The Fiat 124 Abarth Isn't a Better Mazda Miata
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Date: 2019-10-25
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Comments and reviews: 10
yankee2 yankee
I have to question the Doug score. How can a car be the very best of its kind, and still only get a 50/100? I question whether it should be in the same mix as cars that cost 10X as much I also have to question comparing its practicality with cars for which practicality is their main point I'd have to say that if you want a lightweight, front engine, rear drive, 2-seat roadster, there is nothing else that compares (for less than 100K+) In which case, it SHOULD get more like 90 (or 100)/100. Doug, you need to make cost a factor in your score And you need to compare cars designed for a similar purpose. And one more thing, why is the current MIATA (i. e. MX-5) NOT included in your comparison? That WAS the whole point, was it not?
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I have to question the Doug score. How can a car be the very best of its kind, and still only get a 50/100? I question whether it should be in the same mix as cars that cost 10X as much I also have to question comparing its practicality with cars for which practicality is their main point I'd have to say that if you want a lightweight, front engine, rear drive, 2-seat roadster, there is nothing else that compares (for less than 100K+) In which case, it SHOULD get more like 90 (or 100)/100. Doug, you need to make cost a factor in your score And you need to compare cars designed for a similar purpose. And one more thing, why is the current MIATA (i. e. MX-5) NOT included in your comparison? That WAS the whole point, was it not?
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Steven Reichert
My friend bought one, and I got to drive this car for a weekend. Let me tell you, this is a very fun and thrilling little car to toss around. The handling is precision sharp. The power delivery is thrilling and even scary at speed. The faster you go, the more this engine keeps pulling. The 6-speed manual is sublime, and it's fun to run through the gears. You ride very low to the ground. I would say the only negative is the interior space. I'm 5'9 and I adjusted my seat all the way back. Getting in and out requires a bit of contortion. I'd image if you're any taller than me, you're not going to be able to stretch your legs all the way out. Overall, a great sports car experience.
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My friend bought one, and I got to drive this car for a weekend. Let me tell you, this is a very fun and thrilling little car to toss around. The handling is precision sharp. The power delivery is thrilling and even scary at speed. The faster you go, the more this engine keeps pulling. The 6-speed manual is sublime, and it's fun to run through the gears. You ride very low to the ground. I would say the only negative is the interior space. I'm 5'9 and I adjusted my seat all the way back. Getting in and out requires a bit of contortion. I'd image if you're any taller than me, you're not going to be able to stretch your legs all the way out. Overall, a great sports car experience.
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jaydy71
The Fiata's tiny turbo engine might have some reliability issues, but it does have the more reliable gearbox (it's the Miata's older NC gearbox rather than the ND's, and the latter has some reliability issues in especially the earlier models. I like the Fiat 124 a lot, that little engine is nicely punchy for daily drives and I like the retro look, but personally I'd probably still go with the Mazda. The Mazda is the original, the ND model has a more distinctive look imho and I just like naturally aspirated engines more than small turbos for this kind of car. But yeah, ultimately they're both rather same-same but different
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The Fiata's tiny turbo engine might have some reliability issues, but it does have the more reliable gearbox (it's the Miata's older NC gearbox rather than the ND's, and the latter has some reliability issues in especially the earlier models. I like the Fiat 124 a lot, that little engine is nicely punchy for daily drives and I like the retro look, but personally I'd probably still go with the Mazda. The Mazda is the original, the ND model has a more distinctive look imho and I just like naturally aspirated engines more than small turbos for this kind of car. But yeah, ultimately they're both rather same-same but different
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Brooks Davis
Doug, no one said it was a better Miata, my late wife liked the styling of the Fiat over the Miata, that is not hard to imagine when you compare the two side to side. The Fiat 124 Spider is an attractive roadster, my wife sadly passed away this past April, I now drive her Fiat 124 Spider. It is almost paid off and a roadster car is fun to drive no matter the origin. It is mostly Miata inside with a very reliable Fiat engine, a nicer interior and the styling is better than the Miata. To each his own. I will drive that Fiat for a long time due to the sentimental value alone.
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Doug, no one said it was a better Miata, my late wife liked the styling of the Fiat over the Miata, that is not hard to imagine when you compare the two side to side. The Fiat 124 Spider is an attractive roadster, my wife sadly passed away this past April, I now drive her Fiat 124 Spider. It is almost paid off and a roadster car is fun to drive no matter the origin. It is mostly Miata inside with a very reliable Fiat engine, a nicer interior and the styling is better than the Miata. To each his own. I will drive that Fiat for a long time due to the sentimental value alone.
