Saturday Drive: Fiat 124 Spider Offers Classic Vibe

For some reason or another than I can’t quite explain, I have always had an affinity for the classic Fiat 124 Spider. I’m not sure why, because I certainly never owned one (which might well be a good thing), and, to tell you the truth I’m not certain I have ever actually seen one. But when I was a young man salivating over two-seat sports cars the way others might salivate overexposed portions of human flesh, I thought the Fiat 124 Spider was just about perfect … in the looks department at least.

Of course, as an Italian import, it also had the whole exotic thing going for it. Remember, this was a time when Ford and Buick station wagons were festooned with plastic faux paneling along their flanks, so a 124 Spider of late Sixties vintage was something of a revelation, a vision almost too pure for contemplation. And my wide-eyed reverie on this topic was never soiled or injured by actually owning the car.

Which in two swift paragraphs bring us several decades forward from my youth to present day, a present day studded with challenges and heartache even as summer unfolds in front of us. I’ve worn a scarf around my neck as I piloted some sports cars in the past, but who would guess I’d wear a facemask? Yet, here we are charging up to the Fourth of July weekend and looking to escape from the throbbing pain of the present.

What I have found this week is the 2020 Fiat 124 Spider is an excellent machine for doing just that. It conjures up just enough of the Pininfarina-penned classic 124 Spider to justify the name, and its driving manners are superlative. So it is easy to overlook the fact that this classic Italian sports car is assembled in Hiroshima, Japan, on a platform it shares with the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

As I said the current Spider is a great vehicle for escape, so let’s not think about that too much. In fact, let’s not think about that at all. Let’s just savor the fact that from behind the FIAT-emblazoned steering wheel the 124 Spider does all the sports-car things right.

For those who want some Italian seasoning in their Italian sports car, the 124 Spider is differentiated from the Miata under the hood where it houses a Fiat-designed 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo 4-cylinder engine that delivers 160 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque in the Classica and Lusso trim levels. In the sportier Abarth trim the engine is tweaked to offer 164 horsepower with its 184 lb.-ft. of torque. In both forms, the engine can be backed by a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transmission. Though we aren’t the dyed-in-the-wool supporters of manual transmissions that others in our cohort are, I’ve got to say choose the stick shift.

The interior is another area where the Fiat 124 Spider deviates markedly from the Miata. Yes, the car is built in Japan, but its interior channels European ambiance. Its twin bucket seats are more handsome than those in the Miata, the thick-section steering wheel has more gusto than the Japanese roadster’s wheel. Yes, the instruments, switchgear, and controls are obviously Mazda-derived, but their positioning and clarity are admirable, and the stylists have done a good job of giving them a Fiat look. One thing the stylists couldn’t do was make the 124 Spider’s interior bigger than the Miata’s, so for those who tower above six feet tall, space could be cramped.

Another quibble we have is with the infotainment system. We had hopes that the somewhat difficult-to-fathom Mazda system would be replaced with the extremely intuitive Fiat Chrysler UConnect system we have so much admired in other FCA vehicles. But while the system is labeled UConnect it functions in exactly the same manner as the Mazda system in the Miata. It uses a console-mounted controller as a joystick and that takes a bit of getting used to these days when we’re all used to leaving our fingerprints on touchscreens.

The standard system in the lowest-priced Classica trim level has a 3-inch display for its AM/FM radio with Bluetooth. Lusso and Abarth trims feature a 7-inch display, offer Sirius/XM Radio, and incorporate the console-mounted controller. You might find the steering wheel-mounted audio controls easier to use. Four speakers are standard, and a Bose system available on the Lusso and Abarth has nine speakers including a subwoofer.

On the safety front, the 124 Spider’s key advantage is its incredible agility. But beyond that, it has an array of electronic safety gear that includes standard electronic stability control and Enhanced Accident Response System. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic assist are available in a package along with a rear park assist system.

So what is the driving experience like? As a vehicle to get away from it all for a while, it is simply like heaven. The car’s steering is light and responsive, and the electric power-assist on the dual-pinion system doesn’t shoot Novocaine into the steering feel. Given the limits in power and adhesion, you get the feeling you can get the car to do anything you want it to, right when you want to do it. When they talk about “go-kart handling” that is the immediacy you feel. The 124 Spider’s suspension has a double-wishbone layout in front and a multi-link in the rear, and it makes the most of the car’s weight balance.

You can drive it with the fabric top in place, but unless the rain is pouring buckets, you should really drive the 124 Spider topdown on every possible occasion. Yes, this is a roadster with a collapsing fabric top, but it isn’t terribly noisy. Noise, vibration and harshness enhancements, including an acoustic front windshield and insulation help to deliver a reasonably refined, quiet ride.

The Fiat 124 Spider Abarth like the one I drove has a starting price of $29,390, and if you pile on the options you can push the price past $40,000. Yet, I’ll still make the case that even at that price the car is a bargain. No, it isn’t a particularly fast car, and it isn’t the Italian sports car that it at first appears to be, but I can’t think of a car at the price that is any more fun to spend a Saturday morning with.