Abarth 124 Spider FULL REVIEW test driven 170hp 2017/2016 all-new neu

See the full comparison review Fiat 124 Spider, Vintage 124 & Abarth 124 Spider: • Fiat 124 Spider vs Aba...
timecode index this Abarth video:
00:41 Abarth 124 Spider Exterior
05:24 Abarth 124 Spider Interior
12:50 Abarth 124 Spider Driving
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[@BradSchmor]

My wife and I picked up our new Abarth Spider yesterday. Already put 100 miles on it. What a thrill. We absolutely love it. This review definitely played a part in us going to check it out and in our ultimate decision. Thanks for what you do!

[@autogefuehl]

Cool!

[@da__lang]

I love this car! Fiat has hit a home run. Beautiful styling, great handling, zippy acceleration. Everything a roadster should be.

[@baddad09]

old review but helped me when deciding on a nice used roadster to buy. just picked up a 2018 with 7,000 miles, love it, this is perfect, super fun car

[@p.h.234]

10 months later, how are you finding it?

[@baddad09]

@@p.h.234we love it. No issues, get so many comments and looks as no one knows what it is. Even Miata’s stare at it 😂. It’s a blast to drive, in today’s world everything is “fast” off the line, this doesn’t need to be, it’s agile and fun which 99% of cars aren’t anymore. Love how easy the soft top is. I wish I got the manual BUT it’s worth the compromise of the auto so my whole family can drive it.

[@lcsighteken2248]

I'd pick this over the Mazda Miata. This is just the better car. Good review!

[@04dram04]

turbo lag, sucks though

[@B.D.TRX4]

@Matthew Kane the KZbin review I saw said it most definitely had turbo lag and that this was a down fall due to the delay .

[@bsteele5287]

This car is beautiful. Could never get past the Miata's looks. Now I don't have to. My next car. Great review. Very detailed.

[@captainz4137]

Well, I didn't take Paolo's word for it, I went out, test drove an ABARTH, liked it and now I am negotiating the final price. I know I am going to have fun driving this car.

[@Thousandeyes85]

Still delivering the best reviews on KZbin!

[@autogefuehl]

Thx keep supporting :)

[@Alfista1988]

I love engine of that Abarth, it sounds so really good.

[@JDJ-n6i]

What a cool looking car in red and black.

[@normoloid]

Coupe model will look so much more rad even as it is already the coolest little sporter at the moment.

[@godman1979]

I like how Thomas uses the term "co-driver"!

[@christianninsananda9626]

Strangely, in the US, the price difference is not as much... with the Lusso starting at $27,500 and the Abarth starting at $28,200. I'm definitely going with the Abarth.

[@autogefuehl]

yeah totally different !

[@pchwang]

The US Abarth 124 is not really a real Abarth 124.

[@showtaito1075]

Pierre C yes it is

[@leigh6507]

I got one for $21K in the US. I love it.

[@brianzeeff4033]

I own have owned an Abarth 500 for about a year. It is by far the most fun and also the most reliable car I have ever owned! I have a bug in my head for one of these now! I think its the "Ferrari" sound along with top notch handling.

[@autogefuehl]

Cool 😎

[@heinedenmark]

this auto box shift faster than I expected, nice

[@schreckfeb1981]

carbuzz.com/features/10-cars-better-with-an-automatic-gearbox

[@msgregory1230]

Best review out there!

[@autogefuehl]

👌

[@MatthiasBuesing]

Timeless design - you name it. Love my 124 Spider in Magnectico Bronze ;-)

[@JS60SIX]

Great review, enjoyed the beautiful scenery!

[@autogefuehl]

thanks - keep tuning in =)

[@ErnestHemingwayJr]

@Autogefühl GREAT choice of road, the Caprino-Spiazzi, incidentally that's exactly where I go when I want to have fun driving... And exactly where I'd take that Abarth if I had some spare 40k € lying around

[@autogefuehl]

=)

[@flight69twa]

Another great review! thanks

[@danielescobedo7968]

This the best Sports car you can buy For the Price better than the mx5 Faster on most major tracks. Just bought my Abarth last week Manual transmission. The Abarth is a ture Italian Sports car

[@MrGlobali]

Thank you very much Thomas/Autogefühl for a grate review.