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Ralph Averill
No mention of vehicle weight/weight distribution vis-a-vis the ND Miata. Greater torque doesn't mean much if it has to move more weight. One assumes suspensions on both the Abarth and Miata are identical. I didn't discover until recently how sophisticated the Miata suspension is. (see Mazda Miata Performance Handbook by Norman H. Garrett III, MBI Publishing, ISBN 0-7603-0437-8. Garrett was on the initial NA Miata design team)I agree with Doug that the sweet spot for either the Abarth or Miata is curvy, hilly back roads. Fewer cops too.
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No mention of vehicle weight/weight distribution vis-a-vis the ND Miata. Greater torque doesn't mean much if it has to move more weight. One assumes suspensions on both the Abarth and Miata are identical. I didn't discover until recently how sophisticated the Miata suspension is. (see Mazda Miata Performance Handbook by Norman H. Garrett III, MBI Publishing, ISBN 0-7603-0437-8. Garrett was on the initial NA Miata design team)I agree with Doug that the sweet spot for either the Abarth or Miata is curvy, hilly back roads. Fewer cops too.
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CaribbeanGTR
The Fiata is a better looking car to me, and the engine although just 1. 4L turbo has much more power than the Miata, plus it can be turned up in minutes due to better tuning/boost etc. Get serious and you can do a rebuild to deliver 300 HP with better rods, pistons, turbo, injectors, fuel pump, clutch, intercooler, remap. Point is, its a more tunable car. I wish it was a 2 or 2. 3 L turbo like what comes in the Mazdaspeed 3. However, the 1. 4 L turbo will deliver excellent milage and power on demand.
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The Fiata is a better looking car to me, and the engine although just 1. 4L turbo has much more power than the Miata, plus it can be turned up in minutes due to better tuning/boost etc. Get serious and you can do a rebuild to deliver 300 HP with better rods, pistons, turbo, injectors, fuel pump, clutch, intercooler, remap. Point is, its a more tunable car. I wish it was a 2 or 2. 3 L turbo like what comes in the Mazdaspeed 3. However, the 1. 4 L turbo will deliver excellent milage and power on demand.
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Robert Fobian
Abarth. AY-barth. emphasis on the first syllable, please. Carlo would thank you. Please slow down a bit on your delivery. You have expert analysis and wonderful insights to share and we all want to hear, understand and process them. Drive the cars fast. and speak a bit more slowly. Feel free to either review this car all over again with proper sound and video or. simply delete it. This piece is simply not up to your usual high standards and erodes your brand.
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Abarth. AY-barth. emphasis on the first syllable, please. Carlo would thank you. Please slow down a bit on your delivery. You have expert analysis and wonderful insights to share and we all want to hear, understand and process them. Drive the cars fast. and speak a bit more slowly. Feel free to either review this car all over again with proper sound and video or. simply delete it. This piece is simply not up to your usual high standards and erodes your brand.
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Audiofix Sales
5653 comments so far so I'm guessing that someone has mentioned that this is a 124 spider not a Abarth spider and that Abarth is pronounced Abart as in Italian the 'H' is silent. Maybe with a little 'ah' at the end. As an owner I can also mention that these cars a re far from perfect but are in fact a great all rounder that appears to be reliable as one would expect of Japanese manufacture coupled with Italian style. Ie flawless so far.
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5653 comments so far so I'm guessing that someone has mentioned that this is a 124 spider not a Abarth spider and that Abarth is pronounced Abart as in Italian the 'H' is silent. Maybe with a little 'ah' at the end. As an owner I can also mention that these cars a re far from perfect but are in fact a great all rounder that appears to be reliable as one would expect of Japanese manufacture coupled with Italian style. Ie flawless so far.
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napraznicul
some people said it's even slower [than miata version]. Probably they did, but keep in mind fact that 90% of global population are mental retarded: . Only a brainless grasscutter honda fan. could consider that lethargic n/a mazda engine. faster. In teal life, al least on dragstrip AND track (when it's driven by a NON moron which understand and knows how to exploit a turbo engine, that fiat is WAAAAAY much faster than miata.
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some people said it's even slower [than miata version]. Probably they did, but keep in mind fact that 90% of global population are mental retarded: . Only a brainless grasscutter honda fan. could consider that lethargic n/a mazda engine. faster. In teal life, al least on dragstrip AND track (when it's driven by a NON moron which understand and knows how to exploit a turbo engine, that fiat is WAAAAAY much faster than miata.
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KroneYT
Then again, it's nice to have a big hazard light button in an Italian car Okay, I get the joke here. Italian cars suck balls when it comes to reliability. But considering how much this car shares in common with the not-so-Italian Mazda Miata, which IS the original variation of the car, can you really claim that this car is actually Italian though?
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Then again, it's nice to have a big hazard light button in an Italian car Okay, I get the joke here. Italian cars suck balls when it comes to reliability. But considering how much this car shares in common with the not-so-Italian Mazda Miata, which IS the original variation of the car, can you really claim that this car is actually Italian though?
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