheels look an inch too small.
Seriously? I think it looks great. What don't you like about it?
Im thinking about getting one. The exhaust does sound good. When you go WOT and let off the gas it makes a burbling sound like a big V8 does, I love that shit. I was listening to a guy that works at Fiat talk a few weeks ago and he was kind of hinting that Fiat might make the Abarth version more powerful or might offer different horsepower trims to the Abarth. Wait and see I suppose.
>BRZ
Its just a maymay car m8. 6+ seconds isnt bad for a 4cyl. It just triggers the fuck out out of Veeky Forums when people talk shit about the BRZ and sports cars in general. "They arent suppose to be fast...MUH HANDLING."
Well the Fiat is just slow if not slower than a BRZ, so I'm wondering whether the Italian sports car is worth driving what seems to be a souped up econobox.
>Also, what about its lackluster performance in a straight line?
It's actually better than the ND Miata, since it has twice the powerband, a bit more power and a lot more torque.
>1.4l turbo engine is lacking potential for tuning
U wot mate. The ND is actually pretty bad for tuning, since it's got ludicrous compression. For example, a 600-700 dollar retune on the ND gets you something like 20 hp and 15 ftlbs. YOu need something like 2500 USD in exhaust and intake to get anywhere near 30hp/25hp out of the 2.0L.
Meanwhile, a similar 650 euro ECU upgrade on the 124 Spider gets you 48hp/40ftlbs - and that's on top of the stock engine, which is already clearly superior to the ND 2.0 in terms of torque, horsepower and powerband.
>he was kind of hinting that Fiat might make the Abarth version more powerful or might offer different horsepower trims to the Abarth.
Bull. Shit. The Abarth trim is already release, and the specs aren't exactly impressive.
The Fiat is a lot more fun though. Top down means you experience a lot more speed (if that makes sense), and it's just a lot more FUN. Neither 124,ND or BRZ are made for speed anyways.
All of the bad things about "muh italian sports car", none of the good.
it's like the designer penned a fastback coupe and then was told it had to be a convertible
and i'm not a stancefag but holy shit that needs to be dropped
ITT: People talking of two different models.
The Fiat 124 is different from the Abarth 124
>The Fiat 124 is different from the Abarth 124
The only thing they have in common is that they're both shit. Just get an ND Miata.
The Abarth is a trim level of the Fiat 124 Spider, and there's not a lot of difference between them, about as big as the difference between the 1.5 and 2.0L ND.
>more power
>more torque
>literally twice the powerband
Butthurt ND owner detected.
>Bull. Shit. The Abarth trim is already release, and the specs aren't exactly impressive.
You do realize that automakers can adjust a car and add to it right? Kind of like when the Challenger was released it had a shitty 250HP V6 and then like a year later they stuck a shitty 305HP V6 in it and then we got the hellcat and the demon.
Mazda Mx5 Miata, driven by:
>women
>men that want to be women
>autists with no money
124 Spider driven by:
>men with a sense for style, appearance and performance
When they released the Challenger, they had a 5.7 and 6.1 Hemi with class-leading horsepower outputs. When they do a new version of the Abarth, it won't have some amazing amount of horsepower increase like the Hellcat.
That wasnt the point, child. Please go get your mommy to explain this shit to you.
Why is FCA so shit?
>backpedaling and ad hominem
Nice one. Mom's dead, by the way.
There isn't a single reason for Fiat to produce a significantly more powerful 124, because Mazda is producing them. There are rules in place for the Fiat to not exceed the ND's output significantly, so untill we get a more powerful ND, we won't be getting a significantly more powerful 124. In the entire history of the MX-5, Mazda has only once done a limited run of more powerful ones (Mazdaspeed NB), so the chances of that happening are completely unlikely.
Besides, Fiat has already made a more powerful 124 for track use, and that required a swap to the 1.8 liter. If they want to put that 1.8 in a road car, it'll require a complete homologation process that's not going to be viable in a niche market.
All I'm seeing here is two cars build by Mazda that are similarly quick.
Why did they have to give it such a paint scheme? It looks like some boy racer mobile.
>similarly quick
Well, that's the problem. The Abarth should be quicker
Because the original Abarth 124 rally cars looked like pic related. The red/white thing has been an Abarth staple since forever, and the matte black hood was to prevent glare. You can still get an Abarth 124 with a sane color scheme though.
>A bit more power
>A bit more weight
>Built by the same manufacturer that doesn't want either to be significantly better than the other
Nah, they should be pretty much identical in tersm of performance.
Pic related, best Abarth 124 color scheme.
The ND is perfect. I don't understand why anyone would fuck it up with italian garbage.
>perfect
>1400 RPM powerband
Pick one.
>it's just a trim
No it isn't because one car is called Fiat 124 and the other is called Abarth 124.
The Abarth are assembled and tuned in the Abarth factory, it's different, and the same goes for the Abarth 595/695.