[@autogefuehl]

✌️

[@jjrdias]

This sounds better than the 718 Boxster.

[@itaresam]

Because it isn't VW

[@Strongholdex]

0lr1k That does not explain it, because VW is better than Fiat.

[@autcaesarautnihil4951]

Strongholdex What...????...LOL...

[@Fluterra]

That’s not saying much! 718 sounds like sh!t.

[@MagicAyrtonforever]

So does my bum when I eat too many beans

[@zooks3894]

Excellent detailed review thomas, i really like you how you discuss the aesthetics of the car also. Danke!

[@autogefuehl]

thanks tune in for more!

[@davidef.8764]

German and Italian accents....the best!

[@sportsfreundberlin]

zank you

[@phantomcamcam9870]

Thanks excellent review with lots of excellent info. I'm now off to the local dealer tomorrow, to trade in my 2016 MX-5 1.5 SEL Nav for a new 2019 Abarth 124 Spider.......

[@autogefuehl]

thanks, enjoy it!

[@drivesafely12]

Great review.

[@saragrimaldi8093]

BTW it is Fiat that helped Mazda to make the MX5 first; so it is not fair to say that Fiat just changed the engine and the exterior for the 124 in general. Also it is false that there is "little JApanese"'; 80% of the car is made in Hiroshima :) What they messed up is probably the engine; if they would use the 1.7L from the 4C, this car would fly.

[@B.D.TRX4]

Did you happen to see the video on the history of the Mazda Miata. With interviews from the designers... Fiat wasn't mentioned at all ... Triumph was ..

[@michaeltyson439]

Tolles Auto 👍

[@paulchappell6388]

Good review. Another reviewer says the a/t in the 124 shifts far too slowly (and should be avoided). Is the a/t in the Abarth the same transmission? with, perhaps, different shift points? My experience a few years ago in a 500 Abarth 595 was that the a/t in that car shifted very abruptly, almost rudely, under hard acceleration. What did you think of the smoothness/ speed of shifts (up and down) of the a/t in this Abarth 124?

[@frankbutta9344]

It’s funny how the Italian guy won’t say “Mazda” or “MX-5”...lol!

[@Superdelphinus]

I love this guy, he’s so German

[@autogefuehl]

😁✌️

[@baronvontoast1831]

Im interested to know why the US version is only 164hp and while same exhaust, sounds nothing like this one......any opinions?

[@paweloneill5888]

Purely from the point of view of fun driving experience how does it compare to the boxster?

[@Bcharns]

Hello I'm Brian, I've been doing a little research on the 124 Abarth lately and have noticed the steering wheel here in the US doesn't have the red notch. Is this specific to the European market? Love the looks of the red Lusso with saddle interior but want the performance and sound (not to mention looks) of the red Abarth. Thanks for the video

[@autogefuehl]

hey Brian, not sure. Maybe its also a model year change

[@saragrimaldi8093]

Very nice review; this car is awesome! The only issue is that specs did change for US market and ROW; so the version they sell in US is kinda "water down", and some of the interior and exterior items are also missing. Sweet car for sure; save 20K from a different car and get this.

[@autogefuehl]

thanks sara! Interesting that they have that strategy, that explains why you can get a relatively cheap Abarth over the pond

[@gkflaaaaaaaau]

Looks very cool car, for sunny sundays :D

[@schreckfeb1981]

Manuals are fun, but the “enthusiasts” on here talking down about the auto are simply living in the past. If a manual is more fun for you, great 👍🏼 but the auto with the paddles is the higher performer (on 124 not MX5) because it manages the turbo boost better. Finally, one article uses their brain and explains this. With an EC tune, the auto can get even better. carbuzz.com/features/10-cars-better-with-an-automatic-gearbox

[@711td]

This car turns Thomas from a sensible guy into a badass XD. I had a chance to drive next to a new mx5 and gotta say it does look really good in person tho it should have a turbo engine instead of a weak NA engine imo

[@onines1]

Wonder how the 1.7 Alfa engine would change the performance?

[@markakin3742]

Crossing my fingers for that!!

[@coolandmellow]

Does anyone know if the AT transmission has rev matching

[@Chipshot124]

An automatic transmission? I understand the interest in it. But not by me. Today is the six-month anniversary of my purchase. I am looking forward to a long and fun relationship.

[@Biskawow]

what a beauty! the car is nice too

[@sechszylinder8055]

1:06 Bilstein shocks absorber

[@mrpmj00]

with Fiat (no led headlights, apple carplay) and Mazda cutting corners (no homelink on club model, apple carplay), and Fiat dealers not ordering Fiat 124 Abarth with brembo brakes, I'm taking a closer look at a used PorscheCayman. Hopefully, Fiat fixed the problem that the Miata has with the canvas top rubbing the frame in the down position and ripping a hole.

[@Kstxrd]

My first NEW car was a French Blue 1971 Fiat 124 Spider...$3,200 out the door.

[@MrCarGuy]

You can always put a nicer aftermarket exhaust on the regular 124 afterwards and save money.

[@MrEugenio1994]

while on the american market the difference in power of the engine's tunings is non-existent, in the european one it's relatively high, enough to justify the price.

[@Phos9]

Won't get the abarth suspension

[@MrCarGuy]

+Eugenio A. It is not enough to justify the price... seriously? You can put higher quality aftermarket coil overs AND create an engine tune better than the Abarth and still have several thousand Euros to spare.

[@MrEugenio1994]

+MrCarGuy20 if you change suspensions, brakes, seats i think so. virtually nobody is a mechanic though.

[@SupremeChief1]

Is the Abarth the only version that comes with paddle shifts?

[@TxRWesker]

jorge campos For the Fiat: yes. But the MX5 RF also comes with paddles.

[@zeproo]

Can you also review the tipo ?

[@autogefuehl]

+Zeproo yes!

[@MCiech89]

Where is it in Italy? Is it Tuscany or other region?

[@autogefuehl]

near lago di garda

[@autogefuehl]

and some scenes directly at

[@ErnestHemingwayJr]

To be even more precise this is the province of Verona, and the road from about 18:43 on is the SP8 which climbs the slopes of mount Baldo from Caprino to Spiazzi. Not incidentally, a famous hill-climb course.

[@hansdampf3468]

wow, closed it looks really cool :), love that. but the sound... mhm, a bit too much for me. anyway, it's nice, that there are "potent" cars out there, that don't weigh too much.

[@thebionicpig]

Looks like the result of a Mustang hooking up with a Miata on E-Harmony...

[@benedictdonald4338]

awesome comment.

[@mikael3000]

When can you do the Volvo V90?

[@autogefuehl]

next week probably

[@anthonymitchell9337]

Thomas, how tall are you? I'm 6'2" ..... would I fit?

[@autogefuehl]

6'1". Gets close. You have to test

[@partikelsmusic]

i prefer the normal 124 or the mx-5 2.0. Why?: 40k bucks for a modified 124, nah! better one 124 lusso and a 595 Abarth too for winter. ;)

[@autogefuehl]

+partikelsmusic indeed

[@francesco9390]

+Autogefühl better none of these two and an audi s7 sportback

[@04dram04]

I would have expected this guy to dislike any car that isn't German.

[@autogefuehl]

Watch more of our reviews and you ll see that every car gets a fair chance. I really dont care at all in which country a car is produced.

[@PaoFootballClub]

please FIAT make me that car gift for Christmas!!!

[@amiller2121]

I'm impressed, but as you mentioned, that price...way too much of a premium for the Abarth.