Abarth is a car maker.
>No it isn't because one car is called Fiat 124 and the other is called Abarth 124.
Wrong. One is called the Fiat 124 Spider, the other is called the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth. Trim level, not seperate car.
>The Abarth are assembled and tuned in the Abarth factory
[citation fucking needed]
Both are made in Hiroshima. Abarth doesn't even have the means to produce the 124.
You fell for the marketing meme. Abarth is a tuner, not a manufacturer.
Sorry I omitted one fact: the 124 both abarth and Fiat are made in the Mazda factory but the Abarth models are shipped to the Abarth factory who provides the tuning part and other mechanical modifications.
This is why the car costs more, because of the extra work and parts which the standard Fiat 124 doesn't get.
For making the Abarth 595/695 Fiat ships to Abarth the "skeleton" and the naked interior of a Fiat 500/C and they provide the assembly and tuning, so basically they're doing most of the job.
It's so fucking sexy
THE USA IS NOT THE WORLD
Abarth is a builder and on your car documents and registration you will have
Maker: ABARTH
Not Fiat.
If in USA Abarth is sold as Fiat trim it's another story.
So Abarth tunes the 124. It doesn't build it. that makes them a tuner, not a manufacturer.
Fun fact: the 124 was originally supposed to have been an Alfa (pic related), but FCA has a strict rule that all Alfa's have to be produced in Italy. Mazda refused to manufacture anything on the ND platform outside of Japan, which forced them to manufacture it as a Fiat instead.
By both definition and Mazda's demand for domestic production, the 124 Spider is manufactured in Japan by Mazda, not in Italy by Abarth.
Pic related is fucking sexy.
>Pic related is fucking sexy
Prove it
Counterargument: the EU is not the world.
vireoauto.nl
autoscout24.de
The Abarth is a Fiat trim in the entire world. See , the 124 is manufactured in Japan, and then shipped to Italy to be tuned by Abarth. That makes Abarth a tuner, not a manufacturer.
it isn't, and also it doesn't have nearly enough lights
>almost made up facts
In order
>Fun fact: the 124 was originally supposed to have been an Alfa
True
>(pic related)
Absolutely not, what you posted is the Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta and it's a tribute from Pininfarina for celebrating the 80th birthday of the design company.
It's based on the latest Alfa Romeo Spider (Brera platform).
>FCA has a strict rule that all Alfa's have to be produced in Italy.
Ok
>Mazda refused to manufacture anything on the ND platform outside of Japan, which forced them to manufacture it as a Fiat instead.
This is not true because the real reason behind the switch from Alfa Romeo to Fiat/Abarth was only imputable on the reborn of Alfa Romeo who was delibered in that period.
An Alfa Romeo who was a Mazda under the skin was not acceptable for a soon to be rebooted historic maker.
Also the 4C and the 4C cabrio were being developed.
Another reason is that Alfa Romeo only had its own 1750 engine and of course Mazda, as we can see with the Abarth 124, didn't want a model able to massively outperform their own machine, so...also the 1750 had to be re-ingeneered for a RWD platform with front engine (4C has a mid positioned engine) and it was too expensive, hence why the swith for a more sensible Fiat/Abarth alternative.
>By both definition and Mazda's demand for domestic production, the 124 Spider is manufactured in Japan by Mazda, not in Italy by Abarth.
They're manufactured at Hiroshima but the final assembly for the Abarth model is being done in Turin at the Abarth factory along with mechanical modifications.
>That makes Abarth a tuner, not a manufacturer.
As I said, the final assembly and tuning (plus mechanical enhancements) is made in Italy in the Abarth factory.
The same happens with the Fiat 500.
Abarth is a manufacturer, get over it, also because they have to homologate their different models with their own specifics, pollution shit and consumption.
Also think about Alpina, they do basically the same thing as Abarth: they do the final assembly of Bmw models using custom parts and doing all the tuning for their engines.
You don't buy a Bmw Alpina B3, you buy an Alpina B3. Alpina is a manufacturer.
Also, if you keep insisting with your opinion
>Abarth & C. S.p.A. is a racing car and road car maker founded by Italo-Austrian Carlo Abarth in 1949. Its logo is a shield with a stylized scorpion on a red and yellow background. Abarth & C. S.p.A. is a fully owned subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A. (formerly Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A.), the subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (formerly of Fiat S.p.A.) controlling its European automotive production activities.
Why does that look like some low poly model
That looks like sex user
Yeah if we lived in a PS1 kek
You're just too used to modern edges and straight lines design.
Just buy a Miata and turbocharge it.
it's an Italian miata
>it's a tribute from Pininfarina for celebrating the 80th birthday of the design company.
If you can understand a bit of Dutch/Flemisch, go watch the Canvas documentary on Lowie Vermeersch. It's made exactly in the period when he was designing the Duettottanta, and he even explains how it's going to be the concept car for the next Alfa Spider. What a shame it didn't work out that way.