[@GabeClendenning]

disclaimer: mx5 club owner. this looks too bodykit-ish. prefer the skyactiv 2.0 over the dodge dart tigershark

[@GabeClendenning]

***** whatever multiair

[@GabeClendenning]

+Marco Spelta (MS85) i dislike the repackaging of the mx5 and the design. and the generic fca engines.

[@kjss4345]

Only an italian would be embarrassed to say his car is basically Japanese 😂

[@roarpal6314]

here in america the abarth cost $ 37 thousand dollars full loaded!

[@SPGuo]

为什么没有字幕？？？

[@schreckfeb1981]

Due to the Turbo lag, this article sees the auto as the better performer in the 124. This video shows a string showing as well. Hmm.....carbuzz.com/features/10-cars-better-with-an-automatic-gearbox

[@duke8231]

for me, the MX-5 has got the better design. I don´t like the Design of the Abarth. In Fact this Car is up to 80-90% a MX-5. But i like the Sound of this Car and the Engine would be fine in a MX-5

[@newandnice]

First I was skeptical about Fiat, but it is not fiat - it's real abarth i we see that Thomas really enjoyed the car. I would pick Abart instead of mazda mx-5 and fiat 124 spider.

[@leigh6507]

That Italian guy was too defensive.

[@SPGuo]

these county road a bit narrowly.......

[@bigmalcvids]

Uk price now we are in 2021, £18.500 for one with about 10.000 miles max, V good value I’m Intrigued....Test drive time I think....(A bit of a variation on my A8) 😀👍🚙..... chalk & cheese ....use both cars & appreciate both I think.

[@marcwalker9610]

How funny that the Abarth CEO tries to take credit for the vehicle design and styling, when in reality it's a Mazda and manufactured in Japan with a Fiat engine 😅 What a lier. 😂

[@DanielSadjadian]

Hmmm not sure, this or an MX5?

[@autogefuehl]

I like the style of the Fiat, however N/A engine ist good with the Mazda

[@streetK4]

Fiat has stronger tranny from NC miata , Mazda tranny is made out of glass

[@TechGamesAU]

I was ready to buy one until I heard how slow it is.. More than 6 seconds to 100 is very sad :(

[@andras.89]

If You'd buy it for a cataloge number, please don't :) This car (and especially the MX-5) is for pure driving, having fun on road in the curves, not for drag racing i.m.o.:)

[@GabeClendenning]

lol what did you think a 1.4l inline 4 was gonna do...

[@TechGamesAU]

+Gabe Clendenning I guess I was hoping it was lite enough to do some acceleration regardless, like the Alfa 4C :(

[@ivanestrada7993]

It's not like you would ever need to get to that speed anyways

[@TechGamesAU]

+Ivan Estrada get to what speed?

[@XQUADRA1]

the back i dont know doesnt look right

[@TheGreatLoco]

The 124 and MX-5 have very little in common. The Abarth version is similar to the Fiat, but very cool with 2-tone paint and sportier tunning.

[@inflatable2]

15k Euro to expensive in my country with almost 48k Euro.. I'd buy it for US price (+/- 33k Euro), but almost 50k? No thanks!

[@marcwalker9610]

This would be a perfect candidate for an LS swap 😉

[@mauricesimoens1438]

wow

[@scottjames6037]

The Abarth guy can’t say Mazda. Lol

[@jumbotron3997]

do you know what I see? I see a great source of extra OEM parts for anyone with an mx-5. I hate how all fiats look, including this one. If it were up to me, I'd find a wrecked 124 aFart and take certain interior parts (like the suede panels, seats) and put it into the mx5 then id put a edelbrock supercharger on the mx5 (just introduced in SEMA), and watch this monstrosity disappear in my rearview mirror.

[@tentifr]

Jumbo Tron idiot

[@mrpmj00]

Exhaust is still too timid. Suspension too bumpy. I went around a corner fast and I lost traction...not a good thing. Gearbox is not good; my foot was on the clutch and when I tried to put it into 3rd gear, I can feel and hear the gear trying to catch and it shouldn't do this until I release the clutch.