>An Alfa Romeo who was a Mazda under the skin was not acceptable for a soon to be rebooted historic maker.
That wasn't the problem. The problem was that FCA wanted production all Maserati/Alfa production to happen in Italy, it's one of Marchionne's core strategies. They even sent Panda production to Poland to free up factories iirc.
>Also the 4C and the 4C cabrio were being developed.
Which are in a completely different market.
>Another reason is that Alfa Romeo only had its own 1750 engine
Wrong. They also use the 1.4 T-jet extensively.
>the 1750 had to be re-ingeneered for a RWD platform with front engine
So did the 1.4 T-Jet. The 124 Spider is the first instance of the 1.4 to ever be used in a longitudinal form iirc.
>They're manufactured at Hiroshima but the final assembly for the Abarth model is being done in Turin at the Abarth factory along with mechanical modifications.
>Final assembly
Exactly. Assembly is not production.
>they have to homologate their different models with their own specifics, pollution shit and consumption.
FCA does that for them, as a trim level of the 124/500. Same thing happens to any other manufacturer.
Wikipedia is not a source.
You can argue for the 750 Zagato to be manufactured by Abarth, and I might even accept that - but the 124 is manufactured by Mazda, and Abarth is just a trim level.
seems great, but the engine's behavior stock is kind of bad, like a heavy peak in the power band then nothing past it.
There's a 200whp tune out in the wild now for like $500 i think? That makes the power band MUCH wider and you get peak torque earlier too, completely transforms the car.
the fiat 500 abarth shares its engine and people get massive power boosts out of that thing, what usually shreds is the dinky fiat transmission past 230whp, but the nc miata transmission in the fiat is far more stout
>in a sense, it's the super tuneable turbo miata we always wanted
also the take rate on the matte hood/trunk seems frighteningly low, like no dealers stock them. It's a damn shame since it looks rather good and oozes character
>like a heavy peak in the power band then nothing past it.
You're confusing the 124 and the ND here. The ND is peaky as fuck with only a 1500RPM powerband.
>It's a good thing since it looks like rice
FTFY
They are worse miatas unless you get the abarth. I almost bought one but so damn pricy here in socal. Idk much about specs but after driving the twins, the new ND, and both versions of fiat. I liked the abarth the most just for its stylings. If i didnt care i woulda got the ND
the low displacement is a let down, really needed the 1.7 from the 4c, but I guess that would have made the car cost $5-7k more (which I totally wouldn't mind).
shit what if they tried again with this?
go balls to the walls on the miata platform, put the 4c engine in there, really max out the suspension, luxo the interior
no the 124 is also peaky in the way most older turbo cars are. Some like it, some don't.
It is a little ricey but it's fun, also a throwback to the original
>put the 4c engine in there
>really needed the 1.7 from the 4c
FCA has repeatedly said that no Alfa will be built outside of Italy, and Mazda only produces ND-based cars in Japan. It won't happen.
Also, that 1.75T in the 124 would have made it quite close to the 4C in terms of price and performance. They already put it in pic related anyways.
>the low displacement is a let down
Despite the low displacement, it is objectively better than the ND 2.0 in every single way. more torque, more power, twice the powerband, and of course easily tunable.
>I liked the abarth the most just for its stylings
So much this. I wouldn't give a single fuck if the 124 Spider was power by a 0.9L turbo Twinair - I practically grew up in the passenger seat of pic related. I'd throw money at any new Fiat Spider, really.
>the fiat 500 abarth shares its engine and people get massive power boosts out of that thing, what usually shreds is the dinky fiat transmission past 230whp, but the nc miata transmission in the fiat is far more stout
Brilliant. This makes me love the 124 Spider Abarth even more.
Is the NC transmission bad compared to the ND?
Captcha:
>drive disabled
not bad, just slightly less smooth feeling. it's a slight step down but it's a durable as fuck transmission from what i hear, which is excellent news for tuning
It is worse in terms of feel? Yes, a stock NC feels worse than a stock ND. However, I drove an NC with a short shifter recently, and it was well ahead of the ND in terms of feel.
Is it worse in terms of durability? Hell no. The original ND transmission was weak as fuck, and the NC is much more stout, especially because the NC chassis was heavier with a similarly powerful engine. Projected service life of a transmission mainly depends on grip, weight and power, and the NC was pretty much ahead of the ND in all those respects.
>1.4l running 22psi of boost stock
Fucking brilliant dude
>9.8:1 compression ratio
>a whopping 140hp through those brutalised internals
>Mom's dead, by the way.
if you were my kid id pray for death as well.
>Wikipedia is not a source
Motherfucker, what are you, my high school history teacher? Wikipedia is as, if not more, trustworthy than any other website on the fucking internet
it can actually take a lot more, it's a god damn stout little thing