[@Geomanb]

Abarthig gut. SCNR ^_^

[@tadeuferreira5705]

nice mazda miata

[@peteflynn3923]

They stuck this guy with an automatic! WTF? That's a big fail in my book.

[@Strongholdex]

Pete Flynn His car is provided with DSG, so it offers automatic and half manual shifting both simultaneously as well.

[@schreckfeb1981]

Pete Flynn carbuzz.com/features/10-cars-better-with-an-automatic-gearbox

[@isaachunt5799]

i have owned about 40 cars in my life driven over 2 million miles i test drove a fiat 124 yesterday. let me tell you straight ok..there's a good reason nobody has ever bought one of these. utter pos thing to drive..below 2000 rpm it's painful to drive..pulling away in traffic is terrible the motor is as rough as hell . the seats are made for dwarfs the power is jut pathetic. this car needs about 250 bhp to be fun. the seats are dreadful and have a terrible small back support on them. there's a reason these cars are mostly bought by women. 2nd worst car i have ever driven.. WARNING TEST DRIVE BEFORE BUYING OK if you're over 5 foot tall then walk away

[@isaachunt5799]

@Xy Yx nope i am a normal construction worker. just trying to help some of you fools not buy this junk on offer that's all

[@Dornpunzel]

Warum klingen meine Landsleute immer so dämlich, wenn sie schlecht englisch sprechen? :D

[@autogefuehl]

Muttersprachler finden mein Englisch nicht schlecht, sie müssen es wissen

[@Dornpunzel]

Das bezog sich auch mehr auf die Aussprache als auf das Englisch selbst. Siss car is really neiss! :D

[@TheCitrusss]

Automatic transmission on 124/MX5 = 0 resale value

[@schreckfeb1981]

TheCitrusss what if you don’t give a shit about resale and just wish to shift the car much faster with the paddles??

[@TheCitrusss]

1. Those who want faster shifting than manual pick a car with a double clutch transmission or a sequential. MX-5 and 124 both have regular automatic, which is always slower than the manual one. 2. Those who “don’t care about resale value” spend someone else’s money and not their own.

[@TheCitrusss]

1. Those who want faster shifting than manual pick a car with a double clutch transmission or a sequential. MX-5 and 124 both have regular automatic, which is always slower than the manual one. 2. Those who “don’t care about resale value” spend someone else’s money and not their own.

[@schreckfeb1981]

TheCitrusss forget the MX5 for a moment and just compare 124 Abarth. The Abarth has tuning potential the MX5 doesn’t bc it’s a turbo. You can mod a 124 Abarth to at least gain 70 HP, and great gains in torque as well (which the auto needs to overcome some of its downsides & extra weight). Once you are off the line at higher RPMs and going through gears where the turbo really kicks in, those paddle shifters & auto will shift faster and more efficient than a manual ON THIS CAR, especially through twisty roads, even if it’s not a dual clutch.

[@schreckfeb1981]

Also comparing a modified 124 AT vs MT, all other things equal the AT is going to win at the drag strip as well.

[@AireJayy]

It sounds like a tractor.. Very disappointing

[@altern8ive]

2nd gear sounds like a slipping CVT. id choose the manual any day over this

[@ma6netho]

i want a V4 With 10000rpm in this or the mx, and if they absolutely must stay to the inline 4 consept thy must do as Yamaha's crossplane engine, to give the engine SOUL

[@chromeinox]

1st of all: This is an ugly design no matter where you look it from. 2nd of all: It's a Fiat, and Fiat's aren't known for anything good in all of Europe's Kingdom. And 3rd: Never knew a car that didn't look good in white, black and red. Now I've seen everything.

[@JJJoseJJJ]

Mx5 looks so much better than this ugly thing

[@clairebannister4749]

SOUNDS LIKE A FARTING TRACTOR.